Polishing a Turd - Beefing up a Dana 30 (without adding a truss)

[@rile5960]

I sleeved and Artec trussed my 98 high pinion 30 from a XJ, Nodular steering knuckles, RCV’s, 4:88’s Been on 35’s for 14 years and 2 years on 37’s. Strong and durable in a 04 TJ!

[@DRTJon]

That's an awesome testament to the turd! Thanks for sharing

[@jeremy8715]

I’m doing a similar thing. Are you using 27 or 30 spline axles?

[@rile5960]

@@jeremy8715 30 spline inner/27 outer

[@bspizzledizzle]

Damn that's just about as much as a turd can be polished! You probably have way better ground clearance than guys running 37's on tons.

[@brianluck84]

Do you feel like you could use more gearing on those 37s?

[@francisbrackney2061]

Nice job... The Dana 30 is fine axle. Some people put use far too large of wheels and tires and beat the axle to death and then call it crap.

[@NoWr2Run]

You SIR, ARE A HELL OF A FABRICATOR, I AM AMAZED AT THE THINGS YOU DO & DO THE RIGHT WAY.

[@DRTJon]

nowr2run thank you very much. Humbled

[@thewheel2023]

Man oh man wish i was skilled, tooled, funded, to build anything close to the great stuff you guys are doing thanks for sharing

[@DRTJon]

A.W. Koonce Thanks for the compliment! this was 100% funded out of my own pocket, parts were collected over the course of several months in fact

[@MalarkeyTaylor]

So much time and effort into a dumpster. I thought I was the only guy to do that sort of thing. 😂 good work Jon 👍

[@onefastcyclist]

A fine presentation of fabricating a stronger Dana 30! Upgrading the stock wimpy sway-bar mount and improving the brakes are great additions for any XJ - even those running smaller tires. However, I'm a big fan of switchable lockers - like the OX cable actuated with the optional electric solenoid.

[@erikkovacs3097]

I remember 10 years ago you could get bolt-on Rubicon Dana 44 bare housings that were a perfect replacement for the Dana 30 for $900 shipped from Ebay. Those were the days.

[@David-rj1ru]

Was it an entire axel?

[@jake-mv5oi]

I was second guessing the Torq when I put it in the wife's ZJ D30. The springs didn't want to snap into the pockets and I had to bend one of the ends of the spring to give me enough peace of mind that they wouldnt pop back out. Once I got it in, it made a pretty good amount of noise and jerkiness when going around sharp turns in 2wd. Instructions said it would go away after about 500 miles. I'd say it was more like a few thousand miles. Its been a year now with 4 hard wheeling trips and you'd never know it was there until you shift to 4wd. Pretty happy with it now.

[@DRTJon]

Very strange, I would have contacted their customer support about that, sounds like you may have received something a little off there, the springs retained nicely into the pockets on mine once fully seated. I can definitely feel it has more of a desire to go in a straight line when driving in 4wd under acceleration but it's not overwhelming at all, and the steering doesn't feel jerky. There was no break in for mine, it's probably the diesel engine drowning it out, but I have to really put my ear to it to hear any clicking.

[@arrondentinger2086]

I've never seen those u joint caps. I just tack weld the caps the ears of the shaft. Seems to work pretty well.

[@davidshettlesworth1442]

Thank you for an excellent video on improving and beefing up the Dana 30. You certainly did more than polish it, but improved it greatly. Carry On Sir!

[@EmeraldEnchantments]

I have had several jeeps and I wheeled them hard and only problem I had was a broken track bar bracket. Had 33's. It's how you drive not what you drive. I could drive from across the country with no roads in my truck no problem. (Except for bridges 😛) weld the tubes, brace the c's and pick the right line.

[@ASH.......................1976]

Great video ! Your doing a lot more than polishing ,as the title says your fabrication is fantastic 😀👍

[@SarahSmith-hd8kd]

Did almost every single one of theese same things as you recently just finishing the vehicle build up my 98xj HP 30 plus an OX locker cable actuated setup and plus Rusty's offroad low profile 105$ truss. Did the truss cause why not but I won't be swapping anything out though except to build a 4.7 stroker.

