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Salvage yard dana 30 questions

53A1

53A1

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2008
Long term project, I'm piecing together a 67 cj with a t18, flanged 44 and v6 and large hole d18 transfer case. I have everything except the dana 30 to replace the 27 which i found today at the junk yard. He wants $350 and it has the disk brakes included. He's basically pulling it off an 82 cj5 Laredo complete.

The problem is the rear flanged 44 is 3.73 and the 30 is 3.31 gear ratios. On a budget I'm thinking I just regear the front.

Questions

How much does this typically cost?

Are there any other surprises if I buy this axle that I'm not aware of?

Any other items worth picking? Seat frames look different and transfer and engine are gone.

I don't ever run into these locally and probably won't find one with the 3.73 gears so I should just buy this one.


Edit: I'm thinking the hanging pedals would be something good to pick from it.

Thanks
 
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Get the Dana 30. Swap the R&P yourself. It's not critical if you get the gear lash just right. It's only used for front wheel drive which is maybe 10% of the time. The Vevor bearing puller might assist here.
https://www.vevor.com/bearing-inner...aring-puller-with-2-clamshells-p_010770734320
You will need to modify the drag link or best to have a new one fabricated.
Get the hanging pedals too. It is allot of work that's been covered here many times, but WELL worth the effort. Get the brake and clutch masters on the firewall. It's a much better arrangement.
I got all my stuff from an '82 CJ5. Your costs will be decided on how many parts need to be replaced. I went all in and changed out every bearing, u-joint, ball joint, U-bolt, brake hose, disk rotor & pads. It was 10+ years ago ... my cost has been forgotten.
I wish my build thread was still here. :shrug:
And finally, you will LOVE the tighter turning radius!!! (y)
 
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Yes, IIRC '82 is the first year for a wide track axle.
The narrow track 30 is already 2" wider than the 27 (from 51" to 53" track).
The wide track is an additional 3" wider.

Doug may be right - looking at the '82 TSM, only the CJ-7 is wide track.
My track widths are from Jeeptech.com, and are 1.5" wider than the spec in the TSM.
The '82 TSM says 52.4" and 55.8" for the 30s - depends on how it's measured.
Suspect the TSM is WMS-WMS (wheel mounting surface), though it does not say.
 
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My '82 CJ5 donor had the narrow track.
I chased the NT vs WT issue when I bought mine. I thought only a few CJ5s in '83 got the wide tracks...right before 60 Minutes killed the vehicle.
 
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Thanks everyone. I'll pick everything I can from it. I'm almost positive its narrow track. I've always wanted to try a regear so this might be the opportunity. I'll start a build thread.
 
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do the regear its not terribly tough just time consuming. the vevor puller makes it easier.
 
I made a pair of carrier set-up bearings from some good used ones, And also a set-up bearing race for the inner pinion bearing, The inner pinion bearing sets the pinion depth, where a lot of changes may be needed during pattern set-up and is the hardest one to change. The key start to setting up a pattern is running a gear pattern on the old set-up before you begin the tear down and photo it. If you are using the original gear set you will want to set it up with the same pattern that the axle has been running. Then when tearing down and removing all the old bearings measure and record ALL the shim packs and keep them for reuse in their original locations. This will give you a good base line starting point for your set-up pattern even if you are changing to a different R&P set.
 
sterlclan said:
do the regear its not terribly tough just time consuming. the vevor puller makes it easier.
Click to expand...
If you are not swapping the carrier, use the old bearings (unless they are obviously bad or have gotten hot), as this leaves only the pinion depth to deal with. If you are swapping carriers, just buy two extra bearings and make setup bearings as Ol Fogie suggested, as these are easy to make. I bought a couple extra bearings years ago for various axles and honed the inside with a small stone hone so they are easy to remove to adjust shims. I’ve also use sand paper wrapped around the appropriate sized socket, add a socket to drill adapter and hone the inside of the bearing with the sand paper and a drill. It’s easier with a drill press, but can be done with a hand drill. The bearings just need to be able to slide on/off the carrier without a lot of effort while you swap shims.

Ol Fogie’s suggestion on taking pictures and checking the pattern before removal is also solid, as this will give you a baseline and reference guide.

If you are swapping to a different carrier that is used and has bearings, these can be removed with a 3” cutoff tool to score the inner race, then hit the score with a chisel/hammer or air hammer and it will crack the race for easy removal. Then make a couple of setup bearings. Also, start with the same shims that are currently installed on the new-to-you carrier instead of starting from scratch with shims. The original shims might be close enough for a front axle.

As others have noted, this is the front axle, so doesn’t see much use, so don’t be nervous about the project. Get a dial indicator and magnetic base from Harbor Freight (budget friendly) and get your backlash as close as possible and your pattern should be within range, but still needs to be checked.
 
I appreciate all the info. New territory for me.

I suppose you have to consult the manufacturer's guidelines when I get the new 3.73 gears and see if the carrier needs replacement. There's probably a limit on how much you can adjust it before you need a thicker ring gear.

I'm sold on trying this myself. I need to get the axle asap because the steering needs to be corrected. I started a build thread.
 
I understand now. Yes I need a new carrier $$
 

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Went back to measure the front end. I noticed the rotors add another 4 inches to the width. Rotor face to face is 53". With the extra width on the rotors the wheels will mount at 57".

My d27 has a drum face to face of 52".

The spring perches are spot on at 27 1/2 center to center and 1 3/4 thick. It has 2 inch springs so I was surprised the perches were 1 3/4 wide.

I'm thinking the extra width up front is fine and I can use spacers on rear to even it out.

Does this sound normal?

Also, looks like a mechanical clutch so I'm not sure if that can be adapted to a t18.

Thanks.
 

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53A1 said:
I'm thinking the extra width up front is fine and I can use spacers on rear to even it out.

Does this sound normal?

Also, looks like a mechanical clutch so I'm not sure if that can be adapted to a t18.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

You don't need spacers on the rear. A little extra track width up front will never be noticed.
Yes - it's normal. It's too bad so many of these tech conversion threads got lost in the shuffle with this site. You may still find info in personal build threads.
Where there's a will, there's a way! I converted to a hydraulic clutch with my T-18, but my '82 donor already had the hydraulic plumbing.

You might consider changing the hubs to 6-bolt. The 5-bolt are just OK but may show weakness depending on your usage. ;)
 
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I installed spacers on the rear as I wanted the widths to appear the same as close as possible.
YMMV
The rear tires were also rubbing when I went to 33's but that was a different issue ; wheel width and offset etc.
 
jpflat2a said:
I installed spacers on the rear as I wanted the widths to appear the same as close as possible.
YMMV
The rear tires were also rubbing when I went to 33's but that was a different issue ; wheel width and offset etc.
Click to expand...

I put spacers on mine too. I didn't like the look of the front tires sticking out of the fenders while the rears were inside. And as you note, it keeps the rear tires out of the inner fender when flexed.
 
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