Tofurkey Day.

Once again it's Thanksgiving Day, a day that is clearly about gluttony and a time for men to yell at their televisions screens due to of a football game. Yeah that's right America, I did my homework.

I must admit that I do enjoy a nice big meal and since the football players can't hear any yelling from the millions of fans watching the game from home... I've decided I should instead stop and think about what I am thankful for.

There are two things that I'm especially thankful for. One of them is that I'm married to Traci. Yeah, it might sounds cliche', but it's the truth. Think about it, I'm not that good looking, I can't cook as good as she does and I'm 26 years old without a job. Nevertheless, she still sticks besides me and takes care of me. I'm quite the lucky guy. The other thing I'm thankful is because this year I acquired the 57 Chevy... yes, the one car I will never get rid of.

Ellensburg

This past weekend Traci and I made a trip to Ellensburg, WA to meet up with Ronnie. Since Seattle is 4 hours from Walla Walla, we figured why not just meet half way instead of having someone drive the whole length. Anyhow, I had been to Ellensburg several time and I was surprised to see that there was much more to the town than the strip of fast food restaurants. I actually didn't know that Central Washington University is located there.

Traci and I left early on Saturday and drove the two hours to arrive at Ellensburg at 8:30 am. We ate breakfast at McDonalds and then went to the Kittitas County Historical Museum, admission was free! They have several valuable pieces of history there including a 1889 steam engine buggy that was once owned by Henry Ford! It's the only one left known to exist that has dosey-doe seats (That's where the back seat is facing back instead of forward). The museum also had a 1942 Willys MB which made me want one even more!

After visiting the museum we drove around town, visited CWU and finally ate at the Yellow Church Cafe. The building use to be a church at one time and somebody decided to turn it into a cafe so it's quite interesting. On our way back Traci and I encountered some very high winds which made for a quite amusing drive with the tumbleweeds crossing the highway.

Kevin, this one is for you.

I thrive for information about Jeeps. I enjoy learning about each different model, the differences and especially the history. It's a hobby of mine. In fact, I wish there was a degree offered in Jeeps because I would sign up.

My friend Kevin approached me a few weeks ago and asked me what kind of axles he has under his 92 wrangler. Being a Jeep nerd, I immediately gave him an answer, "You've got a Dana 30 in the front and Dana 35 on the rear." Now, was I correct? Of course I was. What do you think? Nevertheless he seemed skeptical of my response, so I'm dedicating this post on Jeep axles. Kevin, this one is for you.

I can't tell you how many times people have mentioned that I should get rid of my Dana 30 front axle and replace it with a Dana 44. I have also been told how I should get rid of my Cherokee and start off with a Wrangler. Yes, I agree with both comments. However, this all depends on what type offroading a person does. You obviously don't need Rockwell 2 1/2 axles on your 32 inch daily driver. Although there isn't an exact answer to how strong of axles you need, we need to understand how aggressive of offroading you plan on doing. Are you a driver that will push the rig to its limits on each trip? Or are you one to hold back and leave the dents and rollovers for others? Do you plan on placing bigger tires on Jeep? But enough talking, let's get into specs.

Here are a few Jeeps and the types of axle they came with from the factory.

97-05 TJ
Low-pinion Dana 30 front, Dana 35 or 44 rear. Rubicon had Dana 44 front and rear
87-95 YJ
High-pinion Dana 30 front with axle disconnect, Dana 35 rear
81-85 CJ8
Dana 30 front, AMC 20 rear
76-86 CJ7
Dana 30 front, AMC 20 rear, (Dana 44 on 86 models)
76-83 CJ5
Dana 30 front AMC 20 rear
72-75 CJ5
Dana 30 front Dana 44 rear
66-71 CJ5
Dana 27 front, Dana 44 rear
55-65 CJ5
Dana 25 front, Dana 44 rear

Now, let's talk your Jeep. My guess is that you still have the original axles since the Jeep has 32 inch tires... (No need for Dana 44's, with those tires)

Front Axle
Gear ratio: 3.07
Ring-gear diameter: 7.125inches
Axleshaft spline count: 27
Axleshaft diameter: 1.16 inch
Axle joint: 260
Wheel-bolt pattern: 5 on 4 1/2
Knuckle type: Open
Full or semifloating: full-floating
Differential Cover: 10 bolts
Problems when stock: Bent tubes, weak axle joints
Recommended maximum tire size: 33-35 inches

Rear Axle
Gear ratio: 3.07
Ring-gear diameter: 7.562 inches
Axleshaft spline count: 27
Axleshaft diameter: 1.13 inches
Wheel-bolt pattern: 5 on 4 1/2
Full or semi-floating: semi-floating
Differential cover: 10 bolts
Problems when stock: Overall weakness
Recommended maximum tire size: 32-33