Topic: Dana 30?

[smashcoast]

I have heard so much about how weak the D35 is and how a locker is not a good idea. I plan on upgrading to a D44 at some time.

So my ? is how is the D30? I assume it's just as weak as the D35, am I correct?

Or is it stonger and able to handle a locker?

[jason 00 tj]

I had a dana 30 in my 2000 TJ until 6 months ago. I wheeled with 33" super swampers for about 2 years and never had a problem. my jeep was hit directly on the drivers side front tire and bent the wheel to hell (american racing steel wheel) only damage to the axle was the trac bar mount being torn. I wheel in lots of mud deep ruts and medium sized rocks. only reason i put a dana44 under the front was because i got a deal on a pair of rubicon44's. Hope this helps. 

[FourbangerYJ]

IMO the D30 is a pretty darn strong axle for it's size. The YJ's and most XJ's came with HP. I have run 35's for a number of years with the D30. It had a Detroit and Warn shafts. Upgraded shafts are a good idea. The first time I ran Sledgehammer in JV I was on 33's, it was my second run with the Detroit in. By the end of the trail my U-joint caps started to spin. So I took it apart and tack welded the caps to prevent them from walking out. The late 95's came with the 297-760 size joints which mine were.
If your gonna run a locker on stock shafts you might want to pick up a set of spares just in case.
It's a fair amount stronger than the D35. I say lock it!

[DodgeMudder]

I would lock the 30 w/o much worry if your on 33's or larger just do something o keep the capsfrom spinning off the clips, either grind the shafts for full circle clips or tack weld the caps in, or I'm going to try something a little different as I don't like thos solutions for couple reasons, I'm going to try using JB-weld to tack the caps in place.  I'll be letting people know how this works after I try it.  I've seen people running hp30's with 35-38's lockers, in XJ/ZJ's w/ 4.0l/5.2l and they both used stock shafts for a few years then went to alloy's but they were also running some seriously hard rock trails and were tired of the 1-2 shafts a year that would break.

Also I wouldn't be so worried so much about the rear 35, for the average wheeler running 33's or less locking it isn;t a big deal, I have a few buddies running locked 35's on 33's with out any issues of breaking, thy do carry spare shafts in case there is a problem, but so far I have only been on one wheeling trip where tey were needed and that was after the axle was severly abused trying to drag another TJ, (who lost a front wheel knuckle and all) out of a water hole up hill in 2' of snow ( I know it sounds like bs, but it was a bad night.)

[oldjeep]

Dana 30 stubs are stronger than D44 stubs.  Same u-joints assuming you are using the good d30 shafts.  Weaker areas are balljoints, inner shafts and ring gear.  That being said I'm running 35's on heavy wheels and havn't had any issues.  One guy in my club was running 37's with alloy shafts on a TJ and not having problems.

[neale_rs]

A bit off topic but somewhat related.  The CJ7 was sold in Mexico with a D30 rear axle, so D30 front and rear.  One local jeeper has run his for many years with 33" x 12.5" bias ply Super Swampers (closer to 34") on steel wheels and open differentials with no problems.

[Jeffy]

A bit off topic but somewhat related.  The CJ7 was sold in Mexico with a D30 rear axle, so D30 front and rear.  One local jeeper has run his for many years with 33" x 12.5" bias ply Super Swampers (closer to 34") on steel wheels and open differentials with no problems.

Front and rear Dana 30?  At least in the US, the Dana 30 has never been used in a rear application.  The reason why it lasts longer in the front is because it has less stress as the rear does most of the work.  There are no C-clips but the axle shafts are really tiny. Ring and Pinion are very small as well.

Rear axles are locally made.  Dana has a plant down there.  Actually, they have shut down a few US plants because of this.  To be allowed to sell vehicles in Mexico and some other S. American countries, a certain percentage of the vehicle must be made in that country so it's easy for them to use a axle from the Dana plant.  Most often then not, it's a Dana 44 since they are the most common axle.  This is why, when in 1986, with the line shutting down, they ran out of AMC20's and switched over to the Dana 44-2 for the second half of '86.

If you can get some pictures of this Dana 30, I'd love to see them though.

I have a few friends running 36" and 37" Interco SS with lockers, etc.  They do OK.  Although they are running stock 4.2L's or 4.0L's and have the 297x U-joints and one piece shafts.  Jeepspeed Jeeps still use them although heavily modified, IIRC.  I do know of several D30's that have broken with heavier usage though.  The real problem for most of us is the lack of lower gears.  Only the CJ D30 has 4.88's and 5.13's available.

[oldjeep]

Commandos had a dana 30 rear for a while

[Jeffy]

Commandos had a dana 30 rear for a while

Oops, forgot about those. '67-'69 4bangers only...  Never seen one in person though.  Still it's doubtful that it would be stronger then a D35C.  Leave a D35C open and it can run 37-38's as well.  Toss a locker in and 31's will even break it if you get a wheel in the air and it gets traction all of a sudden.

[FourbangerYJ]

  Toss a locker in and 31's will even break it if you get a wheel in the air and it gets traction all of a sudden.

I broke both rear shafts at the same time on 31's running a Lockrite. We were in about a foot of snow too. I wasn't bound up or nothing.That was my 2nd run with the LR in.

CJ D30's also had 5.38's avail.

[TahoeYJ]

I know a handful of folks running 35's and 37's on their D30 and have never had issues. The only person I personally know who's blown his 30 was on 35's, but he caught about 6' of air he really wasn't expecting... I'd think a 44 and possibly even a 60 would break under those conditions 

I doubt I'll ever put a locker in mine, due to  the issues of driving in snow, but I'll at least one day ditch my Posi-Lok and put in a 1 piece TJ assembly. I've thought about upgrading to Warn hubs, but I'd rather just get a 44 so I can have the option of lower gears if I ever go that route 

[XJAlex]

Iīve got the D30 with ARB-Airlocker and Alloy 30 Spline Axleshafts in my 4banger Supercharger, running 34" TSLīs

never had any Problem with it, a friend of mine made lotīs of Competitions here with his 4banger Supercharger over
many years and also never had a problem with

the only really problem with D30 and 35 is the size of Ring & Pinion when you use 4.56 or 4.88 (like me) with it -
the teeth are very small then   


by the way - there is a new D44 front axle from Dynatrac on the market, hope it will work in my rig next spring   

[neale_rs]

Ok, here is the picture of a Mexican CJ7 with rear D30.  As you can see, it is not being babied.

[Jeffy]

I can see Mozman in the background...   

Anything clearer then that?  Looks almost like a D35.

[neale_rs]

Just zoom in on it 

I'll try to get a better picture, this one was posted and I just downloaded it.