axle shafts in amc20

snapped a shaft in my scrambler, never tore into one before, how much work am i looking at? and tools that im gonna need.

Randall

[JeffK5]

Putting stock hub/axle style back in or going to aftermarket one piece ?

i am installing one piece shafts this time around

[JeffK5]

No special tools , only thing that might not be in every guys garage is a press to put bearings on.

Sure this is not a sign from the big guy that there's 9" or D44 in your future?

Jeff

ha, for the next person probably so. this thing doesnt go offroad, unfortunately I think i drive it just as hard onroad. I plan on selling it as soon as i get it back together so i can have money for my wrangler build. but besides that as long as i can press the bearings at a buddies place, nothing to hard bout this fix?

[superjeep]

What year ????

narrow trac or wide trac ????

I have some one pc axles for a narrow trac.

1) long moser axle (used)
1) long moser axle (new)
1) short superior axle (new)
1) short moser axle (used, broken and rewelded )


Shawn

82 wide track, i already bought the 1 piece axles just havent got them installed

[blurollover]

i have a dana 44 welded rearend out of a 1986 widetrac if you would want that instead?

[scotty85]

Originally Posted by DieselJeep52

82 wide track, i already bought the 1 piece axles just havent got them installed

good choice,IMO. even a cj m20,if its trussed and got 1 piece shafts is a better axle than a d44 or a ford 9"

[JeffK5]

You better truss the hell out of it as the M20 is widely know as the crappiest diff housing out there, with small tubes and poor quality center sections they love to crack thru the plug weld that retains the axle tube. They also flex so much under moderate wheeling that carrier bearing failures are common.

Yeah the R&P is .375 bigger than a D44 but the housing on the Dana is better IMO.

Scotty you should have no problem hoarding up all the good M20's as I've destroyed 3 of the bad ones! ..... two cracked center sections and a spun bearing on the diff carrier. I went to a narrowed f44/9" and never looked back!

There's been a ton of debate of which is stronger the 9" or D60 , I doubt you will find many people that will take a M20 over ether of them.

You also need to throw in the 8.8 as they've become a popular swap into the CJ/YJ/TJ.

But heck if you can beat your rig and your M20 stays together then go for it!

Jeff

[scotty85]

i hate the ford 9 inch. you have a pinion thats lower than any other axle out there,and unless you spend a bunch of $$ for a nodular center housing,they like to break that,and even with then,they like to spit it out of the housing. the 9 inch can be built,but thats the thing- a stock axle is crap,you have to spend alot of $$ on one to make it hold up.

the 44 is right up there on my list of over-rated axles. the pinion is the same size as the d30 and 35 at 1.3 inches. i like the m20 better since it has a 60 sized pinion at 1.6",and a little bit of a diameter advantage on the ring gear. only limiting factor is the housing.

i ran an m20 in my full size grand wagoneer for a few years with an auto trans and 38" tires. FSJs come from the factory with a 1 piece shaft and a housing thats no different than the 44 that also comes in them during other years. if you take the crappy housing out of the equation,youll find that theyre a very durable axle.

hence the comments-even a cj housing,if its still straight and properly trussed,is a fine axle with 1 piece shafts. alot of guys have run this setup in the local club here.

as for hording them,i like to beat on my rig alittle harder than the m20,44,stock 60,and espesially a ford 9 inch can handle. 14 bolts are dirt cheap and really hard to break!

[JeffK5]

I do agree that the 9" pinion is very low and unless you protect it your heading for failure. I built a booty-fab yoke protector and never had a pinion bearing go south. I also couldn't agree more about the 14FF, the best diff for the money out there!