- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
Andy brought his Jeep over last week for a few repairs and upgrades:
New spindle bearings
New front axle u-joints
Repacked wheel bearings
Install Aussie Locker in Dana 30
Andy has owned this Jeep since new, these were the original spindle bearings (still fine) and front axle u-joints from 1984!!
One of the new Spicer u-joints was a hair oversize and would not install, just a heads up.
Now that this Jeep has a front locker, no way the OEM lock in hubs would hold up. The aluminum around the bolt holes on Andy's original hubs was chewed up, and the holes were egged out. The inner wheel hub holes were still perfect.
Gathered some parts:
You can still sometimes find these Superwinch hubs for sale on the internet. I like them way more then the stock, or Warn replacement hubs. The hub body is steel, and pretty beefy. I was going to use studs, but the only studs I can find are only rated to 60k tensile strength. The ARP bolts are around 160k, so a bit more than Grade 8. They also have a nice shoulder that fits tight into the wheel hub holes and inside the lock in hubs body holes.
Used Nordlock washers under the ARP bolt heads, torqued the bolts to 33 foot pounds.
Installed. These bolts heads use a 12 point 3/8" socket.
Nord-Lock washer.
The OEM center caps will almost perfectly clear these lock in hubs. The face of the lock in hubs will make contact with the inner ridge of the face hole in the center cap. This happened on my green Scrambler, I simply tightened up the lug studs. I did not noticeably damage or bend my center caps, and the wheel obviously fits flat to the wheel hub. Or, could shim the center caps off the wheels 1/8" . Or, machine the center cap face holes ID a hair larger
On Andy's Jeep, for now, we are leaving the center caps off for the upcoming Hot Springs trip. Andy will wheel this Jeep there for a few days, we want to be able to check the bolts to see if the washers and ARP bolts are working loose. This might be a viable option for 33" and small tired lower horsepower CJ's??
I still prefer the discontinued Warn front hub conversion. Randy's Ring and Pinion still sell these, I believe under a Yukon part number. Prices ranges from $700-$1000. I run these internal mount lock in hubs on my red Scrambler, over 100k miles with no issues, and no bolts to work loose. Probably the ultimate solution for a Dana 30. If you swap in a Dana 44 or larger, the internal mount hubs are the stock solution.
These Superwinch hubs, ARP bolts, and Nord-Lock washers cost a hair under $200.
Andy's original wheel hubs, and more importantly, the threaded holes that the lock in hubs bolts go into, were in perfect shape. All the threads perfect, no deformation of the outer unthreaded portion of the holes. With studs or the ARP shoulder bolts installed, the lock in hubs body had next to zero rotational play. The shoulders on the studs or bolts is the key. That shoulder has a larger OD then bolt threads. You have to work the hubs over the studs, that's how tight everything fits. With just the ARP bolts snugged into the holes, not tightened, you can not twist the lock in hubs body. This is what you want, no play. Since the hubs are now basically pegged to the wheel hubs, all the bolt heads and washers have to do is clamp it down. These assemblies should not be "rocking" side to side like the OEM cast aluminum hub bodies do on the threads of the OEM bolts.
The stock set up has a few fatal flaws IMO:
1) only 5 bolts
2) cast aluminum hub bodies, bolts work loose, egg out the bolt holes in the cast aluminum, allow movement
3) OEM bolts are full threads, no shoulder, sloppy fit, threads cut into and damage holes in the cast aluminum hub bodies, allow movement
4) no washers under the bolt heads, the harder steel bolt heads erode out the cast aluminum underneath them, cause movement
Hopefully with the parts we installed:
1) still only 5 bolts
2) hub bodies are steel so steel bolts should not egg out the holes
3) high quality steel shoulder bolts fit tight into bolt holes in hub bodies
4) Nord-Lock washers
5) shoulder portion of the bolts fits tight into the the outer non-threaded portion of the wheel hub holes, AND tight into the lock in hubs bolt holes
6) the Superwinch hubs have a ring on the back side that keys into the ID of the wheel hub further keeping the hub body from moving
All theoretical, we will test it out soon enough and update this thread.
Andy's Jeep is not extreme, just a good, slightly modified trail Jeep. This is what we will be torture testing this lock in hub set up with:
Holley Sniper equipped 258
T176 transmission
LoMax 4:1 equipped Dana 300
3.54 axle gears
AMC 20 with Moser shafts and Lock Right
Dana 30, stock shafts, Aussie Locker
33x10.50 BFG Mud Terrains on OEM 7" wheels
We also installed a new Novak slave cylinder, same 3/4 size as originally installed a few years ago. The first one started to leak. I'm still not thrilled with this set up.
And finally, maybe, finger's crossed, got the stupid Sniper to run correctly. We are hoping, and testing today so far confirms, that the 3rd O2 sensor was the charm.
That's it for now.
