78' dana 30 axles rebuildable?

i just got my diffs back from the shop and my front axles were left out. i noticed that the u-joint on my right axle was wasted. can i just replace the u-joint or do i need to buy a new axle?

 

Yes, the u-joints are replaceable. Spicer # 260x.
They are replaced just like u-joints in a drive shaft.

 

i just found a "how to" on it. i'm going to give it a shot. thanks for the u-joint info!

 

here's the pic of my axles. pretty rusty. so i'm assuming those caps pop off?

 

i cant see hte picture, but there are C-clips on the caps on the INSIDE of the ears that must be removed. you can then pound the u-joint out.

 

on a scale of 1-10, rate this job.

 

2 heck you already have them out, they can be a bear though due to rust. BFH and dont hit your hand with it

 

this is true. how hard it will be depends on your abality to work with things, and the tools you have at hand. if you are like warloch and have a press even a rusty one is a walk in the park

 

I took mine to my local driveline shop. They did the labor for $30. I painted my yokes and didn't want them banged up.
Not damaging the grease seals is a challenge, along with keeping all the needles straight during initial assembly.
( This thread should be in the Intermediate forum. )

 

I'm w/ Warloch, a vice and sockets will make the job easy. On another note, if you have access to a small press (even an arbor press will work), the job is a breeze. Cleanup of the yoke will take longer.:v6:

 

Not really as the 30 swap is VERY common on Early CJ's.

 

Soaking the bearing caps with PB Blaster, Kroil, or something similar will help tremendously. Don't mess with WD-40 as it really isn't a penetrating oil. I've found tapping the caps back and forth after removing the retaining clips (from one side to the other) and spraying more penetrating oil around the caps helps work it in on real rusty axles like yours. Messy and takes a little longer but well worth it to keep from damaging the yoke bores.
Make sure the seal surface on the splined end of the shaft is in good shape. If not you need to replace the inner shafts anyway...

 

I use my ball joint press for changing U joints. Not as good as a hydraulic press but a lot better than using a hammer and sockets

 

i busted them out last night. not too hard at all. kinda messy. bearings all over the place but i got them out with very little effort thanks to the BFH. now to get the u-joints and press them back in. anything i need to be aware of before i put the new ones in?

 

Lightly sand the bores with some fine emery cloth first to clean up any rust or burrs. Make sure any burrs on the machined flats inside the ears are cleaned up with a fine file. Makes getting the circlips in much easier and keeps the load even. Check and make sure you haven't spread or pinched the ears together. Add a very small amount of grease to the needles in the cups so they don't move on you during installation. If it won't go, don't force it, find out what the hang up is.

 

main thing is dont let the needles come out of place, some times one will fall into the cap and you wont know it untill its together, then the clips wont go in BTDT what works for me is clamp one end of the axel in the vise, put center section of the u joint in first and hold it up thru the cup hole, slide the cup down on to it and lightly tap the cup in place with a small hammer while holding the center section agaisnt the cup. you can go a little futher than you need to so you will have a little extra center section to work with on the other end, when you get the other side in you can tap it back to where it needs to be. i do the inner axel first because it is the harder one to handle (more weight and larger) make sure if you have a grease fitting install it so you can grease it