Well, if your projects go anything like mine, you'll know that one modification usually leads to another. Here is a case in point.

I just finished up the Rubicon Express 3" lift with 1.5" Daystar spacers on top of them. The 4.5" of lift gave me the added height I needed to throw on my, much anticipated, 35"x12.50 BFG Mud-Terrain tires. As with any lift install, I took it straight to the tire shop to get the alignment that I knew that I needed only to be given the news that would prompt my newest upgrade.

"Mr. Adams, you'll have to come pick up your Jeep? your front left wheel bearing is shot, and the right one isn't going to last much longer", said the gentleman on the other end. "I could do the alignment", he continued, "but I'd only be taking your money from you". Well? I appreciated his honesty, and agreed to come pick it up.

On the way to the shop, all the thoughts of what to do, when to do it, how to pay for it, and so on, were running through my head. I decided that this was a prime opportunity to do the Warn Front Hub Conversion kit. Here is why I came to that conclusion.

First of all, the factory wheel bearings on the 97 Jeep Wrangler are NOT serviceable wheel bearings. When the wheel bearings go, you have to replace the entire front hub assembly, at the tune of approximately $125 an assembly. Well, since both of mine were shot, that was going to be a cost in just parts of $250 before taxes. For a few (hundred) dollars more, I could upgrade to the Warn Front Hub Conversion kit, and have wheel bearings that were serviceable. So, in essence, the next time my wheel bearings go bad, I'll have only a cost of the bearings (about $40.00 a piece) versus another new hub assembly at the tune of $125.

Secondly, I am running 35" tires, and I need an axle that can withstand the amount of stress that a set of large tires can cause. The Warn kit offered a much stronger outer axle than stock. According to Warn, this outer axle has the strength of a Dana 44, and if it does break, Warn has already assured me that they would replace it, free of charge. Furthermore, with the 35" tires, I am sure to wear out another set of bearings in the next few years, and I wanted something that was serviceable.

Another great benefit of the lockout hub conversion is gas mileage. It is no secret that the Wrangler, especially the TJ, doesn't get the best gas mileage. The TJ has the ability of "shift-on-the-fly". Although this feature is a benefit to some people, it degrades the on-highway fuel mileage. With the lockout hub conversion, the axle is no longer turning while in 2WD, thus lessening the drag of having to push that axle and increasing your overall gas mileage.

Lastly, the idea of locking hubs was right up my alley. Currently, I have a set of 4.56 gears and a Detroit locker in my garage, just waiting on me to find time to put them into the front pumpkin. With the lock out hubs, I can still drive my TJ on the highway with the locker installed, with no adverse effects. By unlocking the hubs, the locker is totally out of the mix when it comes to on-highway travel. This feature is especially important for the person who frequently ventures off-highway, but also drives their Jeep upon the paved portion of the world.

So, lets get to the good stuff? the install. Granted, I have done a lot of work on my TJ. However, this is no reason to shy away from this project. Yes? it may be a bit scary to think that you are going to be taking your entire front axle apart, but don't let this stop you. With some time, patience, and a trip to the hardware store, any person can complete this installation. Just know this? you are gonna get your hands dirty.

Without hesitation, when you order the kit, start preparing THEN for the install. Don't wait for the kit to make it to your doorstep, only to find out that you could have been making trips to the machine shop and hardware store to get prepared. After all? that's why you are reading this? to get prepared. There are a few things that you are going to need, and a few modifications that you are going to have to make to insure that the install goes smooth. I will try to prepare you for what to expect.

It helps to have a general knowledge of how to remove u-joints. If you have never changed u-joints, try to gain access to a shop that will press out your old u-joints, and press in the new ones for you. Any driveline or automotive repair shop can do this work in no time and at a minimal charge.

INSTALLATION

Have the following tools and items available:

• Of course, a jack and good solid jackstands.
• 36 MM Axle Nut Socket ? ?" drive. Rent or borrow it if possible, you'll only need it once per side.
• 4-Lug Socket for Dana 44 Axle Nut tool ? this is a socket that has four prongs on it.
• ?" drive Breaker Bar.
• ?" drive Quality Torque Wrench (able to measure down to 3 foot/pounds.
• Socket set comprised of both SAE and Metric sizes. You may want to grab a 12 point, 13mm socket for the hub assembly bolts. It wouldn't hurt if this was a ?" drive socket so you could use your breaker bar with it, or get a ?" to 3/8" reducer for your socket set.
• Wrench set comprised of metric
• 5/64" Hex Key
• Bearing grease
• Bearing packer (if you don't like doing it the messy way)
• 2 cans of brake parts cleaner.
• C-Clamp
• If you have access to a bearing and seal driver set, this would definitely help.
• Think safety, so have a pair of goggles or safety glasses, and a set of shop rags handy.
• Lastly? have a 5 lb. Hammer on hand, and a ball-peen hammer. This will help you remove the u-joints from the old axles if you don't have access to a press (if you plan on changing the u-joints yourself). The 5 lb. hammer will assist you in the removal of the old wheel hub assemblies.

Do the following before the kit comes in.

• Buy new rotors and locate a machine shop that will machine out the center hole where the hub assembly will come through the rotor (I will explain this further in a minute).
• Check front brake pads and see if you are going to need new ones? during the install is a great time to change them.

To elaborate on why I see it is necessary to buy new rotors is due to the thickness of the OEM rotors. By no means is this a necessary step, but to me, it was a possible weak point that I wasn't comfortable with. However, Warn does recommend that you should use new rotors that are stronger than the factory ones. The wall thickness on the OEM rotors was not near as thick as what you get when you buy an after market rotor, such as Bendix. The Bendix rotor was much thicker, and in my opinion, going to be a much stronger rotor once the machine work was completed on it. Also, my rotors were in bad shape, and needed to be replaced anyhow? again, a prime opportunity to replace an inferior factory part with a new after market part. Furthermore, a new rotor is a minimal cost (approximately $22.00 a rotor), and I didn't want to have to pay for machining on an old rotor that was in bad shape, only to turn around and have to pay to have a new rotor machined.

The rotor must have the center hole (where the hub comes through) machined out to 3.575". This measurement has to be accurate to within 0.015". Make sure that you find a competent machinist to do this type of work for you. By completing this step ahead of time, you save yourself the hassle of waiting on getting the machine work done.

Other than that, there is not a lot of beginning preparation. Go ahead and get some gear oil to replace your old, and crack the differential cover when doing the install. When you reinstall the axle shafts, you may push dirt from the axle tube back into the differential, and you will DEFINITELY want to clean that out of there before you button everything back up.

     

I'm not going to go into detail on the entire install. Warn does an outstanding job of providing detailed instructions with their kit. However, if you run into problems and Warn can't supply the answer, feel free to contact me via e-mail? I'd be more than happy to answer your questions.

Chad Adams
Vice President of Ohio River Four Wheelers