axle swap

I have a 56 willys cj5 with stock axles. I would like to replace them with a set of 1978 cj5 axles. I know the front axle should be a direct swap. The rear axle's spring attachment is wider than the 56. What do I need to do to mount the rear axle? Thaks Doug

 

Why replace the rear axle? First off the Dana 18 is offset so the centered rear from the 78 won't match up. Secondly the Dana 44 is a very strong axle and the 78 should have a model 20 in it which is about the same strength of a Dana 44.

 

Most definitely!

 

If you do have a reason to swap your rear axle, all you have to do is move the pearches to the right spot. Grind off the old and make the new spring perches out of square tubing.

 

Or you can order spring perches from any number of places and they are relatively inexpensive. Many people just install the axle on the new perches and then with the axle temporarily installed in place tack weld them to the axle. Then remove the axle again and finish weld them. You can use the old perches as reference points.

 

And.....if you are keeping the D18 Tcase, you'll need a double CV jointed driveshaft for the rear to help mitigate all the vibration you're going to get from running a centered diff with an offset Tcase. Also, I've never heard anything too complimentary about the AMC 20. ;(