Crown 1 piece axle kit

Yes I searched

I am curious to see who has used the crown 1 piece axle kit. I was hoping to wait to do this to my '78 but with a badly leaking seal I figure if I am going to tear it apart it's time to upgrade to 1 piece shatts.

I was seriously thinking of the Superior kit ordered from Quadratec or the like but then read on here about the Crown kit and I found it for about $70 less then the superior, moser, alloy usa etc.

I am guessing it is not an alloy set (chromoly) of shafts BUT I am only running 31's and a stock 304...never planning to go bigger (maybe a 360 if/when the 304 goes kaput but still a stock 360...nothing wild).

Also is the crown set a true 1 piece axle shaft or are the hubs welded/pressed on?

 

me, I'd just fix the seal.
no experience with the Crown kit; if it's offshore production, I'd walk away.
this rear axle gets a lot of negative press, to me, for reasons unknown and unjustifed.
but every Jeep forum you go to, I see more complaining about somebody's 1 piece axle kit than the stock set-up.
ymmv

 

It's cheaper because it's not a true one piece axle, but is a hub welded to a shaft. I have Moser axles and found the quality to be outstanding.

 

I only do crown stuff if the is absolutely no realistic alternative.

Go name brand on this

 

That's my dilema so to speak. I know the stock setup can be rebuilt. But it's a 32 year old axle...that appears to have NEVER been apart. My fear is taking it apart will make for it to not be 'stable' once put back together. And by the time I spend the money and do the work...I can spend not a ton more money and have a better setup IMO.

I've been selling off parts for a week or so now and have the $$ to buy a 1 piece kit so I'll probably end up ordering the Superior or Moser and be done.

 

I see no reason to fix a stock 2-piece axle if you've got it apart to replace seals. All the reputable aftermarket 1-piece axles are simple to install and about 1000 times stonger than the stock keyed hub design. If you have the money to buy them, go with Moser or Superior and don't look back.

I've seen stock 2-piece axles fail in a 4 cyl CJ7 on pavement. They are inherently a bad design and 1 piece axles are an upgrade in every sense of the word. Even the Crown design is better than stock, but is not as strong as a true forged 1 piece axle.

 

I never said they never failed..I've seen plenty of spun hubs and axles.The key was never designed to drive the hub, just an alignment aide while you tighten the nut to proper specs, expecially when it's been removed or when installing a new hub.
they only fail when the owners don't maintain them...keep them tight.
most guys won't invest in 3/4" or 1" drive breaker bar and socket to keep them tight.
I've not seen many broken axles of this type though.
anyway, you read about more 1 piece axle kits and their pitfalls for this rear end then any other....that was my point..not many are happy with either set-up.

 

I have the same set up you do. I looked at the Crown but saw many more reviews on the Moser. So far I have about 600 miles on the Moser both on and off road and they work perfectly.

I did use a Crown LSD diff in the pumpkin b/c they are the only ones that made one. Also, I did not want to replace my 2 piece stock axles either until they bent and caused some serious wobbling on the highway....getting worse.

Finally, my suggestion is that you purchase the master rebuild kit with all the bearings with the axles you finally decide on. If your AMC20 had the Trac-Lok, make sure it still works or get the diff and spider gear set-up to build it....or maybe you want a locker. Either way, if you're installing beefed up axles, you might get everything done that you want while she's apart.

Good luck and let us know which one you go with!!!!

 

Thanks everyone.

I have been selling parts hard for a few days now to try and get the $$ to get a 1 piece kit and I have enough as of today. I'm deciding between superior and moser but I see no real difference between them other than name. The crown kit is just so appealing at $70 +- less I figured it wouldn't hurt ot have some more input.

I will never be putting bigger than 31's on this jeep and am unsure about even putting in a locker (if so it will be way down the road) so the axle kit is the only real upgrade it will likely ever see as the gear ratio is fine for what it is now. So unless I see some major issues with the bearings etc inside the diff I'm not going to touch them now.

Again thanks for the input.

 

Having used a lot of Crown and Omix Ada parts I'd avoid them if possible. Case in point, we just got in some Crown front and rear output yokes for 18/20 transfer cases. Very thin castings, not strong at all and they weigh about 1/2 what a stock one does. Tells me the material they used isn't very high quality.
My experience has been that most of their products are like that.

 

I had crown axles in my 79, cj7. I relly didnt have any problems with it. I knew that they were cheaper and like you i didnt have the money for the name brands. I had a lock rite locker in the rear as well. never any problems with the axle shafts. No secret there not name brand and may not be made as strong. Just my experience with them. ran them for about 7 years with no trouble. 79 cj7, 304, stock tranny locker in rear with the axles, 33x15.50 swamper sx.

 

I went ahead and ordered the moser kit today.

It worked out like it was 'meant to be'...I started selling parts a little over a week ago. The kit was $269 + 28.## for shipping and the total came to $297.67.
I had $300 from the parts I was able to sell

SO now my first attempt at tearing apart an AMC-20...we'll see how it goes.

 

Cool. Do you have a hydraulic press? You'll have to press the bearings on the new shafts. I bought a cheap 12 ton press from Jeg's that was under $100 with free shipping (which saved a ton as it's REALLY heavy). It's been one of the most useful shop tools I've bought and I wonder how I ever functioned without one.

 

I wish I did have a press but a friend of mine runs a local 4x4 shop. Even if he charges me it won't be much so that's where I will take them to press everything on.

Does anyone know how the directions are? It seems from what little I've read there's a very specific way to set it all up. I'm fairly mechanically inclined but this is something I really don't want to mess up.

 

You will have to press apart the 2 piece axle to get the backing plate off. Thats the FUN part...

 

Directions are pretty good that come with the Moser kit. It's honestly pretty hard to screw up. Just make absolutely sure not to forget to put your backing plates on before you press on the bearings!

 

Took it apart last night and got it back together shortly after lunch today ( I needed a diff cover gasket too).

So far so good. No noises and after about 15-20 miles of driving and parking it sideways on a hill no leaks either.

So knock on wood it should be good for a while.

I went with the moser kit.