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WK straight axle???

42K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  BobT 
#1 ·
Has anyone tried to put a straight axle on there wk yet?
 
#3 ·
i've been waiting for someone to finally do a straight axle conversion on a WK and get them above 4" of lift. It is a simple process... maybe find and throw a different (dare i say better?) transfer case under it, and you'll have a sweet rig.

the only reason i can think of that a shop hasnt done it? $$$ and the fact that the WK is way too big with WAY too much body to be a serious offroader (go ahead, flame me).
 
#5 ·
yeah def do, i wanna see.
 
#6 ·
In my opinion, and experience, it makes no sense to try and put a solid axle on a WK. The rear is a solid axle and putting a solid front axle in would be as much money as buying a used cherokee in good condition with relatively low miles and putting some height on it.

I know that a company is going to be coming out with a 5.5" lift for the WK soon. And rough country said that they're coming out with a 4" lift soon too.
 
#13 ·
I know that a company is going to be coming out with a 5.5" lift for the WK soon.
:eek: I'ma need to make sure I'm up to date on that!
 
#7 ·
Yeah,you guys quit trying to make those WKs into a superior WJ by
putting a solid axle under them(thats all we have left!)Its that "Group
B"thing again.:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Seriously though those things look wicked
lifted.Id love to see one at 6.5"
 
#8 ·
haha awesome group B refrence...

i had a ZJ... and WJ's were always trying to be little round ZJ's!
 
#10 ·
im going to be going with full length one tons an 38's im just looking for some pics before i start ripping my wk apart.
 
#11 ·
Escape- Get that kid with the rubicon axles on this site ASAP. I have to see a WK with a sas swap. Dont just ask him to join tell him he is required to join with that kind of setup.
 
#14 ·
solid axel or not i'm not sure i would go above 4" on these vehicles. Now i am by far no mechanic but even going up 4" caused my front drive shaft to fail at 45k miles. Just had it rebuilt and i was told i was lucky it lasted that long.

the problem is all time 4wd. cant go w/ a double cardan setup because they cant be balanced due to weight (at least this is what i have been told) and having an unbalanced front drive shaft in 4wd at 80mph on the highway = no fun

hence the stock shaft stays and fails prematurely

now we all know there are plenty of solid axle all-time 4wd WJ's and ZJ's over 4" so i imagine there is some kind of remedy for that on those vehicles

I'd be very interested to see how an IFS or solid axle WK does over 4"
 
#15 ·
Hate to bring this up, anybody put anything more into this? I'm really thinking bout using a rubicon axle cause the ESP & ABS should talk to one another.... Also you can get the factory switch from a jk wrangler that will fit next to the blank tow/haul switch to lock the axle at any time, which would look and work great.... Plate the unibody like my XJ and make some custom brackets for the arms.. Hard part is steering....... Any thoughts???
 
#16 ·
Hmmmm, seriously, I would just look elsewhere. I'd build a seriously awesome long wheelbase Wrangler with a 6.1 conversion before attempting a live (solid) front axle conversion on a WK. There is just WAY too many issues to wwork through, and not all are obvious. Heck, even getting the correct geometry so the thing steered and stopped safely would be a serious engineering challenge.
Most people think it's a matter of welding in some mounts and bolting it in, it's just not. Don't do it.
 
#17 ·
It's been done to Libertys (KJs) so it is possible. Anything is possible. I've thought about buying a WK as my offroad rig and would do a solid front axle swap, but i've never owned one and i'm not sure how much i'll love the WK. I have a WK2 and i love a lot about it, but I still miss my WJ. Since i'd ultimately like to have 37s and a solid axle, it seems better to start with a WJ. Partly because it has the solid axle to start with, partly because my WJ was the best vehicle i've ever own, and partly because at a fraction of the cost of a WK, it'll give me a bigger budget for mods :)
 
#18 ·
I've been tossing around the idea of replacing my '96 4Runner SAS Crawler with a built WK. I bought one with a Hemi but I'm still undecided on whether to do it or not. Here are my thoughts on it after looking at it a bunch and tearing into the front suspension a lot.

* The entire front suspension, steering, and motor mounts are all part of a beefy sub-frame that can be removed very easily (4 bolts), leaving little to no IFS mounts to clean up. If I proceed with a SAS I'll just support the engine, unbolt and remove the sub-frame, plate the frame and build motor mounts, then start on the custom suspension with a clean slate.
* It's driver-side drop so a Ford D60 would be a good choice.
* The electronics with the Quadra-Drive, ABS, and Transfer Case would pose a serious challenge that I don't have an answer for.
* The cargo space in the rear is extremely limited compared to my 4Runner. I tried to take it on an off-road/hiking trip this week and couldn't fit everything I needed so i had to leave the WK behind and take a different vehicle.
* The Hemi is getting 9.5 mpg around town, making me consider selling it and starting with a different platform since I like to do Expedition Rock Crawling, basically my own Ultimate Adventure covering 4-6 states and putting on serious miles, driving to and from every trail.
* To sum it up, putting an axle, suspension, and steering box on the WK are within my capabilities, as are body mods needed to fit 37" tires and swapping the transfer case. The software, cargo space, poor fuel economy, and buy-in price are the drawbacks.
 
#19 ·
#20 ·
Get a WK2. I followed a Disco up a very steel rocky slope. The Disco had front and rear lockers. He was spinning and throwing stones everywhere. My Jeep just gently chug chugged up behind him hardly disturbing a pebble and that was with the sh*t OEM road tyres. The traction control on these is magic.
 
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