75 IHC scout II axles

just found some scout axles on craigslist. the front dana 44 is disk brake. just wondering... would this fit on the 74 cj5?? also does anyone know what the gearing is?? also.... what about the steering linkage and what not. what all would need to be done to get it to bolt up..

thanks, Matt

 

As I recall, they can be made to fit. Not sure if that requires moving the pads around ... probably does. They are wider than CJ axles, narrower than a Wagoneer but wider than a CJ.

The main problem with them (again from what I recall) is the Scout has a funny suspension geometry with zero (or near zero?) caster. If you add caster with shims, the pinion points down a lot, and your front driveshaft angle isn't very good. SOmething like that.

 

If they are stock, they should be 3.73 There should be a tag on the cover if you go take a look. They would be great for a CJ with the wider stance and they can be made to fit. Just depends on how much work you are willing to do to get them to fit.

 

About 7"-8" wider than early CJs. I'm running them on my MB. Yes you need to outboard the spring hangers. No way around that because the spring pad is on the axle is integrated with the housing. If it's a Jeep that sees a lot of street use, there's probably better options out there because the zero caster won't be too friendly on the pavement. Add some lift to that and you'll end up with negative caster! It works for me fine because mine is a trail only rig.
On my Wagon I used a Wagoneer Dana 44 front instead of a Scout for this reason.

 

As above, they will have to be outboarded to fit.
Caster can be a problem, but you can also turn the knuckles, not an easy job.
Steering is close, if the axle has the tie rod, then just a new drag link is needed.
Gearing, anything from 3.08 to 3.73.

If you're going to go thru all the work to outboard, Waggy axles are stronger (housing is big/stronger) and can be converted to 5 lug using Ford hubs and rotors. With a centered rear, an 80 or newer waggy rear axle (D44 or AMC20) or an early Rodeo rear axle (it's a D44) is actually a better match.

 

Waggy is the way to go. More readily available, cheaper and you don't have to deal with the caster.

 

To add more fuel to the fire the Scout axles use very long steering arms on the knuckles which throws off the steering geometry and the tie rod ends are spendy.

 

alright. thank you all very much for the input. this is what i got out of it: dont go with the scout axles....lol. yeah i have a common sense and can figure some stuff out. but i dont think i wana do all that fabrication to get them under my cj. not worth it for my rig.


again thank you. i was really just looking for a little strong front axle with disk brakes....and saw the scout axles on craigslist....

so my best bet would be wagoneer axles??

 

Yup. You will still need to outboard the front springs unless you narrow them up. Watch out for the rear and make sure it's centered. Some were way offset for the quadratrac transfer case.

 

For our earlier CJ's with the offset rear 44, is the offset the same for the waggy's with the offset rear for the quadratrac as it is offset for the rear 44 for the dana 18 t-cases? There is a waggy rear for sale in my area with the offset rear for the quadratrac. I know it is wider than my axle, but I'd like to go wider, and will the offsets be the same so I can run it on my trail jeep with a dana 18 t-case? (I wanna keep the dana18 so I can keep my overdrive, an 8 speed offroad is pretty sweet). Let me know and I'll try to jump on it. thanks.