[@danhambrick6331]

Nice job John.I'm happy to know that I'm not the only one polishing a turd..I am doing a similar build on my XJ.That Torq locker is pretty slick.There used to be a guy on here named Tim and he did the Torq locker on his XJ.That guy has been gone for a long time and can't remember a long term review....Thanks again....

[@DRTJon]

Dan Hambrick yeah Tim did a TORQ on his front axle. I’m really happy with how it performs so far, really nice to have the added traction and I don’t notice the drawbacks I have seen highlighted from most people who trash talk automatic lockers. I’m hoping to put one in the 8.25 rear when it’s available.

[@lowemountainadventures]

Hey John, in the video it looks like your running the teves style WJ calipers(ones with the weird clips). not sure if you changed that out or not. If you didnt id highly highly recommend you take those off and find the akebono style ones from a 02 and up WJ. youll need the bracket it bolts to as well, but otherwise its a direct swap. and the only reason i mention this is the Teves style are known for seizing up and warping rotors.

[@DRTJon]

Husky Dave’s Hobbies thanks for pointing that out. I bought a pile of stuff off a guy cheap, he told me they were Akebono, turned out they weren’t. I’ll switch them over when I have some spare $ for it, I’d like to get as much life out of these rotors as possible

[@lowemountainadventures]

Jon BleepinJeep I picked up a set from a local junkyard with the brackets for 50 bucks. So I’d start there depending on where you live lol. Otherwise “new” is prolly the better option.

[@onetruebob_tj]

Excellent video. Great modifications of the Barnes system.

[@ashtonmariefranklin1981]

Im considering on doing a solid axle swap on my 04 crewcab chevy s10. And bought a coil over spring solid axle swap kit, that uses TJ/YJ axles with long arms. Gonna run 285/75-16 tires and basically a pavement princess, maybe sum light off roading like dirt roads. So ill be using a dana 30 front axle. This vid has been great. Now i know i can slightly beef up a dana 30 and know it will survive under my s10 build

[@MrDudeCZ]

Great job, Jon! I've also done some strengthening to my 30, unfortunately prior swapping the engine and now I have the same issue with my truss being too close to the oil pan. Funny thing, last week I started thinking about removing the truss and sleeving the axle tubes or getting a stronger axle. I somewhat like the Turdy but I would be much more confident with a bigger axle on my 35's

[@ElevatedVehicles]

I'm on 40s and a JK Dana 30 Just don't be afraid to turn around and go home and choose your lines wisely. Pride & ego kills Dana 30s

[@ethangonzales3000]

@@ElevatedVehicleswhat ball joints do you use?

[@seanmacdonald8476]

Haha we were all watching that xj pass you too. I thought the caliper bolt spacers was part and parcel to the wj brake swap. I had seen in the rumor mill that there are some unit bearings part numbers that are an exception to the rule (at least I knew it applied to my 2001) and you wouldn't actually need spacers. My guess is you got lucky and now get to deal with the it with the hubs.Thx for the vid

[@brandonl7396]

i love every part of fabrication, and have a decent knack for it, i HAVE to learn to weld!!! you have skill my friend!

[@RedRockCrawlers]

Well that is one nice looking turd after all lol. Some great upgrades for a D30

[@negative-7846]

just a friendly welding tip, try to resist the urge to weave the wire when welding fillet/groove joint. literally, the strongest weld will be as strong as the base metal surrounding. and a slight drag angle while running stringers, stacking stringers, will provide you the best weld function and look. cheers! practice them stringers! if ya do uphill stringers fillet or groove, you can add slight uphil travel angle. you want to watch for the sides, to ensure the pool fills in on top of the previous shelf. stacking shelves, will make it look liek a robot did it. practice them stringers! to be even more critical, cut you a fillet gauge for various weld sizes, and run your stringers on practice scrap and then see if you have much gap between the gauge and your weld! a really good welder will know how to lay a 5/16 fillet or a 3/8, etc... and can get them to pass the gauge test! example would be to study how bridge trusses are built, and follow the welders examples there. I do pipe groove mostly and structural secondary. hope this helps! remember, if you have only so much material to lay down in your weld, making that wider will weaken the weld. you want to travel no more than 3x the width of your wire if you do weave or circle as you move along the weld pass! xD nice upgrades! I hope to get me a jeep some day.

