I'm Ryan from extremeterrain.com and this is my review and installation of the Alloy
USA rear axle shaft kit for your Dana 35 fitting all 1990 to 2002 Wranglers.
This is available in a factory 27-spline axle shaft or an upgraded 30-spline axle shaft
if you're looking for something a little bit stronger and have all of the supporting components.
Today we're gonna talk through the installation of this axle shaft, which is going to be a
pretty simple two out of three wrenches.
There's gonna be a little bit of disassembly that you'll need to get these installed, however,
there's no drilling, no major modification, so again, two out of three wrenches and probably
around two hours of time, maybe a little bit more.
But we'll talk more about the installation in just a second.
We're also gonna talk through the construction and a few of the features of these axle shafts.
These axle shafts are going to be significantly stronger than factory, even if you go with
the factory style 27-spline shaft.
And for those of you who know the Dana 35 axle, know that it is a C-clip axle, and if
you are to break an axle shaft when you're on the trail, that axle shaft, the broken
part of it and the wheel and brake assembly can all just completely come off the side
of the jeep leaving you stranded on the trail.
So, having an axle shaft that is going to be plenty strong to hold up to the type of
wheeling you're gonna do and the size of tire that you're running is very, very important.
They'll give you the peace of mind to wheel how you wanna wheel and keep you from having
to do those tough trail repairs.
Now, there are a couple other brands of axle shafts out there that are going to be a similar
4140 chromoly material, they're going to have the same style lug pattern, gonna come with
the same seals and the same bearings, just being some different brands.
So if you're loyal to the Alloy USA brand, I think they do make a good piece and the
price difference isn't going to be that significant over some of the others.
However, if you're just interested in a chromoly axle shaft, you are going to have a few to
choose from.
So, as I said, these are going to be a 4140 chromoly axle shafts, which means that they're
made of an alloy that is much stronger than those factory axle shafts.
They are going to be available in both a factory style 27-spline axle shaft that'll just slide
into your factory style rear or a 30-spline axle shaft that will require you to swap out
a couple of other components inside of your differential.
However, having those additional splines is going to give you some additional strength
in the spline area of the shaft.
These are going to be factory length so they'll fit right into your jeep.
They come with pressed in wheel studs, they are a five on four-and-a-half wheel pattern,
which is going to be just like your factory, and these do also come with your bearings
and your seals so you'll have everything you need to install them.
So, getting these installed on your jeep, as I said before, is going to be a two-out-of-three-wrench
job.
There is a little bit of disassembly you'll need to do, however, there isn't going to
be any major cutting, drilling, grinding, or modification of your jeep necessary, so
it's still going to be something a lot of you can do in your driveway, given about two
hours and some tools.
The first step is going to be jacking up the rear of the jeep, removing the tire, and taking
your rear brakes apart.
Then you'll have to remove your differential cover, of course, draining the fluid as you
do so, and disassemble the rear differential enough to be able to remove your C-clips and
slide the axle shafts out.
After that, you'll replace your seals and your bearings with the new ones that come
in the kit, slide the axle shaft into place, reinstall your C-clips and the rest of your
differential, making sure that you get a good seal on your differential cover before you
refill it with fluid, and putting your brakes back together to get you back on the road
again.
These axle shafts come in at right around $330 for a pair of them and also the bearings
and the seals, which I don't think is a bad price.
There are other brands out there that are going to be slightly more expensive, slightly
less expensive, some of those are possibly going to be a higher grade of chromoly that's
gonna be a little bit stronger, and some for other years of jeeps will include additional
components like ABS tone rings.
However, for this year of jeep, for a replacement chromoly axle shaft, I think these ones are
appropriately priced, they're gonna be strong, and they're gonna be an easy install.
So, whether you've already broken a rear axle shaft and you're looking to upgrade or you're
upgrading because you're putting big tires on your jeep, you plan on wheeling hard and
you don't want the chance of breaking a shaft on the trail, this is going to be a nice upgrade.
So, that's my review of the Alloy USA rear axle kit fitting your Dana 35 in your 1990
to 2002 Wrangler that you can find right here at extremeterrain.com.