Photos of JE Reels at full droop no boot on 4" lift

[kjpilot]

The boot blew out, so I removed it & cleaned out the grease to see how well this all fit together. There is 2.4mm of clearance between the axle & the cup.

The joint itself is shoved deep in the cup. & I think that is the only "bad" deal going on with the 4" lift. When installing the clevis to the LCA, I had to use a ratcheting tow strap to pull the clevis in toward the body to get the bolt holes to line up. As the LCAs drop, the mounting points pull in toward the body. When installing the clevis to the LCA, I had to use a ratcheting tow strap to pull the clevis in toward the body to get the bolt holes to line up. I thought I was fighting the bushings at the top of the tower, but I see now that I was fighting the joint too.

I'm going to do a 1" cradle drop, which will allow the LCAs to pivot up & the clevis mount point out & I hope that solves the problem. I'll contact Marlin about this too. Enjoy!

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[ThunderbirdJunkie]

Soooo...the boot just fell off?

 

[tjkj2002]

Soooo...the boot just fell off?

That's what happens when there is not enough of the machined ridge left for the boot and clamp to sit on.

 

[ThunderbirdJunkie]

Ooh, good point

 

[tjkj2002]

The pic below is a OEM inner CV cup,notice how much more room the boot/clamp has to sit onjand not to mention the 2nd ridge to stay.

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The rest of the post.............
http://www.jeepkj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38268&highlight=CV's


The only good thing about the JE Reel cut CV's is they machine a new inner lock ring journal to keep the inner CV from coming apart.

 

[kjpilot]

NO, NO, NO! That was not my problem! My boot tore along the clamp on the axle. It held in place on the cup end, & made a big greasy mess on the axle side.

The machining on mine is different than on the ones Troy posted. mine actually has a lip & they hold perfectly. I had Marlin machine mine before he sent them. I'll post more photos tomorrow.

ADDED... I noticed that Troy posted an OEM, not a shaved, so of course they look different. I've been driving these axles for about 18 months & I have never had a boot pop off the cup. They use a different boot than OE, & they grip in place a bit differently than OE as well. almost like they snap on rather than slip on.

 

[tjkj2002]

NO, NO, NO! That was not my problem! My boot tore along the clamp on the axle. It held in place on the cup end, & made a big greasy mess on the axle side.

The machining on mine is different than on the ones Troy posted. mine actually has a lip & they hold perfectly. I had Marlin machine mine before he sent them. I'll post more photos tomorrow.

ADDED... I noticed that Troy posted an OEM, not a shaved, so of course they look different. I've been driving these axles for about 18 months & I have never had a boot pop off the cup. They use a different boot than OE, & they grip in place a bit differently than OE as well. almost like they snap on rather than slip on.

The JE Reel CV's are remaned OEM shafts.The pic I posted is what your inner cup looked like before they where shaved.The reason your boot tore around that area was a narrower clamp was used.

 

[ridenby]

This site is so cool,get to see the coolest Libby stuff. Thanks for the pics,wondered about this stuff time to time.

 

[kjpilot]

The JE Reel CV's are remaned OEM shafts.The pic I posted is what your inner cup looked like before they where shaved.The reason your boot tore around that area was a narrower clamp was used.

Troy, it tore around the axle shaft clamp ring, not the cup. the tear was about 4" away from the cup, as far away from the cup as you can get, but still be on the boot. If it was from anything other than wear & tear, it was probably the the edge of the clamp cutting into the boot after I clamped it down too tight. If this tear was because of the cup mod, then it would have been near the mod, right?

I know you think the JE Reels are silly, & that's fine... & I disagree. When I got the axles, I noticed that they forgot to reinstall the retaining ring that keeps the joint in the cup. So I took the ones out of my OE cores & put them in the Reels, so I had them both apart & side by side. The walls of the JE Reel cup are thicker. I had to trim about a half inch off the end of the retaining ring to get it to fit without over lap, & leave enough room to get it out again. I didn't think it would ever be a debate, so I didn't take photos or measurements, but that was my observation.

I sent them my cores, so I know they are remans, & no one claimed otherwise. However, it was clear to me that they re-manufacture to their specs, not OE, & it appears the cup is part of their process.

 

[kjpilot]

I do see that they are now charging $550 a piece for the modified JE Reel axles now. I'm not sure they are worth that. I paid significantly less for mine 2 years ago, & at that price I've been totally satisfied with the Reel axles.

 

[JLRockies]

Troy, it tore around the axle shaft clamp ring, not the cup. the tear was about 4" away from the cup, as far away from the cup as you can get, but still be on the boot. If it was from anything other than wear & tear, it was probably the the edge of the clamp cutting into the boot after I clamped it down too tight. If this tear was because of the cup mod, then it would have been near the mod, right?

I know you think the JE Reels are silly, & that's fine... & I disagree. When I got the axles, I noticed that they forgot to reinstall the retaining ring that keeps the joint in the cup. So I took the ones out of my OE cores & put them in the Reels, so I had them both apart & side by side. The walls of the JE Reel cup are thicker. I had to trim about a half inch off the end of the retaining ring to get it to fit without over lap, & leave enough room to get it out again. I didn't think it would ever be a debate, so I didn't take photos or measurements, but that was my observation.

I sent them my cores, so I know they are remans, & no one claimed otherwise. However, it was clear to me that they re-manufacture to their specs, not OE, & it appears the cup is part of their process.

I've never seen Troy post anything negative about the JE Reels. In fact he's always been a strong proponent of reman CVs because they're the only ones that are right.

I personally believe that lifting a KJ up so much that you need these is silly since you gain no ground clearance because you're still limited to tire choices by the front diff. You reduce stability and MPG and spend a lot of cash to do it. If I were to do it, I would get the JE Reels though.