[@robp418]

There an ongoing debate between weaves and stringers being stronger. I run a weave because I think it looks nicer and it’s always been plenty strong for me. Welding at the correct heat is the most important factor imo. The hotter you can run a weld the better

[@pra3t0rian]

I’ve always replaced the cross shaft roll pin. I’ve seen used roll pins back out and chew up the ring gear.

[@DRTJon]

that is good advice

[@ethanbergen6268]

Wow I wish I had seen this video when I did my bearings. I had no idea that this was the locking hub kit in there, mile marker didn’t know either. Had to look at the bearings myself and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find the right rotors when I need to replace them. Thank you sir

[@timothysnyder4335]

I was with you right up to the point when you welded up the bearing caps.

[@DirtRoadTherapy]

Why? Never lost a U Joint on this setup, despite breaking multiple stub shafts

[@constructiontech1970]

Nice work Jon as usual!

[@sector783]

I am running 35” MT’s on my 16’ JKU Sport - stock D 30/44 axels with no HD ball joints, gussets or sleeves. It is on a 3 inch lift with Taraflex springs and the shocks are stock. My question is, how worried should I be about the possibility of breaking something with the way it is currently set up? I know it depends on the level of trail difficulty, but In the six months I have had it, I have done some pretty moderate trails here in Utah and have had no issues. Meaning, no hardcore bouncing off rocks or anything like that. But I do often hit 4 Lo to get up moderately steep switchbacks with moderate rock gardens, but again, not crawling Rubicon trail or extreme Moab.. Am I OK continuing to do moderate wheeling with the way it is currently set up? What are some of my key limitations? Trailwise? Thanks so much! 🤙

[@robp418]

As far as I know the axle housing in the rear is fairly strong and fine for 35’s. Upgrade to cromolly shafts in the rear if you decide to wheel hard trails. On 35’s and moderate trails the Dana 30 should be ok. The worst that will happen is you break an axle shaft. If you start wheeling hard I’d recommend c gussets and cromolly axle shafts at the minimum. Upgrade the ball joints to hd when they wear out. If you decide to go 37’s and hit harder trails the Dana 30 is pretty useless. You’ll break the ring and pinion eventually on 37’s and it’s likely you’d bend the tubes without a truss

[@ChristianWTR1]

SO. MUCH. INFORMATION. AND. DETAIL.

[@markmacdonald6452]

Lot of work to a 30, but a high pinion 30 is ok for light wheeling if you don't push it. Given the amount of time and $ your into with the modifications, I'd go with the FSJ 44 and modify the oil pan for the added strength.

[@RjsEpicAdventures]

Please do one on the cooling system

[@HomebrewHorsepower]

Aren't those 1/4 inch hub spacers supposed to be welded? Mine definitely needed to be welded or the unit bearing wouldn't have had anything solid to index into. My whole hub would have been relying on the shear strength of those 3 bolts.

[@DRTJon]

Homebrew Horsepower yes they are. Strange that they come powder coated

[@HomebrewHorsepower]

@@DRTJon yeah I thought that was weird too.

[@stanthology]

Great video. I hope you will make more.

[@jessecramer1369]

Are u running wj knuckles but not crossover steering? also u should weld those spacers I think But very nice work, I’ve been running 37s on my hp30 soon to get a jk 44 tho

[@DRTJon]

Jesse Cramer I welded the spacers on just didn’t show it sorry! Currently running stock XJ drag link with ZJ tie rod I will be changing to cross over steering and panhard soon

[@05glisedan]

Too bad Barnes4wd is not selling the sleeves at this time. Cool build.

[@DRTJon]

Joe Man I wonder why? I just checked the other day and they were on the site

[@05glisedan]

@@DRTJon I reached out to them via their website. I'm told it should be available in June.. I'll keep checking the site.

