Axle Swaps - CDM Fabrication

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Axle Swaps:
Any axle swap is a fair amount of work. This section is more of a generic guide, meant to give you an idea of what's involved. A couple things are true for any axle swap.

- If you are going to spend this much time swapping axles, make sure the axle you are swapping in, is worth this much work. There are weak and strong versions of every axle, so don't assume anything.
- Ideally you want the front axle wider than the rear, so keep this in mind when hunting for axles.
- Front and rear axles should be the same bolt pattern, so make sure whatever axle you are looking at can be converted to whatever bolt pattern you need.
- With some axles it's not possible to get the same exact gear ratio front and rear, you are allowed a 3% difference. So 4.11 in the front and 4.09 in the rear would be fine.
- Bigger is not always better. If you only plan on running 33" to a 35" tire there is no point in swapping in a 14-bolt, as all it will do is drag the ground everywhere.

CJ/YJ Specific-

Unless you are swapping in an axle that came under another CJ/YJ, you might as well admit it and cut all the old brackets off. Sometimes you can leave them, but it looks much cleaner not to have excess brackets on the tubes. You’ll need to have proper width spring perches welded on. Before welding the perches, the Jeep must be sitting on the ground, with weight on the springs, so you can properly set the pinion angle.

TJ Specific-

TJs are bit more complex to swap in an axle due to the coil suspension. Unless you are swapping in an axle that came under another TJ, you might as well admit it and cut all the old brackets off. Sometimes you can leave them, but it looks much cleaner not to have excess brackets on the tubes. You could make the brackets, but several companies sell bracket kits that will save you a ton of time. The pinion angle should be set with weight on the suspension.

As for mating the new axle to your driveshaft, some axles will need adapters, some you will just need a conversion u-joint available at most any parts store. Normally in most cases when swapping out to a larger driveshaft, you'll need to have the driveshaft shortened, so double check your driveshaft length. Usually hooking up brake lines and hoses is pretty straight forward, usually no adapters are necessary and it will just hook right up to your factory lines. However if you do need adapters you can get them at any parts store. The final thing to remember is that your master cylinder may not be able to flow enough fluid for larger brakes. However many times people find their stock master cylinder is fine with larger brakes. Some people prefer to install an adjustable proportioning valve, or modify the stock one to get proper braking bias.

Related Topics: | Some basic axle information: | Ford 8.8 Swap: | Full Width Axles: |

Related Writeups: | Axle Identification |

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