Need Help. AMC 20

dmrcj8

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Location
Matthews, NC
Hey guys,

This is my first post here and I have a lengthy question. I really need some advice here. I have a CJ8 with the factory axles geared at 2.73. The rear has been upgraded by a PO to one piece shafts. I just purchased two complete axle assemblies from another forum member, elevatordude. The new axles are geared 4.10. I want to put my one piece shafts from my old axles into the new 4.10 ones I just got. Being a Mustang guy I figured the AMC axles were probably a C-Clip design. Now i know better. I was fooling around with the new 4.10 axle last night trying to figure out how to remove the shafts. I took the c-clips off the cross shaft, hoping that doing that would give me access to some clips or some other method to remove the shafts. Well...one of those c-clips shot out into the yard and I can't find it. Anybody got one or know where to get one? Any tricks to getting the shafts off these axles? Slide hammer maybe. What are the chances that I'll be able to pull the one piece units from my old axle and not destroy the seals, bearings and races so that i can re-use in my new axles?
 
C-clips in an AMC20...even on the cross-shaft!? its been a while since I've been in mine, but I don't remember any clips, just a pin or bolt thru the cross-shaft. I have a 2.73 R&P plus little parts, I'll take a look when I get home.

Do you have the 4 bolts that hold the outer seal plate to eh outer axle flange removed? Once those are off, the axles should just slide out...yeah right! I've heard people loosley bolt the drum on backwards and use that as a slide hammer. I used a complete wheel/tire, stock P235 size, that gives a little more leverage and inertia.

new seals would be best, it would suck to put it all back together and find a leak. If they looked really good, I *might* re-use, especially if I had a hard time finding replacements. If the bearigns are good, I'd probably re-use.
 
If your cross shaft has c clips then it is a trac-loc limited slip differential, commonly called a trash loc. However it dosent matter. As long as both axle assemblies are the same width ((Jeep CJ's had "narrow trac" axles ('76-81 and all CJ5's) and "wide trac" axles ('82-86)), then you need simply undo the 4 bolts on each axle end as described above and pull the axles out. Hopefully the seals will be OK, you will also be removing the brake backing plates as well as the bearings are pressed on after the backing plates on 1 piece axles.
 
Yup. It's a Trash-Loc. One of those damn little C-clips flew out and whacked me in the eye just before it bounced out into the leaf covered yard. Now I can't find it. I wish I had known to just leave the cross shaft and the pumpkin alone and pull the axles from the ends. Like I said though, being from the Ford world I just assumed this was a c-clip axle and that I would have to take the clips off to get it out. Thanks for your help, guys!
 
tknopp said:
The bearing spacer on each side maybe hard to remove from the old axle with the one piece shafts. You usually use a hammer to drive it in to the end of the axle when you install them.
Click to expand...
Tom's right, do not forget to remove and reuse the bearing spacers with the 1 piece axles.
 
Thanks for telling me about the spacers, guys. I went to Harbor Freight and bought a big magnet and drug it around my work area and finally found the c-clip. I re-installed the clips on the cross shaft. My next job will be pulling the axles. A friend of mine told me a trick to remove the axles if using the drum as a slide hammer doesn't work. He grew up in Wisconsin and he said everybody there drove AMC stuff when he was a kid. His dad used to pull axles out of the AMC 20's by attaching a chain to one of the lugs and snuggin up a lug nut onto it and then whipping the chain a couple of times. He claims it works great. The only problem I'll have is that my axle is sitting on jack stands and is not attached to the car. It might be best for me to lay it on the ground and chain it to something first.
 
Back
Top