[@msproch1]

@@05glisedan I think GenRight sells them... EDIT: It is Synergy...www.synergymfg.com/synergy-jeep-jk-tjlj-xj-zj-d3044-inner-axle-sleeve-kit.html

[@msproch1]

Never mind I see they are discontinued..

[@05glisedan]

I did pick up a set a while back. Still have to practice some more before starting.

[@Steveindajeep]

Nice work, ive seen trusses on the bottom as well for a dana turdy.

[@thatmand4542]

The reason i can understand that hes running a D30 cause 1 he's pretty light weight especially with that tdi motor and hes running 33's wich is fine especially with the sleeves and c gussets but yeah :D also those welds look fantastic man

[@DRTJon]

Dylan Aponte yes weight was a big factor for me. It’s hard to know what a build D44 would weigh but I’d have to guess significantly more. You have to do some type of truss with anything but a TJ “44” and till you buy all that and get everything the same lug pattern it’s a significant investment. Any axle you put under there is gonna be a lot of work to set up no matter what

[@thatmand4542]

@@DRTJon yeah for sure man like I say "weight has to do ALOT with what axle you wanna run,just cause you've seen a little tj with a D44 running 40's that doesn't mean you can stuff it in a jk with a v8 and 40s,you gotta see how much everything weighs"but great job on building that D30 keep up the great work man and stay safe 😇✌️

[@soldier42mp92]

I have a jk and this a really good video I have a D30 and will be doing some upgrades to it regardless of what’s said it has performed well

[@autotek7930]

Well after lifting the jeep I bought without really driving I found the front pinion bearing is falling apart .....I jumped on it coz it was cheap. No real rust and clean title in defense of not testing it thoroughly .... I'm an auto tech by trade but I'm curious as to what master rebuild kits y'all recommend. Iono what the gears look like yet but I want quality stuff so I'm asking for opinions from guys that know off road. This is my first 4x4 and I'm hooked already

[@docniemo4713]

Nice vidjeo! Question; Where’s your weak link? What happens when you break on a trail stubshaft unjoint wise?

[@DRTJon]

Doc Niemo weak link TBD! I’d expect it’s going to be the locking hub, so I carry a spare. It wouldn’t be impossibly hard to knock the welded on cap off and replace a stub shaft or U Joint on the trail. Maybe I’ll make a video about trail servicing this setup?

[@docniemo4713]

Jon, thanks for the reply. You did a great job polishing the turd! I Don’t have the XJ anymore, but I’ll probably end up getting another, so y’all’s vids definitely stay in my feed! Adenda: still a Jeep gearhead and have a Dana 30 on my DD

[@northwoodslife5964]

You're a great fabricator. Good job. I don't really follow the need for the MileMarker hubs, other than the cool factor, but overall a very impressive 30 build up. Nice job.

[@davidgrant3940]

Lots of $$$ wasted on the hubs.

[@DRTJon]

@@davidgrant3940 How do you know that? I think the new kits available are super expensive for sure, but I picked this up used and in the video I don't strongly recommend it at any point or for any reason. It's a nice option, but it is far from a necessity, and it's not a strength upgrade. I was also able to pick up a spare single hub on eBay for $25, and the stub shafts and bearings are available at any parts store as they exchange with Ford Ranger and Explorer D35 IFS axle from the early 90s.

[@DRTJon]

Thanks Eric! The MM hubs are a cool addition, I'm glad I have them but I personally wouldn't go out of my way or spend even half what a new Yukon kit costs to do them again. One cool thing about the Yukon kit is you can get it in a 5x5" lug pattern which allows you to bump up to JK aftermarket wheels. I explored this option a bit before installing my kit, but they want $500 for that hub upgrade to their own kits.. I'd guess it would be compatible with mine but at that price point I really don't care to even call and find out

[@davidgrant3940]

@@DRTJon How do I know? You just proved my point. They are expensive, they are not necessarily & they are not a strength upgrade. Therefore a waste of $$.

