These axleshafts have Bendix joints, one of three designs used by Willys. The first design was the Rzeppa (pronounced Cheppa) joint, an early constant velocity design. The Rzeppa joint was a superior product, but expensive to build and maintain. Next in production came the slightly less expensive Bendix joint. Finally, the Spicer type joint was utilized, with common U-joints like seen on driveshafts. The Spicer had great advantages in maintainability, strength, and overall expense. The Spicer joint had only slightly less articulation (27.5 degrees) than the Rzeppa (29 degrees) and much more than the Bendix (23 degrees). With a Spicer joint, any wear takes place within the easily replaceable U-joints. With a Rzeppa or Bendix joint, most of the wear occurs on the axleshafts themselves. This can be an expensive proposition if the wear is excessive. Rzeppa and Bendix axleshafts are no longer produced. If worn beyond use, you'll need to find good used replacements or go with Spicer joints. The type of axle joints need not match side-to-side, but the turn limit on both sides must be set for the most restrictive type installed.

I have heard some reports that if a Bendix joint fails, it can damage the knuckle housing. However, most of these damage reports involved big drug-dealer tires, powerful motors and a lead foot so I think I should be okay. Part of this perceived bias against Bendix joints may be from improperly adjusted steerings stops, allowing travel beyond design limits. If your steering stops are adjusted so that stock sized tires almost touch the springs at full travel, that is too far for a Bendix Joint.

On my '51 Wagon, I found one of the Bendix joints cracked. The damage appeared to have propagated from a flaw in the casting. Because parts had to be replaced and the wagon has a flathead V8 under the hood, I decided to upgrade to Spicer shafts. Here's a side-by-side comparison, with one of the Spicer U-joints shown at the bottom:

Caution: The three different turn limits referenced above come from the CJ series service manual. While the wagon/pickup manual covers all three style axle shafts, it does not differentiate between them when it says to set the turn limits at 29 degrees. This appears to be a mistake. I would strongly suggest following the limits from the CJ manual, with 23 degrees for Bendix, 27.5 degrees for Spicer and 29 degrees only with Rzeppa joints.

The Bendix Joints in my 2A are the early style, with threaded ends. Later Bendix Joints were flush at the end of the splines. You may also find a modified third type, where the threaded ends have been cut off. For that type, important installation details are covered in the Hubs and Drums section.

Here is what I found with the Bendix axleshafts on my 2A. The wear is not excessive and they should work just fine for many years to come. Disassembly was not difficult at all. With the Bendix joint removed from the axlehousing, you can pivot the joint beyond the normal travel and watch the balls run off to the four corners of your shop. The first picture is an exploded view showing all of the components:

This image is a close-up of the outboard shaft. Only the outboard shaft has the hole for the Center Ball Pin. The hole is deep enough that the pin can be fully recessed during the assembly procedure. When assembled, the pin is extended to engage a hole in the Center Ball. A lock pin is then inserted in the perpendicular hole to keep the Center Ball Pin extended:

The Center Ball serves two purposes. One purpose of the Center Ball is to trap the four Universal Joint Balls outward in their proper positions, keeping the axle halves together during handling. Once installed in the assembled axle, this is no longer an issue. The Center Ball then acts as a pivot point between the two axle halves, limiting their travel towards each other. The endplay is adjusted after the wheel hubs are installed. Later style Bendix Joints, without the threaded ends, use a flanged bushing in the spindle to control endplay. With either style, the inboard half is restrained by a thrust washer in the end of the axle tube.

Here the Center Ball Pin is extended to keep the Center Ball from turning. The Center Ball Pin is a loose fit so that it will extend by gravity. If it needs a bit of help, hold the assembly upright and tap against your workbench. When the lockpin is installed, the Center Ball pin cannot retract. Note how the groove is facing away from any of the Universal Joint Balls, preventing the two axle halves from coming apart. The two axle halves are free to move in and out about 1/4" with each other when not installed in the axle:

The four Universal Joint Balls (.875"diameter) were originally available in a range of +/- .003", allowing a selective fit. When the Spicer joint was introduced, the Bendix parts were eventually discontinued as repairs were no longer cost effective. Later versions of the factory service manual deleted all references to this selective fit procedure. A friend with an early manual forwarded the pertinent info to me. With much glee, I set off on a mission but soon discovered that bearing supply houses don't get a lot of call for those odd sizes. It was cost prohibitive to have them custom made, so I had to settle for new ones in the nominal .875" size. In the end it worked out well, as the original balls were slightly undersize and slightly larger size compensated perfectly for any wear.

You might find two different sizes due to the original selective fit from the factory many years ago. Install the same sized balls diagonally from each other. Remember the Center Ball is not critical and would not normally need to be replaced. Reassembly of the Bendix joints was far easier than I had expected. It is important to get them clean of all grease and crud for easier assembly. Make sure the Center Ball Pin moves freely inside the bore of the outboard axle half, too.

Lubrication for the Bendix joints will come from the thin grease used inside the knuckle. Prelube the Bendix joints when the axleshafts are installed, then fill up the knuckles with the recommended lubricant after final assembly.

After this axle was swapped in place, I cleaned up the original axle that was removed. Only then did I find the stamped "Bendix Joint" tags on the knuckles. These tags were a reminder to mechanics to ensure the proper adjustment procedures were used:

Here is a shot of one installed on the rebuilt axle, with the new knuckle seals in place. The tag itself is a bit hard to see in this shot, but you can see the bolts at each end The tag is mounted on the upper front side of the knuckle: