Jumping CJ

So im new to this thread and im turning to someone here to help me out with this problem. I recently acquired a cj5 rand and drove decent... needed work but was all around sound.... i had a girl fly into a airport about 75 miles away... drove to the airport.... combine that with 36's 5.88 gears and a 3speed on the highway.... lol it was a bad idea. i got there fine got back fine but decided to take it to work the next morning and as i was trying to pull out on a road it started to jump up and down.went to pull over and BANG now power to the wheels... i looked down saw the driveshaft completely jacked up.... pulled it. Had a rig shop up here weld a new tube on and balance it... figuring thats where to start at least.... since when we pulled it with a chain there was no more jumping i figured the driveshaft was maybe damaged... but i put the shaft back in and with the new and improved shaft the pumpkin is rotating on the tubes of the rearend.. and the cause of the jumping is the leaf springs binding up... i think this is called wrapping.... so i talked with a few people. ive heard plug welds over and over. especially with my gears and a brand new clutch plus a 2 hour roadtrip on a highway i had no buisness being on in the first place. so where i stand here are my questions

any other thing you think it could be?
is the best course of action to redo the plug welds or if i have a friend who is and experienced welder can he just fully weld the tubes to the pumkin and are there any reprocusssions if this is done?
what are the things i should check before welding on it.... i was told that i need to check the angle by putting the driveshaft back in and putting it on a lift so it can hang the suspension...
any other recommendations
thanks a million. im planning on jumping into this thing tommorow....

chad

 

Traction bars. That will prevent the spring wrap.

 

yes you can fully weld the tubes to the pumpkin just do an inch at a time so your not heating it up too much. you may need to preheat the pumpkin becuase its cast im not sure about that. You will need to reset your pinion angle and make sure your tubes are in all the way. Also you should be concerned with the angle that the tubes exit from the pumpkin because you can wear out your bearings alot faster

 

is there a specific way to make sure the tubes are all the way back in... and would i just use a regular square to make sure they were coming out evenly all around?

 

I was told by a cert welder colorado baja here once you start to weld don't stop.go 1/2 way then go the rest . you will get alot of different opinions on this . I did the full weld and had a buddy turn the axle on jackstands as I burned it in. good luck..don't weld it with the full weight of the jeep on it if it's badly worn the tubes would be bowing in on themselves.grind the plugs out with a carbide bit and lots of carb cleaner to get the gear oil out.clean is important!!!!!!!for this weld... if it broke on a really steep hill you would be done...and I agree a traction bar will help alot but I think it will kill some flex. I went through this about 6 months ago http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55565

 

What rear axle? If nothing exotic I'd consider starting over. Nothing good will come of those tubes having wallowed out the bores of the pumpkin. I think the press-fit of the tubes to the pumpkin is the primary source of strength and the welds just keep it together. Yours are no longer press fit so the welds are being asked to do way more than originally intended. No harm in trying but I predict you'll end up having problems with the welds breaking. Or maybe I'm full of crap.

 

If it's a '73 factory rear, it will be a centered Dana 44. Not a rare axle by any measure.

 

I agree with Chilly, that housing is shot, time for another. Anything you do to fix it will be a bandaid and most likely short lived. A big question I have is why did the housing come loose? I have never heard of both tubes coming loose after a highway trip. If one tube was loose before the trip, you would have known it by similar symptoms. Sounds to me like you have a bigger problem somewhere.

 

Were you showing off to your girlfreind with a burn out R)

 

which end of the driveline came loose? if it was the front than the driveline drops down hits the road, maybe even a pot hole or something, makes the rear jump up and possible to much for rear end to take. happened to me once in a 72 blazer. wild ride.

 

alright.... so basic concencus says... get a new one. okay so since this rearend has an arb setup does anyone know how difficult it would be to put my internals in another rearend? i am not a master mechanic but have not run into anything i couldnt do on a vehicle yet with a little guidance.

 

actually no.... 5.88's with 36 iroks.... ive tried to a do a little burn out... but it just bites hard and takes off.

 

Try it with a set of 30's on there. They'll chirp for you. All four of them!
R):hurrican:

 

I'm not sure what LOA conversion is. Is it a spring over axle? I am assuming it is and you are getting axle wrap and may need to build a traction bar set-up.

 

Leaf over axle... im guessing spring over axle is the same thing... i keep hearing the traction bar setup... is there a reputable company and am i goin to lose flex with this traction bar... also are these for front and rear or one specifically?

 

Willy,
I recomend checking out the following parts;
First a good traction bar like this one from Mountain OffRoad Enterprises http://www.mountainoffroad.com/Catalog/traction bar/tractionbar.html

And as long as you will be building a new axle ( I agree your pumpkin is shot) use these SOA Anti-Wrap Spring Perches listed on this page from Rubicon Express http://www.rubiconexpress.com/Builders-Parts.aspx?Vid=04737672188

Good luck with the build/rebuild.

 

You still haven't answered the most pertinent question on this thread. It's likely that if the T-case end of your driveshaft failed, that caused all of your rear axle problems. Excessive axle wrap will usually cause the rear u-joint to fail on the driveshaft.

 

sorry about that... The tube broke loose on at the knuckle by the rearend. Transfer case was just banging it around underneath. All the u joints were intact... even after this.

 

alright... so any other suggestions
?