[@jp2246]

Nice Jeep 👍

[@miketee2444]

I sure like my currie 9 inch. One can argue they are as reliable as a Dana 60 and I doubt they weigh much more than a 30. My point is that the price can be a shocker but if you plan on wheeling a while then just bite the bullet and be done. 4 wheel disc, parking brake and a drop out 3rd member so you can work on the bench instead of under your truck. Every time I watch a tough truck vid. And see a 30 launched to the moon and still rolling I am amazed but anything over 32s is going to eventually show the weak stub shafts issue.

[@MrBrunoRenee]

Goooooooood Job my friend, cool jeep!

[@ryanwilliams4270]

Do you know what a used D30 is worth? I have a JK D30 with Yukon 4.88 gears and an Eaton e-locker. 20k miles, lightly used on 35x10.5 tires. I'm going to 38s and was going to run it till it breaks, but if I can get money for it in perfect condition, I can put the money towards an aftermarket 44.

[@jonmauer6739]

I love the yellow jeep I have one myself.

[@davidchappelle6480]

Can you put a Torq locker in the rearend of a daily driver ?? i have a 2001 wj 2 wheeldrive SOON to be 4 wheel drive when i find a front axle, trans an tranfer case

[@Chuckles4200]

Made in the USA, hell yeah brother.

[@jamessutherland5107]

Funny, Ive heard of people swapping out to a 44 because their 30 needed brakes

[@jeeperzcreeperzz]

Ive heard people going from 44s to 60s because their 44s needed paint 😂

[@fishhuntadventure]

Uninformed people with credit or cash do stupid things because they have an inferiority feeling they’re trying to overcome The Dana 30 is a decent light axle under a jeep.

[@jeeperzcreeperzz]

@@fishhuntadventure yeah if you are bone stock not running anything over stock tire size.. The 30s have too many weak points

[@jamessutherland5107]

@@fishhuntadventure it also depends on whether the person with the 30 drives what they have or what they want. Just because you can put on a lift and fit 37s on one doesnt make it right

[@Shazo363]

Are those the mile markers that exploded?

[@jayariotti988]

I’m trying to do this mile marker free spin on my xj with the wj swap . My xj mile marker rotor has 3 1/4 offset . What 12 inch rotor did you use with that offset ? Does the sportrac rotor have this offset ?

[@badgerpa9]

Great job!

[@dah5096]

Why are the coil perches welded on at 10 degrees? Is that a standard or is that custom to keep your front pinion in line based off your lift height?

[@DRTJon]

That’s the spec that Barnes gives in their installation guide

[@grenobel]

That's an impressive setup! Are you taking orders? 😊

[@bn7084]

Did the locking hubs make it wider

[@DRTJon]

Bobby Nelson's yes they do add about 1.5” total

[@thebikefiles4654]

I am getting ready to build a xj for a weekend warrior and drive it on the street some and i am gonna go with a 6 inch long arm lift 35s on 17s and gonna run stock axles if i put rcv axle shafts sleeve it re gear it and put a lock will it hold for mild offroading

[@nitropanda5620]

I'm doing the same thing with my jk. It'll be fine with a d30. Just go slow, keep your foot out of it.

[@anger9984]

I have the same jeep, but in the UK finding parts is a nightmare 😞

[@bobbynate4271]

Hey Jon are you planning on taking advantage of the high steer wj arm? If so look at the rugged Ridge kit steering kit with tera flex otk split bushings. But now you'd have to move the track bar mount, but Worth it!

[@DRTJon]

Yes eventually, when time and funds allow

[@kcscustom9759]

See I wanted to put one of these torque lockers in my daily/semi daily, at least in the rear but haven’t ended up doing it because dozens of people have told me it would be a nightmare to drive on the street. And I’ve never drove anything with this kind of locker so I just don’t know much about them, I mean looking at the design and how they work I don’t see how it could affect on road driving that much but so many people have sworn that it would not be fun that I just kind of just forgot about it. How you put it tho it sounds like it’s actually not bad at all? Witch is what I would expect from such a thing. I know yours is in the front but I would expect it to be less noticeable in the rear if anything? Anyways now that I’m used to having air actuated lockers in my rig front & back it sucks driving the daily with.. open diffs. So I thought something like this might be a good affordable option? you know something I don’t have to worry about or screw around with, but is there when I need it.

