what year did jeep put the centered diff, 6 lug dana 44 rear end in the wagoneer? wasn't it early 80's. I have been looking at some of the local wrecking yards but none of them look like dana 44's.

about 1986 or so is when the switched over to rear 44. You are probably seeing model 20 rear ends with perfectly round covers

This is from another website

All domestic manufacturers have used Dana axles, and the 44, with its 8 1/2-inch ring gear, is likely to be a step up on anything smaller than a 1/2-ton. A narrowed 44 could be the hot ticket for vehicles smaller than a full-size sport-utility. It was standard under the front of pre-1976 Chevy Blazers and 1/2-tons, solid front-axled F-150s and Broncos, and Jeep J-10/J-20s and Grand Wagoneers.

about 1986 or so is when the switched over to rear 44. You are probably seeing model 20 rear ends with perfectly round covers


YME is right. I have a '78 Wagoneer with the offset Dana44 rear end. Jeep used the Quadratrac transfer case from 73/74 until 1979. Every Dana44 rear end in Wagoneers,cherokees and J-trucks during those years with the automatic tranny had an offset Dana44 rear because of the Quadratrac transfer case, which was only used behind the AMC bolt TH400 3speed automatic. Now, the standard transmission Wagoneers,Cherokees and J-trucks (not sure if I've ever seen or heard of a factory standard tranny in a Wagoneer stock) all had the cast-iron case, all-gear internal Dana20 transfer case which had a centered output....thus, the Dana44 rear ends behind those vehicles were all centered. In 1980 all FSJ transfer cases had centered outputs on the t-case end and centered differentials. However, like YME said, Jeep used an AMC model 20 rear axle on these trucks from 1980 until about 1986-87 when the Dana44 took over until the final year of production, 1991.

Now the AMC 20 rear ends in the fullsize Jeeps aren't like the ones found in smaller CJ's which give the axle a bad reputation because they have 2-piece axleshafts that are very weak. All AMC 20 rears in an FSJ reportedly had 1-piece axles from the factory and to be honest, in this form there really is no reason to pass one up thats in good shape for a Dana44 because they are just about equal.

Why not just forgo the little axle and hunt down a GM14-bolt 1-ton rear with a matching 8-lug D44 or 10-bolt front? The 14-bolts are cheeeeeeap, the US is littered with them and it will guarantee that if your front axle has problems on the trail, that your rear end will get you home.:cool2:

Plus did you know that the H1 uses AMC 20 center sections for it diffs.

You should be able to find centered Dana 44's in most waggys from 1980 on.