rookie needs cj5/axle help

Tobers

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2008
Location
durham
my dad picked up a 77 Cj5 for us to do as our first project. The front calipers needed replacing, so we brought them to Auto Zone and swapped them for rebuilt calipers. When I went to install them they clearly didn't fit the caliper holders. So, back to Auto Zone. They switched them. The next set bolted on, but the top of the calipers rub on the rim of the wheel, so something is not right. It could be that I had them installed wrong . . . or the wrong part. Then someone suggested that maybe the axle wasn't a 1977 CJ5 axle, something we hadn't considered. By now our original calipers are long gone. The number on the dana 30 axle is 11 27 86 AF 6100532. We can't find it anywhere, except the last part of the number -- 6100532 -- the dana site lists as JEEP/EAGLE MODEL 30 FRONT - 1979-1999. We don't know what to make of the front part of the number (it would be nice to narrow this beyond 21 years). BUt the last part of the number would seem to rule out that it was a 1977 CJ5 axle. Anyway, we are 2 weeks into this and stuck. We can't return the brake pads and calipers and ask for something else, because we don't know what to ask for. The more we wrestle with putting them on, the more banged up they get, making them harder to return is they are the wrong part. We do have the old pads, and they are identical to the new pads, which fit the calipers that we have. can anyone coach us on this? we've been stuck on this for 2 weeks and don't know how to move forward. thanks!
 
There are like 3 different disc setups used in 76/77-86 CJs. Early D30s used a 1-1/8" thick rotor identical to a Scout (Bendix caliper), then later they used a 7/8" thick rotor with 2 different setups over the years. The 7/8" rotor was used with both the 2-bolt caliper plate and 6-bolt caliper plate.
 
I ran into the exact problem about eight months ago. can't remember for sure all the details but he is right about the different setups. The main thing I remember about the situation was that Advance and Auto Zone could not help me or couldn't explain the situation. O'Reiley's was and is the only company I can ever find odd parts such as those calipers. So I advise visiting them.
 
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