[@jake-mv5oi]

You'll notice it more in the back. It only locks when you give it gas. I hear it's not as bad in an auto, but when I had an aussie in the back of my XJ with a stick, it really only locked up going around a corner while hard on the gas. I just put a torq in the front of my wife's ZJ. It was pretty noticeable for the first few thousand miles with loud clunks and ratcheting sounds while turning in 2wd, but now that it's broken in, you cant hear it at all.

[@kcscustom9759]

Huh interesting.. I think I’m just gonna go for it & try out the torq in the rear. If I don’t like it in the rear I’ll try my luck in the front axle. And if all fails then whatever I’ll take it out sell it & get another set of manual lockers. I just didn’t want to spend that kind of money on my daily if I didn’t have to lol. Thanks for sharing your experience with them tho!

[@jeepindave5464]

What are those wheels? I love old school steel wheels.

[@dericknash6127]

You need to check out BK Fabworks for beefy steering links for a great price!

[@Ryan_Tidwell]

Great video. Did you get the bracket angles off of an existing axle or did you find specs someplace?

[@DRTJon]

Ryan Tidwell Barnes directions give all the angles and every measurement except spacing, which you need to get off your axle before taking off the brackets or from an I modified D30

[@stevebraun8217]

Please show us how you modified your front bumper? Looks awesome...

[@DRTJon]

steve braun sawzall held at an angle LOL. Without fail someone always asks about the bumper, I will do a video on it eventually

[@blakerogers407]

John what rims are those and where can I get them?

[@HywayHauler]

Couple things. When welding the brackets on the “C’s”, should have pre heated them to at least 400*F. Also noticed a couple Mig Welding faux-pas’ g that shouldn’t be practiced. The first is your technic on welding vertical. Never “down weld”, always go from bottom up. Second is you never pull a Mig torch, always push into the weld. Pretty basic stuff I learned in trade school early in my career and always stuck with me. Nice work though, I’m not sure I would spend all that time and money on a 30, but you have your reasons. I’ve been running an Aussie up front in my Toyota solid front axle for 7 years, and never had a failure. Also made in USA 😉.

[@DRTJon]

Fake Parts thanks for the tips. I was told by Iron Man Fab to weld down for the Cs also was instructed that there is no need to pre heat a forged part; it is not a casting.

[@robertweinstein6441]

Why no cut and turn?

[@BD-or2xu]

This has me curious now. I have a junkyard Dana 44A (the dana 44 with the aluminum center housing out of the 98 V8 ZJ) that I bought and am mildly building to replace the dana 35 in my ZJ. I plan on trussing it and adding a skid to circumvent the only weak point of the otherwise superior axle (the aluminum center housing that is prone to bending and cracking from stress). However I don't quite trust myself with a welder to weld to the axle tubes yet. I was asking around my local jeep club at a meet to see if anyone would be up to the task or have any recommendations for places. they told me welding to Dana axle shafts requires a special type of welder/wire/style (excuse my lack of welding knowledge) or something like that, so none of them would touch it. are they just blowing hot air to get me to charge more or see their buddy's shop, or is that true? would it be something an extreme amateur at welding like me can do at home after some practice on junk metal?

[@DRTJon]

I suspect the people you are asking assume you are trying to weld aluminum to steel, which you cannot do. I would call and talk to Andy from Ironman 4x4 Fab about using their D44A truss and ask him for any tips on welding it, he knows his stuff and is good at teaching through giving concise tips.

[@willmonroe2290]

After trussing, chromoly and locking my Turdy, the one thing I didnt do was c gussets. And the one issue I have: Bent c's!

[@johnpadilla480]

i was in a google groups once and a guy posted a picture of a small long cardboard box and he had a contest to guess what was in the box. i guessed a C Gusset and won!

