I have a 77 CJ7, 258. I want to build a jeep that can ride to and from trails; I don't want a buggy. Don't want full width axles. Most of the trails are really tight and I don't like leaving a footprint. I currently have 38's and that's as big as I want to go. The question about which axle to use I have read post after post. I'm curious with a 258 and 38's what would be a good choice.

All this depends on how you will use this rig. When you say that the trails are tight,are these trails dirt roads or rock piles? Are you planning on running lockers or will they stay open? If you dont want full width axles then why bother swapping at all just beef up the ones you have.You didnt mention what axles you have currently so i cant make any suggestions about those.
Basically you need to provide mo info:D

Variables......

...like how much gearing do you plan to put though them? Lower gears nets you a weaker pinion (generally) plus more likely to snap a shaft (Tq reduction). Are you going to run lockers? I'd assume a tire in the 12.5" width...? How throttle happy do you get, what type of terrain .....ie: dirt trails or more challenging rock climbing trials? Do you want to shorten an axle or choose a width that fits your needs....that would pretty much limit you to Jeep/Scout D44's, 9". 8.8" Exploder...Hmm? Thinking along those lines. Oh, and $$ set aside for the project can be a big factor too.

I am going on the lighter side here.....ASSuming this is for wooded trail use (pleasure rides), 38x12.5", and prudent use of the throttle. I would guess you could get away with a Jeep/Scout D44's with some nice components (good axles, joints, and etc). They would be easy to find and install. Could potentially hold up just fine...many of us had or have run them at one time with success. You'll get into trouble if yuo want to go bigger or your use becomes more extreme.....but you already know that....right? I know many will say 60's......

I have a 77 CJ7, 258. I want to build a jeep that can ride to and from trails; I don't want a buggy. Don't want full width axles. Most of the trails are really tight and I don't like leaving a footprint. I currently have 38's and that's as big as I want to go. The question about which axle to use I have read post after post. I'm curious with a 258 and 38's what would be a good choice.

60 in the rear, 44 in the front and let it ride.

Did that for years and it worked out very well for me. I set my axle width to scout II dimensions so it was not super wide, but still made room for the larger tires to clear the frame and improve stability. I could still fit in the tight spots and is a great width for a majority of the trails IMHO.

well the trails are mostly wooded few rocks and lots of slick hills. Now I have wide track AMC 20 and Dana 30. Some articles say a trussed AMC 20 is stronger than a 44. I will have lockers front and rear. $$ is always an issue. I do have access to plenty of material and a full cnc machine shop. I want to go with 9's front and rear but can not afford HI 9's. Wonder about running low pinions how much stretch will be needed to allow for this.

I just put a D44 from a wagoneer in the front and a ford 9" in the rear of my CJ7 I didn't need to do any stretch for this, I did stretch the front out a couple inches.
The width of the Wagoneer axle was right around 62 inches and the Ford 9" was about 1" wider than the front. I also went to wheels that have a deep backspace so the total width isn't so noticable. It is wider but managable in my case.
You can use about any axle but you would need to get a full sized truck axle shortened and this isn't cheap if you do it right.

I had two hp60 retubed and shortened to 62" with no stretch. With low pinions (and 9"s are the lowest) my drivelines would really be a bind. :smokin: