 Coast Driveline and Gear likes...  Coast Driveline and Gear likes to use a press to fit the ring gear onto the ARB. While doing so is not necessary, Coast's technicians say it ensures that the ring gear goes onto the ARB correctly and fits snugly. After the ring gear was pressed on, its bolts were torqued to the proper specification. |  With the bearings pressed...  With the bearings pressed on, the ARB Air Locker was then slid into the pumpkin, along with its shims. Once the bearing caps were snugged down, backlash was checked to ensure that it was within the proper spec. |  The next step was to route...  The next step was to route the air line and make sure that it cleared the cover. This step can be tricky, as you want to make sure the air line is not rubbing against the bearing cap, or routed in a manner where it is placing the air collar at an angle. |
 With the air line properly...  With the air line properly routed, it was time to check the pattern of the gearset. It was spot on. You can see how the pinion gear is making contact in the center part of the ring gear and also in the middle of the gear, which is right where it should be. |  Moving to the outer ends of...  Moving to the outer ends of the axletubes, the folks at Coast Machine installed these trick axletube seals, also from Superior. Made from T6 aluminum with two inner O-rings and a larger inner seal, they keep crud from entering the axletube and causing damage. |  The next step was to remove...  The next step was to remove the original front Dana 30 axle from our TJ. |
Another Option
If you are looking to keep your Dana 30, but want to gain some strength, a good option is Superior's Super 30 front-axle kit. It replaces the D30's 27-spline axles with 30-spline Evolution Series alloy axles. Just like all of Superior's alloy axles, these feature rolled splines and do not neck down anywhere. The kit comes with an ARB Air Locker and left and right inner and outer shafts with the U-joints installed. With the Super 30 kit in place, the only area that the Superior 44 is stronger is in the ring-and-pinion. It is another easy upgrade that adds more strength.