[@DRTJon]

Did you know the C's were bent when you did all that? Or did it happen/reveal itself after that. That's an unfortunate amount of work for an axle with bent C's

[@willmonroe2290]

It happened in Moab running 38" MTR's after we had finished it all up, it was only a matter of time.

[@bluealiennetwork]

So after doing sleeves, if your you rip your inner seal, you only relies on the 10 outer seal?

[@DRTJon]

Blue Alien Network the outer seal has nothing to do with the sleeves other than I had cut them to be able to work with that mod. The outer seal is not to retain oil just to keep dirt and water out.

[@moejr14]

What weight oil do you run in your xj?

[@aidanparker9543]

After watching this I’m down to start practicing. Do you think I could get done some of this using a Lincoln mig 180? I know it’s not the best but I’m hoping if I burn it hot enough and do 2nd passes where needed it might be okay?

[@DRTJon]

Aidan Parker is that a 230V model? It should be fine. Two passes is not always ideal, you generally want your heat to penetrate the first time unless you are really building something up as I did with the C gussets. For the control arm mounts and stuff you just want one pass. If your machine is 230v and can handle 1/4” thick material and .035 wire you’ll be fine just practice a lot on scrap till you feel confident!

[@aidanparker9543]

Jon BleepinJeep yes it’s the 230v model. Thanks! I’m looking forward to trying it out on something besides scrap metal

[@genebowen497]

Can you drill and tap those steel plate caps over the u joints on the axles? Instead of welding them? Recessed short bolts I mean

[@DRTJon]

Gene Bowen I don’t think that would achieve the same thing

[@genebowen497]

@@DRTJon I wasn't sure but thanks bud, awesome job btw

[@jonathanreid7900]

You don't need a lot of up travel mostly down

[@notshared2543]

IMO Depending on your $/time/skills ratio just buying an aftermarket axle might be a better option. Especially if you're working on a JK. But good job beefing her up.

[@DRTJon]

Phillip Tweedy definitely, great point for sure. Wouldn’t make much of a video to just bolt one of those in tho 🤔

[@fishhuntadventure]

@@DRTJon and the moula is big!

[@joepisciotta9179]

Downhill weld is NOT! The thing to do, that dude told you how to make this part work

[@1stuart1]

Can't you just rotate the truss 90 degrees so it's on the back, or some other orientation that isn't straight up into your frame?

[@DRTJon]

The benefits of a truss would be minimal if not on the top or bottom. Some racers build axles with bottom trusses, if there's less of a need for ground clearance than a lot of up travel with as low of a COG as possible. For me with 33" tires an under truss completely contradicts a major reason I kept the D30. I'm really confident that the work I have done gets me at least 80% as strong as a truss would, without the extra weight and loss of clearance

[@1stuart1]

@@DRTJon That makes sense. Thanks for the quick reply. Kind of new at the more detailed build stuff and always wondered about the truss angle.

[@tortugaspeedshop7484]

What kit did you bye to reinforce your Dana 30 ?

[@DRTJon]

The C gussets are from Iron Man Offroad Fabrication. Everything else is from Barnes 4WD

[@DavidSmith-fk8wm]

The axle hits and crushes the oe transmission lines way before denting the oil pan.

[@DRTJon]

Neither of these things apply to my Jeep with AX15 and TDI though

[@moparlover1968rr]

Seems like if your going to do all these upgrades, you’d do them too a bigger Dana! Why upgrade a tird

[@moparlover1968rr]

Very cool what your doing

[@fishhuntadventure]

Because it will be fine and he don’t need to drop coin on a 44

[@DRTJon]

The hub kit is really the only “expensive” thing I did and it’s certainly not for everyone. I’ve been running the axle hard with the 285/70/17 tires and have been locked front and rear since about 3 months after completing this front axle. Other than randomly snapping the two stub shafts that came with the kit, the replacements have been fine, and the MM hubs broke so I replaced them with Warn and since then everything has been put through the ringer, no broken axle shafts, pinion gears, or U joints. I’m really happy with the setup, but I totally get that the deciding point of putting in the work and investment I did is often the perfect justification for an axle swap 👍🏼👍🏼

[@garynordby6789]

My 03 wj with 4.0 runs rough and looses oil pressure after idling for a while what can I do to improve or completely fix this problem

[@lucifvr7770]

gary nordby maybe oil pump

[@Bighern96]

Where did you get those wheels

[@DRTJon]

They’re Dodge Magnum/300/Charger wheels

[@moejr14]

Any coil spring fitment issues with the c gussets? Any ball joint fitment issues?

