The best and cheapest places to find axles are in junk yards. Because
you never know how hard the
axles were used, not all vehicles were only driven to church on Sunday by a little old
lady, or how long
they have set in the junk yard, it is best to replace the ball joints and u-joints.
Once the axles have been set-up, ball joints, u-joints, ring &
pinions, etc, the next step is to cut the old
axle pad off and place a new one on. Between the drum and the new pad, you can see the
place were
the old pad was. You may want to get some help setting the angle of the pad if this is
your first time.
You can put the new pad on at the same angle, but since the axle was not originally set up
for this
vehicle, there is a possibility that this angle will not be right. Plus, if you have done
any lifting with the
shackles or springs, you will change the angle. The drive shaft should be angled up
slightly, just about
splitting the out-put and in-put of the transmission and axle. The front is a little bit
more complicated.
You want to take your time here, as the wrong set up can make your vehicle want to turn
left or right.
Here's the Dana 60 rear end finished and put on. It should offer a lot
more strength then the original
Jeep axle.