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at 4.5 lift and a crown sye i ran a stock front xj auto shaft for 4 years turning 32x9x16 it did well and was great to carry 1 shaft that fit front or rear in case i broke or bent one and i did lol
at 4.5 lift and a crown sye i ran a stock front xj auto shaft for 4 years turning 32x9x16 it did well and was great to carry 1 shaft that fit front or rear in case i broke or bent one and i did lol
okay. can this be done to the front shaft as well?
what would need to be beefier?
When I did my SYE and Adam's rear ds, I rebuilt the front shaft at the same time. Basically, you want to get a good Spicer u-joint. The two options are sealed or greasable. Technically, the sealed ones are stronger, but I went with greasables for mine. My reasoning was the fact that I can add new grease to them to keep everything fresh and they were significantly less expensive than the sealed ones. If you do the greasable ones, make sure you get the version with the zerk fitting on the bearing cap, not the u-joint body itself. Rock auto only had the latter when I did mine, and the h-yoke knocked one of my fittings off. I also decided to replace the h-yoke because it wasn't that expensive, and I painted it so starting with a new one made that easier. The last part you'll want is the centering ball kit. These are known for wearing out on XJ's, and it's pretty cheap insurance. You can also get the whole assembly (yoke piece that contains the centering ball and the ball itself) so you wouldn't have to deal with pulling stuff apart. It's not too difficult but can take some screwing around. Oh and don't forget to get new strap kits for where the ds connects to the yokes. Take a look at yours to see what I'm talking about.
This sounds like a lot, but none of these parts are very expensive or difficult to change. Everything on mine swapped no problem. I could probably do the whole thing in 2 hours or less now. Do yourself a favor and rent a u-joint press from any parts store. Most chains just make you pay up front and refund everything when you return it.
When I did my SYE and Adam's rear ds, I rebuilt the front shaft at the same time. Basically, you want to get a good Spicer u-joint. The two options are sealed or greasable. Technically, the sealed ones are stronger, but I went with greasables for mine. My reasoning was the fact that I can add new grease to them to keep everything fresh and they were significantly less expensive than the sealed ones. If you do the greasable ones, make sure you get the version with the zerk fitting on the bearing cap, not the u-joint body itself. Rock auto only had the latter when I did mine, and the h-yoke knocked one of my fittings off. I also decided to replace the h-yoke because it wasn't that expensive, and I painted it so starting with a new one made that easier. The last part you'll want is the centering ball kit. These are known for wearing out on XJ's, and it's pretty cheap insurance. You can also get the whole assembly (yoke piece that contains the centering ball and the ball itself) so you wouldn't have to deal with pulling stuff apart. It's not too difficult but can take some screwing around. Oh and don't forget to get new strap kits for where the ds connects to the yokes. Take a look at yours to see what I'm talking about.
This sounds like a lot, but none of these parts are very expensive or difficult to change. Everything on mine swapped no problem. I could probably do the whole thing in 2 hours or less now. Do yourself a favor and rent a u-joint press from any parts store. Most chains just make you pay up front and refund everything when you return it.
Originally Posted by burg3rlicious
4.5 inches, front driveshaft in the rear. Plenty of movement forward and back
Greasable w/ zerk fitting on the cap - Spicer 5-1310-1X (you only need one of this style for the ds, the other two can be the cheaper style with zerk on body)
Greasable w/zerk fitting on body - Spicer 5-153X or 5-213X (honestly not even sure what the difference is, only the 5-213X was available when I got mine)
I can't find the sealed ones right now, but DO NOT use the 5-760X, these are for your front axle, which you might want to do at the same time since you'll have the press for removing them.
I have a 2000 Cherokee with a 3"-3.5" lift (as far as I can tell). It's a project Jeep that I bought, and I was told that I could use the stock front shaft, as a rear, for that size lift. I see all of the posts here stating that should be fine, up to a 4.5" lift. When I put the driveshaft on, on level ground, it's extended, almost to the max. I am thinking this is too short, what say ye? Everything is stock except the lift. Chrysler 8.25 for the pumpkin. '01 Cherokee Front driveshaft, used as new rear with Advance Adapters SYE on '00 Cherokee.
92 4.0 AW4 NP242, 4.5” measured lift with IRO H&T.
On the IRO instructions I left maybe a half an inch more than their recommended shortest length to cut the shaft. I picked up a front shaft from a 92 with the same specs at the salvage yard, replaced a squeeky u-joint and bolted it up. I don’t see splines and it’s got plenty of room for compression.
8* steel bolt through shims, again from IRO and I’ve got no vibes.
92 4.0 AW4 NP242, 4.5” measured lift with IRO H&T.
On the IRO instructions I left maybe a half an inch more than their recommended shortest length to cut the shaft. I picked up a front shaft from a 92 with the same specs at the salvage yard, replaced a squeeky u-joint and bolted it up. I don’t see splines and it’s got plenty of room for compression.
8* steel bolt through shims, again from IRO and I’ve got no vibes.
Apparently I picked the only Jeep in the yard that was lifted and had a shortened front driveshaft. This is good-ish. Aside from the annoyance, and having to go back a fourth time for this shaft, the rear shaft is probably the proper length that I'll need. I'll be sticking a measuring tape in my tool bag this time 😂
Did anyone go with the full output shaft or is everyone hack 'n tap? If you went full output shaft, would the front driveshaft still work at 4.5 inches of lift?
09-14-2015, 03:25 PM