[@DirtRoadTherapy]

No ball joint issues. Springs I had to die grind the gussets a bit till the coils cleared but no issues beyond that

[@moejr14]

@@DirtRoadTherapy did you weld the sleeve on the outer edge and how bout the plug welds ? Did you drill holes front and back on the axle tubes

[@moejr14]

@@DirtRoadTherapy did you weld the axle tubes to the center diff? If so did it mess up The inner axle seal?

[@DirtRoadTherapy]

@@moejr14 yes I did. And I did not have any seals in it when I did them, I re-sealed the axle after this. I pre-heated and covered in welding blankets and it has been perfectly fine since

[@aslacker]

Nice job.

[@Alexander_Sannikov]

sorry but i was looking for a video of actually polishing a turd

[@turnerappleton5026]

It’ll never break on 35s, much less 33s with that setup and any sort of knowledge of off-road driving

[@DRTJon]

Turner Appleton thanks for the vote of confidence!

[@JoseOrtiz_1416]

Do you think i can weld up a truss with a harbor freight welder ?

[@DRTJon]

Jose Ortiz if you’re happy with the results of using it on normal 3/16” steel welds and confident in your ability to use it sure, why not. If you feel like you struggle to get it to perform as you’d like then definitely would not weld something critical like a truss with it

[@brianluck84]

You would want a a 220v welder for structured parts. Once you've got the amps your own skills becomes the limiting factor. Practice makes perfect.

[@DRTJon]

@@brianluck84 straight to the point--excellent advice!

[@tonyb2086]

X2 on the 240v HFT welder, I have 62181 and I like it. Flip side though, use a 110v for sheet metal, bodywork.

[@joelwolfe]

Ballistic Fab truss is $75

[@DRTJon]

True, however that's JUST the truss. This would most closely compare to the sleeves I did in terms of what's provided in that. And the sleeves are also $75. The truss at $75 is literally just the truss, no HD brackets/mounts etc. And that style of truss would sit about 3" from my oil pan at ride height on 5" of lift which is why I had to stay away from trusses.

[@cheepojeepo5681]

How about an update? any breakage?

[@DRTJon]

Late reply, the only things I’ve broken on this axle are the stub shafts and lock out hubs. I’m running Warn hubs now with no breakage and new MileMarker stub shafts I’ve put those through the ringer and it’s holding up

[@cheepojeepo5681]

@@DRTJon thanks for the update. What size tires are those?

[@Gettinbentoffroad]

I know that cheap cap broke lol every time mine falls like a foot they explode haha

[@holysmokeDC]

Super nice 👌 👍👍

[@trevormeng]

Who’s red Xj?

[@DRTJon]

Trevor Mengon mine, for sale. Want it?

[@trevormeng]

Jon BleepinJeep I think 6 Is enough for right now😂

[@naamanvanvelsor678]

double thumbs up

[@David-rj1ru]

getting passed by a cherokee 33:57

[@tonyb2086]

I get, the "real comment" thing now.

[@tangledline]

This or carry a welder while navigating those speed bumps at the mall...

[@jacobwhittaker6241]

Typical XJ guy, couldn't help but eye the XJ that drove past...... lol

[@DRTJon]

Jacob Whittaker guilty

[@DRTJon]

First! Oh...

[@CopeManMTNDEW]

Instructions not clear. Polished mine into a dana 60

[@DRTJon]

Colton Doyle what a happy accident!

[@jameshinkle3318]

The Dana 30 isn’t nearly as much of a turd as the Dana 35.

[@jwat2396]

Polishing a turd? You mean someone is trying to polish up joe byedin?