I am stuck at the moment and not sure what direction I want to go in. I plan on keeping the jeep for a long long time to come. I want to do things right, and dont want to do things half assed.

I purchased myself C gussests, and a sleeve kit, and was going to pull the trigger on some RCV shafts for the front dana 30 on the jk.

with all that said and done I will be at about $1700 or so and a pretty stout dana 30.

I plan on regearing and putting an ARB locker also.

My question is, is this the route to go long term. The RCV's will "never" break, the ARB if installed correctly is solid, and with sleeves and C gussests seems like a pretty good set up.

On the other hand i can do a prorock 44. 2K, +500 pro steel ball joints. and shafts of my choice. (500-1000).

A very stout and long lasting prorock will be me around 4k with a locker. and leaving the rear 44 stock.

Is it worth the money? I could do all the dana 30 stuff within 3 months. the prorock will take me another 6 realistcally. or more.

I just dont want to spend the money on Re gearing, and locking the dana 30, and then breaking it or wanting something better in a year or 2. i want to spend this money, and "never think" about it again.





Im just not sure if the Dana 30 is worth my time. I have heard and read a lot of people beating it pretty good and nothing going wrong. I am pretty easy on the throttle. and only really push it when its a must.
Just looking for some advice!

 

the fact that you're even asking about it should be all that you need to know the answer to your question - NO, it's not worth it. if you're in it for the long haul, you'd be better off saving your money and investing in a prorock 44. also, don't know who told you that an RCV's will "never" break but that's just ridiculous. while you may not break the CV joint very easily, it still has bearings and moving parts and if you fail to maintain it, it will break. also, the shaft diameter is physically smaller than that of a dana 44 and if anything, it will break under the right conditions - hell, i have broken a chromo 44 shaft. of course, this is to say nothing about the ring & pinion. if you go up to a 5.13, the pinion will be very very small on a dana 30 and it will ultimately be a weak point as well. you simply cannot throw money into a smaller weaker axle housing and make it something even remotely close to a prorock 44.

 

So your advice would be Prorock, steer ball joints, chromo's, and an arb.


anyone have 5k for me

 

if you plan on keeping your jeep for a long long time to come as you had stated, yeah, i would advise as much. do it right the first time and you won't have to kick yourself in the rear later

 

X2 on WOL's advice!! You answered your own questions...


What is the total price of your fully built D30? ($1700 + $800 for the ARB + $500 for the gears + the labor for gussets/sleeves installs?)
And then there is the issue with rcv's and prosteers. And inner sleeves and bigger shafts. And the small r&p being the weak link. etc...

Then compare the total to the cost of a geared/arb'd/caster corrected/much stronger PR44.

 

I've seen 40 year old Dana 30's so the idea that they won't last is BS. They are prone to break and I don't plan on mine lasting that long. But they mine still holding up just fine. I'd pit the sleeves and gussets on. Then save for your Pro rock. Once you get the money just keep it and actually invest it. (And axle is not an investment) once your 30 breaks spring for the pro rock.

 

To compare 30s from years back is apples to oranges.

In over 22 years of wheeling I'd NEVER seen a broken axle tube until the JK. Even bent early tubes were rare. Did anyone ever bend a 'C' on an early 30? Early 30s did have their own issues. CJ versions had a weak center casting and it wasn't unusual on a locker eqipped rig to find a broken ring gear tooth laying in the bottom of the housing when you did an oil change. The center would flex and you'd knock off a tooth.

The YJ came with a HP version that was pretty good except for the axle disco system. Once you blocked that off and changed to TJ axles you had a decent unit. You still had the 'fall apart' version of the unit bearing but most guys carry spares.

Looking back, if I had could go back and do it over, I would have done a few things differently when I built my first CJ. I wouldn't have spent a DIME on my 30. I would have saved up and done the 44 before I wasted money polishing my 30.

Not everyone that has a JK needs to mod their front end, just those that wheel. Some add band-aids, one at a time, until they get into their front end strong enough and others skip ahead to a bigger, stronger front end. Many of those that make the mods over time do so because of their budget. While this is understandable (and common), a better bet is to do it right the first time. I talk to a bunch of guys would have done things differently if they had known of the options or if those options had been available.

If you plan on wheeling for years, your rig WILL evolve. Eventually, the vast majority of 30 owners that really wheel their rigs will change them out for another front axle. How much money will you have in your 30 when you swap it out?

 

Great thread, I was in the same boat but decieded on the PR44 for my 08 sahara. slowly collecting all the pieces to spend a week put it all on once all this damn snow we got up here in canada clears in about 5 months

 

One expensive recovery would put alot of money towards a good front axle. I put an Aussie locker in my D30 for my second trip to Moab and was looking for a D44. When the Prorock 44 came out I new what I was getting. Theres no point in swapping more OEM stuff into your front end unless your time isn't important to you and you can and like to weld. A beefed up Jeep D 44 is not a Prorock 44 no matter what you do to it. Its not cost effective to try making it that way. Get some Reid Racing high steer knuckles and RCV's and Prosteers for it and then you have some peace of mind. Everything has its limits though.

 

thanks for the replies guys. Im thinking i will put the sleeves and C's on only because i already bought them.

and then when it grenades I will be going the PR route. Its just not worth buying everything for the front and still having a dana 30 at the end of the day