Busted before leaving

Crr-ap!

Posted March 20 2010 05:24 PM by John Cappa
Filed under: Editorials, Jeep Enthusiast Culture, John Cappa

I thought the Auburn ECTED locker in my '73 J-truck had been acting kinda funny. After a somewhat abusive trip to the TDS Desert Safari it didn't appear to be unlocking. At first I figured "what's the big deal, I'll just run it like a spool, bring another locker along just in case it fails completely and see what happens". Well, my better judgment got the best of me four days before I planned to leave for a week-long trip to the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.

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I pulled the diff cover and found the real culprit, a couple teeth are missing off of my Dana 44's ring gear with a third tooth that's well on it's way to ejecting. It looks like the fragments got all jammed into the locker. I'll have to tear it down further to find out for sure.

At this point I could easily go into thrash mode and come up with the common Dana 44 4.10 ring and pinion and an install kit, and then ram-rod it all together in time. But I don't feel like turning my trip into a thrash fest. And, I really don't see much point in putting time or money into this axle if it's not going to hold up anyway. I mean for the price of a new ring and pinion, the bearings and install kit, possibly a locker, and my time to put it all in I could probably have a junkyard Ford 9-inch in there. I'll hit the wrecking yards when I get home from Utah. Looks like the Jp magazine project JK is going to Moab this year and not the J-truck as planned.

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Reader Comments:

1. Boooo - you suck. Bet you did it on that big hillclimb you took a few attempts at making. I thought for sure one of the front shafts would let go but I'm not surprised something let go. That was pretty abusive.

You shouldn't have checked it. You probably woulda gone the whole Moab trip w/out any troubles. You just pulled a Wile-E-Coyote: You're fine as long as you don't look down and realize you walked off the cliff and onto thin air.

Christian Hazel - Posted March 20 2010 08:39 PM

2. I know. That's exactly when it happened. I remember hearing a pretty loud bang and thinking it was just the bumper hitting the ground. Geez, we pulled Jerrod's busted Superduty back to camp on that broken gear!
Funny thing, I can't find those teeth anywhere, and they are big chunks! There really isn't that much metal in the differential. I'm thinking the electro magnet of the ECTED has collected it all. Some of which has to have migrated inside the differential, causing it to stay locked. Nothing in the diff appears damaged but the ring gear though.
I'll tear it down more later when I find a 9-inch. For now I need the truck on tires.

John Cappa - Posted March 21 2010 03:31 AM

3. I'm hitting the boneyard this week down here. I'll check for you, but last few times there was nothing in the way of 9-inches - even in vans.

Christian Hazel - Posted March 21 2010 06:10 AM

4. Sweet. Keep an eye out for a '74-'86 4x4 F150/Bronco rear axle. It'll have 31-spline shafts. Most of the 2bys have 28-spline shafts but if that's all there is I'll take it and convert it. Pass on the van...too wide.

John Cappa - Posted March 21 2010 06:54 AM

5. Yeah, yeah - I know. Only thing is most crap out there nowadays has the 8.8 garbage. Hey, I think I know where there's a 9-inch that's sorta being waster really, really close to you. Come to think of it, there's an SM420 there as well!

Christian Hazel - Posted March 21 2010 07:09 AM

6. I know, I know. And a body tub, and a cool grille. I was looking at the flatrod rear axle yesterday. If it had 4.10 gears in it it would have already been yanked out. But it's got 3.90s remember? I even checked the other Dana 44 I got but it had 3.73s. Oh, and I also have the 5.38 Dana 44 gears from my first flattie's rear axle! And of course I have another set of Dana 44 3.73s just sitting in a box.

That flatrod axle just may make it into my truck...later on, if I can't find one. I could replace it with the 44 and some 3.73s.

John Cappa - Posted March 21 2010 07:38 AM

7. Well that's a shame.

I know you'd be way happier wheeling the truck than the JK.

Thrash? LOL... what you'd have six days to swap ring and pinion before you left? Seems a small price to have a week worth of enjoyment out of that truck.

Like my gimp ass can talk... but SLACKER!!!! lol

I do remember how pizzed you were when the other truck took a dump out there. But hell, you just took the JK. You gonna tow the DD JK to Moab, or drive it?

Willys - Posted March 21 2010 10:55 PM

8. 6 Days? Pete how many days in a week? I leave Thursday and I still have to work. Plus I don't wanna dump money into that axle.

Towing still!!! Sucka!

John Cappa - Posted March 22 2010 06:52 AM

9. Come on John, it's just missing a few teeth. In the south we call that a hot date!

At least we will get to see if the the JK is strong enough to pull J-rod's Dodge of the trail when he breaks it!

AM4W - Posted March 22 2010 10:06 AM

10. I thought you were leaving Friday for some reason... Enjoy the tow rig. Do you think you'll get better or worse mileage than Christian?

Willys - Posted March 22 2010 12:56 PM

11. dude cappa you had mentioned you were looking for a SM420 in one of you other blogs. i found you a 2wd for $200. send me a PM and ill give you the guy's number.

GonePostal1 - Posted March 22 2010 02:32 PM

12. Bah... fill it up with oil and run it anyway... haha

Jp Web Editor - Posted March 24 2010 10:37 AM

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