Looking to beef up the front end and curious as to what is involved in the C gusset install and chromoly shaft install. The gussets I am not so worried about, have a friend who is an accomplished welder and rebuilds street rods. What kind of prep needs to be done? With the shaft install, what all do you ahve to do? Novice when it comes to axles and their inner-workings. Thanks

 

start looking at this video - Evo sleeves + gussets install
Off Road Evolution EVO Enhanced Mopar Jeep JK Dana 44 Axle - YouTube

 

Front shaft writeup. Search bar is your friend.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-w...-joints-72971/

 

That looks pretty involved. Do you actually need to remove the Cs to weld on the gussets? Thanks

 

You need to remove at least the upper ball joint to weld the Cs. I cant see why you'd need to remove the C though. Not a hard job if you have a puller. I just did EVO sleeves, gussets and LCA skids. It was a long project but not hard if you have a good welder. My jeep was out for a week, but I pulled the whole front axle.

 

I am not 100% but I believe you do not need to remove the ball joints as long as you only weld a little at a time and let the weld cool so it does not damage any of the ball joint components. I have read a few threads that say to just weld an inch or two and then cool the metal with a wet sponge.

 

The axle install is also a piece of cake. It's a simple job. I did mine in a few hours and it was my first time working on an axle. Just make sure you replace the seals for sure. Trust me on this.

 

You do not need to remove the ball joints. Just weld a little on each side and switch and have someone cool off the part you weld right away with a wet rag. Have done a few of these with no issues. You weld the gussets onto the C's so don't remove them.

Axles are easy also. Remove the brake caliper, bearing assembly and axle nut and then pull the shaft. If you are careful when you slide the axles back in you do not need to change out the seals.

 

No need to remove the ball joints. Just go slow and keep them cool. Look at the project-jk write up.

 

I look at it this way. Removing upper BJs 30 minutes and a trip to autozone. Smoking a set of BJs, $200-$500. Plus if your paying for welding you typically pay an hourly rate and having to go slow costs money. If you aren't paying and have a few bucks in the bank as insurance money weld away. Then put it all back together head out and realize something's wrong and have to pull it all apart again go back to autozone for the puller and drop the money on new BJs. But to each his own. I don't like surprises and don't take a lot of risks when it comes to expensive stuff.