76 CJ5 driveshaft

My jeep: 76 CJ5 258 T18 D20


So plan is to go SOA with stock yj springs, 35" TSL/SX, chevy front D44, Scout II rear D44. I have done some research about with drive shaft(s) will work. What I have found so far:

These are from some post(s):

"a bunch of us are running cut down front cherokee drive lines in the rear of our 5's."

mistu monterto

"Certain front Explorer and Cherokee drivelines can be picked up at the junk yard shortened and balanced for a cheap upgrade. "

Tom Woods

double cardan


So this is what I have for info so far. I know my planned set up has been done more than once. So my question(s) is:

What years and models am I looking for in the junk yard i.e. Explorer, Cherokee? Front, rear? Are these double cardan? Am I better off just buying a Tom Woods? Does a Tom Woods offer better stability, strength over a the junkyard parts?

I'll be doing occasional rock crawling, non daily driver but will be taken on the road once in awhile in the summer time (about a good 2 weeks here in the PNW), and of course trails. Thanks

 

The Cherokee XJ (80's-mid 90's) front shaft is about 32"-36" long, uses the 1310 u-joint, and has a double cardan. Picked mine at Pull-A-Part for $18. I bought two, one for the front and one for the rear, both are Spicer.

Just had the rear shortened to 16" and rebalanced...cost me $70 at a driveshaft shop. Fits great on my T18/D20 to D44. Haven't had the front shortened yet, I'll need to trim just a few inches, but I don't expect any problems.

Oh yeah...I also had to pull the yolk off the XJ's transfer case and put it on the rear of my Dana 20 since it wasn't setup for double cardan.

The front yolk on my D20 was already setup for double cardan so no changes needed there.

 

I know that the full-size Cherokee uses a front driveshaft with a double cardan joint. Both of my J-trucks have one. One is a D20, and the other is a NP208.

Don't know about the baby Cherokees.

 

I run a CV rear driveshaft in my CJ5 with about 3" of suspension lift. I had some vibrations at highway speeds with the orginal worn out driveshaft, and the angles were way too steep for reliable service IMO. You'll need a CV type output yoke for the Dana 20 tcase (about $70 from various sources). Also need to reorient the rear axle for proper u-joint angles by rewelding the spring perches. There is a great article on Pirate4x4.com on doing this, but I don't have the link.

I bought an early 90's Jeep Cherokee front driveshaft off of ebay and shortened it. I ended up twisting the splines on the slip yoke during a throttle down moment. I bought another driveshaft on ebay from a mid 90's Jeep Grand Cherokee (front driveshaft). The Grand Cherokee driveshaft has larger spline and shaft diameter of the slip yoke then the Cherokee, 1.25" vs 1.375" IIRC, and uses a bellows type boot to seal the splines instead of the more conventional seal. The Grand Cherokee driveshaft slip yoke is also a longer travel design.

If you are a good welder, shortening a driveshaft is pretty easy. I shortened both driveshafts in my garage. Took me less than an hour the second time.
Do a google search on "shortening a driveshaft". I paid very close attention to runout before welding it together (Jeep service manual allows up to .020", but I am within .002"), but did not take it to be balanced. Smooth as glass at highway speeds.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

As stated above, Cherokee (XJ) front driveshafts from 87-01 are double cardan & 1310 ujoint equipped and are great candidates for shortening for a CJ5.

Ford Explorer shafts are also DC & 1310 equipped and are a bit beefier than the XJ shafts although I'm not positive on which years to look for.

 

How much beefier? Worth the time to hunt one down over the Cherokee?

 

Resurrecting an old thread. Bringing my project back to life. Anyone have problems using above drive shifts vs Tom Woods stuff?

 

My XJ shafts are working out very well. As I said above, the cost was relatively cheap. My driveline angle is not terrible as I've only got a 1" lift for now. I have no vibrations.

 

headed for some xj parts this weekend got a slip joint on its way out...