oh yea, what caused the failure? towing? just ridden hard?

NO set up required for replacing spider gears, but now would be a great time for a lunchbox...

Hank! Where the heck have you been? Many Moons is right.

Yes, m35 spiders first to go, fix that, then pop them again, then do a cheesy locker, pop a shaft, then get super m35 kit, then spin or bend housing, then wish you had not spent so much time and money fooling with a m35 and just done a d44 or 8.8 conversion.

Only tj 44s bolt into tjs, unless you buy the RE bracket kit and have them welded on via jig and pro welder.

I could not tell you if a ZJ axle is a straight swap, but a xj axle is close. When going from low to high pinion, the driveshaft most likely will need to be shortened. Also hubs, calipers and inner knuckles are the same on 97 and newer xj 30s, but 96 and older have slight (hair loss causing differences).
Just for the hassles alone, I'd suggest spending the money for having your d30 regeared instead of the wrecking yard route.

If you see a tj 44 in a yard you should buy it, just because they are NOT easy to find. Up to $1200 is normal

If you want a custom 8.8, 44 or d60 built for TJ, I can do that and ship it to you.

SD
Josh

No Hank Everything Josh wrote is correct and you can take his word to ANY bank! But if it was me... For the tame sort of driving I do there would be a lunchbox locker in there by dark today! Since you have to take the spyders out to put the lunchbox in there anyway you have it all laid out for you. lock,r up!
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Those gears are pretty <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

I would just replace the spider gears and inspect the cross shaft really well. A lunch box is a great locker for us poor college kids who want to keep up with the nicer rigs but can live with crap. The back lash on a lunch box is horrible and can really change your on-road driving habits. Since you plan on upgrading to a 44 don't waste the money on a locker that will be part of a boat anchor... I'd repair what you have now and throw the money you saved into the 44 fund.

I got the gears swapped out, and the ass end is behaving much better now <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

However... I think my little romp around the parking lot may have been the probervial last straw for the right rear shock. The local pros insist its too close to the exhaust and the heat is what caused the failure, which makes sense. Could this be why they changed the exhaust on TJ's between 97 (first year bugs) and 98? I have a Borla cat-back system on there, but it routes through the exact same spots stock did.

In any case, I need new shocks, and I am considering the Edelbrock IAS series, has anyone had any experience with these? I have Rancho RS5000's on there now, and theyre pretty good, but bone jarring when hitting bumps. Its primarily a daily driver, so I'd like something stiff for street handling, but something that wont lodge my kidneys into my throat when I hit a bump. The IAS marketing material seems to point to it being the "best of both worlds". I've also considered the RS9000's with in cab control, but keep hearing about the air system it uses being unreliable and leaking a lot. Any others that I've overlooked?

No Hank what did you put in there and what did you spend?
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

I swapped in factory/OEM spider gears to the tune of $240 or so. I could have gotten a replacement set from $80-$100+shipping if I had ordered third party online, but that would mean waiting, and waiting means the rental charge on this big ass pickup is going up, which would have ended up costing more than the bloated dealership parts prices. I tried local auto parts stores, but nobody had anything for the 3.55 and lower carrier in stock, meaning more ordering, and more waiting. I'm going to hold off on upgrading the axles for now, 31's and 3.07 isn't too bad after doing the intake, exhaust, and reprogramming the computer. I dont want to dump any more money than necessary into this d35.

I have the 9000's and the air controller for about 2 years now. It leaks down over a period of days, but other than that it works great.

What happens when they lose air pressure? Do they default to softest or stiffest setting?