97 ZJ - Front drive shaft w/CV

[cwaage]

The boy is learning the importance of maintenance and visual inspection....in addition to the driver's side CV, it looks like the front drive shaft CV joint has shot craps. The boot is destroyed, and if you run your finger around it, you can feel where metal from the CV has welded itself to the housing.

We're in the process of dropping the thing out right now - here's the question:

Should we buy the CV rebuild kit from O'Reilly, buy a new driveshaft through O'Reilly or take it somewhere and have the CV rebuilt? I'd say I have moderate skills - I wouldn't do a transmission or engine swap, but I'm not completely useless (unless you ask my mother in law).

[jagular7]

Bring it to Inland Truck Parts to Ron Istas. If cage is screwed, replacement components will have room to play and move. Without knowing and seeing what needs to get done, you can expect issues if you try to take it apart. In my learning process of breaking axles and removing the other 'good' axle, I ruined the yoke or the joint trying to get it apart. Inland is located down the street (east) from World of Fun. Easy to get to.

[cwaage]

Mike-

thanks! My son drives by there on his way to work...currently in my truck ;-)

Chris

[phbrown]

replace?

is there a large price difference between replacing and repairing?

[noss10]

Swap to a u jointed drive shaft very easy to do

[cwaage]

Inland only does conversions from CV to u-joints - cost would be about the same as a rebuilt one through O'Reilly. Found a shop down off 12th and Winchester - North Manufacturing - they're doing the rebuild.

[noss10]

All you need is a Xj shaft and a Dana 30 yoke less than 100 to do the swap

[cwaage]

Yup. I understand that the swap is fairly easy. But that's not the direction in which we are going with this vehicle.