Front end damage!! Need Help!

[blakebmxr3]

Hey. So i wrecked my jeep recently and it was bad but not too bad, thanks to my warn front bumper. Basically I ripped out my front axle when i rear ended an f-150, and all the steering and suspension with it... I have an 01', RE long arm kit lifted 7" on 35's. so all that good stuff needs to be replaced, but what im wondering about is some good upgrades to do since im gonna tear apart my whole front end anyway. Thanks

 

[Cnickgo]

Go D44? If you have the RE long arm you have done just about everything to the front end already. You could consider plating the front "frame" for strength, especially considering you might have put some serious stress up there.

 

[blakebmxr3]

ok so im considering doing the d44 swap which brings the question where is a decent place to get one? i live in marietta GA. And should i buy one and build it myself or buy a pre-built (beefed up) one? As for frame damage, there is virtually none. that Warn bumper was made to take a hit, twice in my case.

 

[Cnickgo]

You need to think about what D44 first. If you want to keep your 231/242, you are going to need find a driver drop axle. Is high pinion important to you? Are you willing to build a full width rear axle to match the front, or narrow the front, or live with a Waggy D44 width? How are you going to do your steering? Drum or disc brakes? Who will do the fab work?

If you are willing to front a good chunk of change up front, buying axles already built is certainly an option. You are looking at $2000-$4000 though. You can find them here on , NC4x4, and maybe the new Tenn. offroad forum.

For instance:
http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1008023&highlight=front+d44

 

[blakebmxr3]

what year cherokee front axles are comatible with my 2001 cherokee?

 

[Team Willys]

All of them will bolt in... But you will want to find one that has the late model brakes (somebody else chime in with the year b/c I am unsure of the exact year). To simplify things, you will want one that either has ABS or a 95-99 b/c they have the bigger 760x u-joints.

 

[Ghost]

All of them will bolt in... But you will want to find one that has the late model brakes (somebody else chime in with the year b/c I am unsure of the exact year). To simplify things, you will want one that either has ABS or a 95-99 b/c they have the bigger 760x u-joints.

Sort of. They 297's were in the front with ads up till they ended. The 760's were not till after 01 were they? 96 was hit or miss but I have not seen a 260 joint in a 96 yet. Or was it 95. I forget. But yea they all bolt in. the ideal years are 96-99 bc they are HP.

 

[High2by]

You can upgrade to the 760 joint from the 297. You definatley want a HP if at all possible.

 

[Team Willys]

Sort of. They 297's were in the front with ads up till they ended. The 760's were not till after 01 were they? 96 was hit or miss but I have not seen a 260 joint in a 96 yet. Or was it 95. I forget. But yea they all bolt in. the ideal years are 96-99 bc they are HP.

Glenn, you are correct. If you really want to get down to the nitty gritty, the 95 and newer models had the 297x joint, but it is the same size as the 760x. The difference is in the maufacturing process. The 297x joints were hot forged while the 760x joints (you are correct with the 2001 year release I beleive) are cold forged and are supposed to be stronger.

All in all, you are spot on, the 95-99s are the best with the bigger joint, non-disconnect high pinion housing.

Also, you are correct on the ABS thing, the earlier models also had the 297 joints, but the tone rings had smaller teeth very close together, while later ABS models have tone rings with larger, wider spaced rings. I guess the ABS computer systems required different rings to get a proper reading??? I never noticed this until the other day when I had to swap a wheel bearing and axle into my truck, both shafts were of the ABS style, but the tone rings were different (which had no effect on my usage).