So far have done all work myself building my JK (lifts, bumpers, on board air, etc), but not comfortable messing with gears. As such, want to be sure I have not missed anything and have just one trip to shop!

Starting with D30/D44 both open.

Plan for shop:
Upgrade to 4.88 gears
Install C-gussets front and rear
Install Arb air locker rear (will leave front open for now, maybe a PR44 someday)

Other?

 

Get sleeves and control arm skids

You only needs C2s in the front

 

Do you have a good shop to have the work done at? If not let me know, i'm located in Northeast Pa. My buddy's shop is in Dingmans Ferry. He knows gears very well and has installed C-Gussets, Sleeves, and lower control arm skids. He has also done plenty of lockers before.

Good luck, do you have your install kits? Good time to install some heavy diff covers, I personally love the ARB ones! Otherwise sounds like you are good to go.

 

If someday is years down the road, consider a truetrac and sleeves.

 

Funny you say that. Was thinking truetrac for d30. Leaning more and more that way actually. With arb rear its like 1.5 lockers.

 

Yep, the truetrac is my favorite traction device for these 30's. Great for pretty much anything short of hard core rock crawling, and a much better choice than a front autolocker on winter roads. I read that Summit was selling them for $350 not too long ago, but 375-400 is more normal.

 

I am sold. So, you also suggest upperc-gussets and sleeves on the D30 while in there? Any mods to the d44 when putting the arb in there?

 

Upgrades to the rear axle wouldn't be a bad thing if you have the spare cash, but you will hear about a whole lot more issues with the front housings, so concentrate on it. Upper gussets should be your first choice, but you may as well do the lowers at the same time. The sleeves are a judgement call. My opinion is to get them if you have the spare cash, but many feel that they are not needed. My preference would also be outer sleeves vs inners, but again, judgement call.

Also, for the rear, if you are considering new shafts or a super 44, go ahead and look into a replacement 60. The arb + shafts isn't far shy of 2k. Add in the gear install and you're pretty close to the 3k price tag of the 60's, which will come pre-geared with your choice of locker and shafts.

 

Advice for installing the ARB air line. If you got the blue plastic line, keep it well away from the exhaust especially the cats. My line was 2 inches away from the cats and they still melted it. I upgraded to the stainless braided and ran it inside the frame rail.

 

My advice, Make sure that the installers are able to read. And that they use that ability to actually read the directions, so that they know how to do it right. Or, you could follow in my Jeep tracks, and waste hours, out in the middle of who knows where, trying to figure out where the burning oil smell is coming from, just because someone that installs these all the time, doesn't read the directions!

What I am really saying is, make sure that who ever installs the ARB air locker follows the directions. You need to make sure that there is proper drainage from the axle tubes. This means that they will probably need to be drilled (like the direction stress!). If your installer doesn't do that, well you read the directions and it will stress all that could and will go wrong. Only takes maybe 5 minutes to do this step, so stress this to who ever is doing it.


And if they are putting in sleeves, tell them to grease them when they are done. Cause if they leave the grease zerks in, they will melt them shut, then they can change them right then and there.

I hope this helps you.