I got a D30 upfront and a local shop in tempe is hooking me up with a pretty sweet deal to have ARBs installed and a regear for about $2500 installed with Yukon Gears and ARB mini compressor.

My question is I dont do any hard core rock krawling as in scraping things, dragging components over rocks but I would like to know if it is a an okay safe set up to run? Given that my approach to obstacles is try it without lockers, rear lockers then flick front only when needed an do not exceed 2000rpm when in 4Lo. I am more interested in uneven hill climbs as opposed to rocks the size of the jeep.

Here is my load out
Very Light weight 35's which measure 33.5 mounted
4.88 Gears
3.8L Manual
ARB for the D30
ARB for the Rear
Stock axle shafts
ARB Front Diff Cover
Fully Armored by Artec for the D30

Any input is appreciated. I don't have money for a P44 or a 1 Ton set up which is why I only plan on running 35's.

Thanks

 

Are you saying your quote is $2500 for labor, new Yukon gears with master install kits, front AND rear ARBs, and the compressor to run em....or am I just reading that wrong?

 

Yes that is correct $2500 for everything cash. They are a reputable shop in the area and I got referred by a friend so I got the friend discount.

 

Dang, that's a pretty good deal considering cost of 2 arbs, gears, and install kits cost bout that much as it is. I would have said leave the front unlocked, throw some gussets on and go have fun, but at that price may as well put the locker in there. Just use your head and understand the general shortcomings of your axle. I don't think the cost of the truss was included in that, and if you're looking at another $600 to do a truss, that might not be worth it for what you'd described.

Most of the time buidling a D30 up isn't gonna make sense and people will bash the idea all day long, but in your particular case, might not be too bad of a deal.

 

I already welded the truss on

 

Well you're already balls deep then....LOL, jump on in the rest of the way. If you need to regear anyhow, it's essentially like you're getting the front locker for free. I'd just be cautious of your front axle shafts and putting too much stress on your R&P, but again....use you're head and you should be fine. I'm gonna vote with the caveat that it's wouldn't be my normal opinion.

 

Sounds like you have the right idea. That's also a killer price, just roll with it.

Don't fear your Dana 30, it's a great axle, it's just asking a lot of it to haul a fat JK around with big tires. You've already got the the big stuff covered.

35's (and it sounds like you're running a small 35, which is good) are the way to go.

You've already trussed it, but if you were starting from scratch I wouldn't bother (although it does work). Weld on some C Gussets and move along.

You've got 4.88 gears which are a good choice, a 5.13 gets a little weak on a D30 that is getting railed on.

You have an ARB going in, which is one of your two solid options for a traction aid. When you go wheeling use it sparingly and you will go far. Don't try to force it, use it when you aren't going to bounce or bind.

The big thing here is to keep your factory axle shafts and know how to drive on it. You want you axle shafts to be the fuse between terra firma and your expensive goodies you have in the pumpkin. Upgraded axle shafts increase your likelihood of grenading your front diff exponentially. Go to a junkyard and pull a set of front Dana 30 axle shafts that are useable, they don't have to be great. Pack them with you and you'll never need them, right? A broken factory Dana 30 is an easy trail fix as far as broken stuff goes. If you're really getting into the big stuff, chances are good that eventually you'll break a shaft, but the same goes for a Rubicon "Dana 44" which is really a Dana 30 with a bigger pumpkin.

If you really want to spend money on something, just keep your axle, buy a Rubicon T case. Run your Dana 30 into the ground, and if it blows up, cool. I have 2 or 3 Dana 30s hanging out of the shop, as do many dedicated Jeep shops, and you can have one built and shipped for a percentage of the cost of an aftermarket axle.

Run it! Take pictures! Enjoy your Jeep!

 

That's a great theory if you're the shop selling and installing them on a regular basis. From the standpoint of a customer, I'd rather pay once, cry once, and not have to worry about breaking it on a regular basis as we all know it's not going to happen in the driveway or on an easy section close to the road.

The price isn't terrible for all things included, but personally, I'd save a bit more and opt for something stronger. I prefer not to run weak links.

 

Sounds like an amazing price that you should definitely jump on!

As someone else mentioned people will always bash on D30s, but at the end of the day its a lot of how you drive that makes the difference. If you treat it nice, it will return the favour.

I'm currently building a Dana30 with truss/gussets/the works to run my 37s!

 

208,000 miles on my Jeep. It was my rear pinion gear that blew up, not the "weak" D30 front. And that D44 rear bit the dust while taking on the "tough trail" between my suburban home and the local Denny's.

And how do I use my Jeep? Not rock crawling after taking a year to learn that I'd grown past little playgrounds. But I do get around ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl2D1KbMZpg