7. Installing the Super Joints into the axles is a pretty straightforward affair. Yukon provides detailed instructions with full color photos to help you along because installation is slightly different than a standard U-joint. For instance, if a small amount of dirt enters the bearings of a standard U-joint, it can find a place between the rollers and they'll actually function OK for a long time. The Super Joint, however, has only 0.002 inch of clearance between the bearing surfaces, so there is no room for contaminants. The technicians at Custom Differentials are well versed in installing the Super Joints, so installation was undramatic. One note: Because of the large amount of material on the yokes, we had to grind a small amount of material from both the inner and outer yokes so the U-joint would slip into the yokes.
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8. The hole in the knuckle was only slightly larger than the beefy new Yukon axle yokes, s
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9. Here you can see the driver-side Super Joint and axleshafts installed in the vehicle. A
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10. Here's a view of the fully assembled front driver-side hub assembly as the last lockou
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11. Swapping the new axles into the 14-bolt rear axle is relatively quick and painless. Af
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12. Like the front axles, the new rear axles are made from a strong alloy that far exceeds
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13. The 14-bolt axleshafts must be cut to fit. Here, the long side shaft is marked for res
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14. After it's cut to length, the new axle is simply slid back into the 14-bolt axlehousin
Not including labor, the parts we installed tallied around $2,000. We think that's a very acceptable price for the high level of strength we added to our axles. In addition, we could've decreased that figure by about $400 by using the less-expensive alloy axle joints instead of the Super Joints. That's a lot of bang for the buck.
Custom Differentials is a full-service shop in Bloomsdale, Missouri, that specializes in everything from basic axle and diff repair to complete custom builds of axles and chassis. It's worth noting that the company is open for business after suffering a devastating fire that destroyed a large portion of its shop. "We have a new 4,080-square-foot fabrication shop equipped with a Mega Bender, CNC plasma table, and everything else needed to build custom chassis," says owner Jeremy Naeger.
Also worth mentioning are the on-grounds four-wheel-drive events which take place several times a year. For more information, visit the Web site at www.custom-differential.com.
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Randy's Ring & Pinion
Everett
WA
8-66/-631-0196
ringpinion.com
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Custom Differentials
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