Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ radiator

OEM style diff covers with drain plugs?

TxFireman1972

TxFireman1972

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Sour Lake, Tx
Does anyone offer an OEM equivalent differential cover for Dana 35 and Dana 30 TJ axles?

I’m familiar with the Banks video that recommends against a lot of the aftermarket covers. I’m also not wanting to run into clearance problems with the track bars. So looking for covers that have a drain plug or maybe someone has added drain plugs.

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GPK03X said:
Teraflex makes a Dana 30 cover with drain that’s not bulky. Dana offers a cast iron 35 cover with drain that’s not bulky either.
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Went out to garage to look at my not installed Dana 35 cover.It’s Spicer branded nodular steel and could be considered bulky
105B750E-686B-4E91-B2FA-EFCF48656163.jpeg
 
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primetime4 said:
How do you know this? I have this cover with a Savvy gas tank skid with no clearance issues.
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Remove the springs and fully cycle the axle through the shock travels with a floor jack.

The way mine is setup, that cover will not work. But a factory cover will.
 
jjvw said:
Remove the springs and fully cycle the axle through the shock travels with a floor jack.

The way mine is setup, that cover will not work. But a factory cover will.
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it’s possible that I’ve never maxed out the suspension but I’ve been running this cover with a 2.5 inch lift, Savvy adjustable arms and gas skid, JKS track bar for 3 years and never had a clearance issue. I definitely read about issues with some other options I was interested in but this seems pretty close to stock. YMMV.
 
primetime4 said:
it’s possible that I’ve never maxed out the suspension but I’ve been running this cover with a 2.5 inch lift, Savvy adjustable arms and gas skid, JKS track bar for 3 years and never had a clearance issue. I definitely read about issues with some other options I was interested in but this seems pretty close to stock. YMMV.
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When building, it is wise to remove the springs and cycle the axles through the full shock travels to know with near certainty that the things you change do not create problematic interference problems. 😉
 
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jjvw said:
When building, it is wise to remove the springs and cycle the axles through the full shock travels to know with near certainty that the things you change do not create interference problems. 😉
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I fully respect this but paid someone else to do the work which is why I asked how you knew there would be clearance issues. Did you actually cycle your suspension with this cover yourself? Regardless, I have not had any clearance problems but everyone’s setup is different and agree to cycle as suggested to confirm.
 
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primetime4 said:
I fully respect this but paid someone else to do the work which is why I asked how you knew there would be clearance issues. Did you actually cycle your suspension with this cover yourself? Regardless, I have not had any clearance problems but everyone’s setup is different and agree to cycle as suggested to confirm.
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I know how close my factory based Barnett cover gets to the Savvy gas tank skid. I can tell by looking at that thick knobby Dana cover that it would smear into the GTS.

Cycling the axles shows you many things. And by doing it enough times during a build, you can surmise some other things without cycling each time.

I do not know if this cover is or isn't a clearance issue for your Jeep or any other Jeep. But I do know how to find out. I also know that very few shops do things like this. Forklifts and ramps do not count.
 
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