I was recently contacted by the owner of Aussie Locker to do a test fit install
on a new model of locker they have coming out. It is a Locker for a 29-spline
8.25″ Chrysler axle. These axles are found in newer model Cherokees, Dakotas, and Durangos.
Bill Cole, the owner of Aussie Locker, lives close to me and wanted to be present for the test fit.
They were having problems with this model due to a manufacturing problem and he wanted precise
measurements and pictures of every step.
Bill found a donor Cherokee on a local forum. It was a 1999 2-door Cherokee with a small lift
and 31″ tires. It is a nice Jeep and looked to be just what we needed.
Troy (the owner of the Cherokee) and Bill came over to my shop on a Sunday morning
with the expectation that things would go pretty smooth. Troy had a Trac-Lok carrier in the Jeep,
and you cant use that for the Aussie, but had an open carrier in a box.
We fit the Aussie into the carrier without any issues. Bill was concerned that there
may be a fitment issue with the size of the Aussie. They like to fill the entire carrier with
steel, this makes a stronger more reliable locker.
With the Aussie in the carrier I could take the measurements for the clearance from the
spacer to the cross shaft. These specs were within spec so off to tear into the rear of the Jeep.
I wont go into detail about how to do the install but I will say that this axle is
one of the easier installs to do. The locker fits without any need to clearance the carrier.
When we went to put the axles back in we ran into a small problem. They did not fit. I pulled the
locker back out and we tried to fit the side gears on to the axles . One would go with some hard pressure
but the other axle would not take the gear at all.
At this point we were stuck, so the axle was put back together and a sent on his way, without
the locker installed. Troy was great about it and is looking forward to getting the Aussie
installed when a solution is reached.
There has been a few revelations since the test install. When the broach was made to form the splines
a new axle was used. This axle should have been an exact duplicate of the factory axle shaft. Once Aussie got
the Chrysler axle to the broach maker along with the aftermarket axle they found that the pressure angle
on the aftermarket axle was 30 degrees and the Chrysler axle was 37.5 degrees. That explains the fitment issue.
I am now the only person to install an Aussie into a 29-spline 8.25″ Chrysler axle in
a Cherokee. It did not go as planned but Bill now knows the problems and I expect that he will have it fixed as soon
as he can. This locker is in great demand and will fit 100% when released.
FOr any questions you can email me at Ryan@BlueDogJeep.com
