Anotheraustinsmith

Hi I have finally gotten everything i need to do my first axle swap and i had a few questions before i dove in. up front Im putting in a dana 30 from a different xj and in the rear a dana 44 which i already have the spring and shock mounts welded on so both should bolt on. this is my first swap and i only have one day off a week and my xj is my dd will it take me over a day to swap one axle? or both? expirence wise Im fairly new at wrenching ive done a couple clutch jobs. Any advice helps thanks!

XJlimitedx99

In theory it shouldn't, but in practice...

Just be sure to soak every bolt that needs to be removed in penetrating oil every day for a week before you do anything.

RockSolidOff-Road

What he said.

I'd plan on one at a time and see how the first one goes. There's always one simple thing that turns it into an all day affair. Especially if you have to have it done.

mr white

I got mine geared and I was going hunting the next day. Put both axles in and changed the rear bearings and seals and reinstalled the lockers in less than one day. But I didn't have anything to remove.

xjmarc

Make sure you have a buddy there because you will need help plus they'll have another vehicle to drive you to the parts store to get broken bolts and such that you won't know you need till you break them. Also do not reuse your u bolts out back. They stretch and it's just a good practice to replace them and they are cheap. Good luck.

caged

he will need new u-bolts anyways, his old ones won't fit.

but you will need the drive shaft from the 44. yours likely won't be short enough, especially if you have the d35.

the hardest part is the parking brake cables and bleeding the brakes. otherwise, the rest is just unbolt and bolt the new one in.

you won't need to remove the leaf springs, so no worries with those bolts. they can be a real pita.

rear should take maybe 2 hours for your first time.

tighten up the u-bolts with the weight on the ground (or axle stands). if you tighten them with the axle hanging, it won't ride right. it will be really stiff.