New spindle bearings
New front axle u-joints
Repacked wheel bearings
Install Aussie Locker in Dana 30
Andy has owned this Jeep since new, these were the original spindle bearings (still fine) and front axle u-joints from 1984!!
One of the new Spicer u-joints was a hair oversize and would not install, just a heads up.
Now that this Jeep has a front locker, no way the OEM lock in hubs would hold up. The aluminum around the bolt holes on Andy's original hubs was chewed up, and the holes were egged out. The inner wheel hub holes were still perfect.
Gathered some parts:
You can still sometimes find these Superwinch hubs for sale on the internet. I like them way more then the stock, or Warn replacement hubs. The hub body is steel, and pretty beefy. I was going to use studs, but the only studs I can find are only rated to 60k tensile strength. The ARP bolts are around 160k, so a bit more than Grade 8. They also have a nice shoulder that fits tight into the wheel hub holes and inside the lock in hubs body holes.
Used Nordlock washers under the ARP bolt heads, torqued the bolts to 33 foot pounds.
Installed. These bolts heads use a 12 point 3/8" socket.
Nord-Lock washer.
The OEM center caps will almost perfectly clear these lock in hubs. The face of the lock in hubs will make contact with the inner ridge of the face hole in the center cap. This happened on my green Scrambler, I simply tightened up the lug studs. I did not noticeably damage or bend my center caps, and the wheel obviously fits flat to the wheel hub. Or, could shim the center caps off the wheels 1/8" . Or, machine the center cap face holes ID a hair larger
On Andy's Jeep, for now, we are leaving the center caps off for the upcoming Hot Springs trip. Andy will wheel this Jeep there for a few days, we want to be able to check the bolts to see if the washers and ARP bolts are working loose. This might be a viable option for 33" and small tired lower horsepower CJ's??
I still prefer the discontinued Warn front hub conversion. Randy's Ring and Pinion still sell these, I believe under a Yukon part number. Prices ranges from $700-$1000. I run these internal mount lock in hubs on my red Scrambler, over 100k miles with no issues, and no bolts to work loose. Probably the ultimate solution for a Dana 30. If you swap in a Dana 44 or larger, the internal mount hubs are the stock solution.
These Superwinch hubs, ARP bolts, and Nord-Lock washers cost a hair under $200.
Andy's original wheel hubs, and more importantly, the threaded holes that the lock in hubs bolts go into, were in perfect shape. All the threads perfect, no deformation of the outer unthreaded portion of the holes. With studs or the ARP shoulder bolts installed, the lock in hubs body had next to zero rotational play. The shoulders on the studs or bolts is the key. That shoulder has a larger OD then bolt threads. You have to work the hubs over the studs, that's how tight everything fits. With just the ARP bolts snugged into the holes, not tightened, you can not twist the lock in hubs body. This is what you want, no play. Since the hubs are now basically pegged to the wheel hubs, all the bolt heads and washers have to do is clamp it down. These assemblies should not be "rocking" side to side like the OEM cast aluminum hub bodies do on the threads of the OEM bolts.
The stock set up has a few fatal flaws IMO:
1) only 5 bolts
2) cast aluminum hub bodies, bolts work loose, egg out the bolt holes in the cast aluminum, allow movement
3) OEM bolts are full threads, no shoulder, sloppy fit, threads cut into and damage holes in the cast aluminum hub bodies, allow movement
4) no washers under the bolt heads, the harder steel bolt heads erode out the cast aluminum underneath them, cause movement
Hopefully with the parts we installed:
1) still only 5 bolts
2) hub bodies are steel so steel bolts should not egg out the holes
3) high quality steel shoulder bolts fit tight into bolt holes in hub bodies
4) Nord-Lock washers
5) shoulder portion of the bolts fits tight into the the outer non-threaded portion of the wheel hub holes, AND tight into the lock in hubs bolt holes
6) the Superwinch hubs have a ring on the back side that keys into the ID of the wheel hub further keeping the hub body from moving
All theoretical, we will test it out soon enough and update this thread.
Andy's Jeep is not extreme, just a good, slightly modified trail Jeep. This is what we will be torture testing this lock in hub set up with:
Holley Sniper equipped 258
T176 transmission
LoMax 4:1 equipped Dana 300
3.54 axle gears
AMC 20 with Moser shafts and Lock Right
Dana 30, stock shafts, Aussie Locker
33x10.50 BFG Mud Terrains on OEM 7" wheels
We also installed a new Novak slave cylinder, same 3/4 size as originally installed a few years ago. The first one started to leak. I'm still not thrilled with this set up.
And finally, maybe, finger's crossed, got the stupid Sniper to run correctly. We are hoping, and testing today so far confirms, that the 3rd O2 sensor was the charm.
That's it for now.
I might be getting somewhere.
I also just a few weeks ago found a vehicle so that I can tow my Jeep to the National in Colorado this year. 
Colorado and my Jeep are one of my top bucket list things in life.
