JK axle swap for TJ

B00mb00m said:
Yessir. The bolt right up and you'll need jl rotors. I flipped the rear to the front of the axle. The JL caliper hangs down quite low if not..
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That sounds like you are talking about the rear axle. Do they work on the front axle too?
 
sierradmax said:
I just noticed this thread. I'm in the process of building a front JK Dana 44 and I have the Clayton Dana 44 truss pictured above. After laying out the TJ coil perch locations on the front axle, I can tell you you'll be chopping up that truss or raising the coil perches to make it work the way it is. The truss is wider and is intended for the JK axle in a JK. All this, or you can modify the coil buckets at the frame. See my pictures below.

View attachment 210868

View attachment 210869
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Will it not sit flat on both sides?
 
sierradmax said:
I'm sure it will. At the time I took the pictures, I had left the UCA mount in tact. In order to install the truss, you have to shave it down so the "posts" get welded to the truss. What I liked about Clayton 3-link truss was it references a 1.92" +/- dimension for clearance of the E-locker connector.

https://www.claytonoffroad.com/sites/default/files/product_instructions/1108102 Instructions.PDF
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Thats one thing i had to deal with on the TJ truss, it didnt appear that the upper control arm mount in the casting was in the same location TJ to JK, but couldn't verify because i cut it off too quickly. I ended up not tying into the UCA mount.
 
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i lopped it off and never thought twice about it. it was going on the truss right over the old spot so how far off could it be?

i stayed real tight to the diff. to lessen the chances of any contacts when stuffed. and had like i mentioned, carried the long end right off the top edge (red line, the like the clayton reference), this contacted the oil pan on the way to the top so i reworked it to be lower and just clear.

front axle truss.PNG

this all resulted from me using 14" travel struts and trying to get a 50/50 split. if your not trying to go that high your interference's are less.
 
someguysjeep said:
i lopped it off and never thought twice about it. it was going on the truss right over the old spot so how far off could it be?

i stayed real tight to the diff. to lessen the chances of any contacts when stuffed. and had like i mentioned, carried the long end right off the top edge (red line, the like the clayton reference), this contacted the oil pan on the way to the top so i reworked it to be lower and just clear.

View attachment 210999
this all resulted from me using 14" travel struts and trying to get a 50/50 split. if your not trying to go that high your interference's are less.
Click to expand...
I just went out and looked at mine with the savvy, yes, that slope from the top would be an issue. I did 12" CO's and that 2" less seems to help ease integration a LOT. I still did 50/50 split also.
 
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someguysjeep said:
i lopped it off and never thought twice about it. it was going on the truss right over the old spot so how far off could it be?

i stayed real tight to the diff. to lessen the chances of any contacts when stuffed. and had like i mentioned, carried the long end right off the top edge (red line, the like the clayton reference), this contacted the oil pan on the way to the top so i reworked it to be lower and just clear.

View attachment 210999
this all resulted from me using 14" travel struts and trying to get a 50/50 split. if your not trying to go that high your interference's are less.
Click to expand...
Thanks for explaining. This is really good info. I may just shelve the clayton truss after seeing this. I'm still indecisive on a 12" travel coil srpung setup or 12" coilovers but that simple axle bridge could help with a decision to weld coil perches or coilover brackets to the axle. I don't think I'll target 50/50 split as I don't have highlines (MC arched). Did you have to box the frame on the passenger side? How often is the center of your front axle that high to almost come in contact with the oil pan? Is it with driver wheel stuffed, or passenger? What about motor mount contact?
 
sierradmax said:
Thanks for explaining. This is really good info. I may just shelve the clayton truss after seeing this. I'm still indecisive on a 12" travel coil srpung setup or 12" coilovers but that simple axle bridge could help with a decision to weld coil perches or coilover brackets to the axle. I don't think I'll target 50/50 split as I don't have highlines (MC arched). Did you have to box the frame on the passenger side? How often is the center of your front axle that high to almost come in contact with the oil pan? Is it with driver wheel stuffed, or passenger? What about motor mount contact?
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You can do an actual highline with the MC fenders. I've seen it on a couple rigs on Instagram. Basically slide it up 3" or so. You might find that like me you really just need the rear slope of the wheel well to move up or get out of the way. Maximizing front stretch might get you there also. ONe thing for sure try to do it right the first time, are you catching a theme? your entire front suspension is going to be setup around the uptravel you choose and changing it in future wont be easy.

What contacts what is going to be part of the 1 million times you cycle your suspension in what i dubbed TnC (tack and cycle). Yes motor mount can be a limiter (and there are solutions), oil pan maybe if you have something like a big truss occupying that space, track bar location determines a lot also, length of pitman arm, tie rod flip or not. It's going to be specific to your build and you'll see what is the limit at the start then start addressing those limits from easiest to hardest till you reach your desired uptravel, which really should be around 50/50. I have 6" UT up front and i REGULARLY use it all and i still need less damping on my front CO's.

Take some look at Tox and my build threads (and others who did axle swaps) you'll see the approaches, mine being mild with 12" x Dana 44's and his being wild with 14" x PR60s.
 
Passenger side of the frame is notched for the steering linkage to get high enough. Oil pan is no issue and the upper joint is the tight spot now. I will probably never visit this point as a whole unless I jump or drop it. Your gonna wanna just tack on any set up and cycle it . Even the truss.
 
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