Ajohnson0830

Hey guys I'm going to install some Alloy USA axle shafts this weekend on my Rubicon Dana 44 rear end. I saw the kit includes "everything needed for installation". It seems pretty straight forward but was wondering if anybody could share any tricks that might make it go a little smoother or any common mistakes that I need to avoid.

Thanks

wayoflife

yeah, if you can get it with everything already pressed on, opt for that option. with everything already on, it's an easy as pie install.

CrazyCasey

i Agree with WOL. I purchased the same kit and it comes with everything you need except a new mounting plate and the 4 bolts for the end of the housing. I had to press off the bearing and everything to get this plate off and it was a pita. If I had to do it again I would buy a new plate for each side so that I would not have to deal with all the extra work, plus then you can easily swap out your old shafts with out a press if you ever need to. Pressing the bearing on the new axles is a little difficult but not to time consuming, you will need a rather large press to do it because of the length of the axles. Do one side at a time and keep the housing tilted up a bit on your jackstand this will keep the fluid from spilling out on the floor when you remove the axle. it took me about 3 hours, 1 full hour to remove the plates from the old axles, one of which i just ended up cutting the bearing off.

Hope this helps.

Ajohnson0830

Great I'll go get the plates this week. Thanks for the help

monkers

WOL, are there any write ups on doing this? Im planning some mods (next year after I recover from the lift tires etc and I read that chrome-moly axles are reccomended, or is it just for the front? I want to start looking into the companies that make them also, any suggestions on what to get and what to avoid? I was unaware you could get the axles assembled and ready to slide in. Thanks

Ajohnson0830

Hey guys this was a pretty easy install thanks to everybody's help, but there a few things you'll need. A shop press to get the new bearings on and a slide hammer to get the old shaft out. Autozone has slide hammers with an axle adapter mount for free to rent and made the removal a snap. Also I highly recommend getting new bearing plates they are about $19 from the dealer and will save you a headache, plus if your axle shaft was still good you have an easy replacement ready to go. I also took this chance to clean out my diff and change the fluid.

meatsandwich

Thanks for the advice fellas!
Three different shops wanted $3-400 for the complete install, and over $100 to just press the bearings. As advised, I bought the bearing retainers from the dealer and the install took me less than 4 hours (including pressing the bearings.) Who doesn't like to save money? I basically earned $100 per hour for this install.

As long as you take close note to the old axle bearing/retainer/seal stackup, and the average Joe can figure it out.
Here are a few other notes that might help the next guy:

1) The 20ton Harbor Freight press ($200) is too short to fit the long axle, but can be easily welded/ modified to accomodate. For this project I used a different press, and plan to modify my Harbor Freight press later.

2) Using red threadlocker on the Alloy USA screw-in type wheel studs is probably a good idea to prevent the studs from backing out later.

3) Press the tone ring on before the bearing/retainers. There is no shoulder, so be careful not to press too far.

4) Press the bearing over the axle shoulder first, then the retaining ring. This ensures that the retaining ring won't be off-center while pressing.

5) Lube the seal with grease before installing with the stack-up. This should help prevent any leakage later.

6) The bearing/ retainer required just over 3000PSI to press on. It's important to make sure the bearing seats fully on the axle. Just looking at it to tell is tough because of a slight radius on the axle. I took the press to 3500PSI to be sure. This prevents unwanted endplay after install.

Axle removal:



Correct stack-up in press after tone-ring install: