Early Bronco 44 in a Tj. is it worth it?

[CarolinaTJ906]

hey guys i have a 44 i purchased last year for an axle swap and i never got to starting it until now. i havent done anthing to it yet but i thought i'd ask yall what your opinion of how well this would work for my 99 tj.

its an early bronco dana 44. (58 inch width) it doesnt have the axle shafts and i already cut the brackets off and the radius c's. i thought it would be a good match but the more i research the axle the less i wonder if its worth investing in.

i already have an EB ford 9 inch built and under my jeep. with spacers to match the factory width. 456 gears and a detroit.

but i do have knuckles off of a older f150 and these knuckles are set up for disks..

i'd have to get axle shafts. preferably cromo's with the 760 joints. and 4.56 gears plus a locker of my choice.

the factors that make me wonder if its worth building are as such:
1. 58 inch wheel base (which i could possibly ad spacers to)
2. low pinion
3. the amount of money i would need to dump into it
4. the differential is more centered in the axle than would be desireable

if anyone has put one of these in a tj please let me know if you have personally done this, and your opinion of its worth in a tj. i have yet to see any pictures of a tj with one under it.
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[CarolinaTJ906]

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[45acp]

Cant help you with the TJ related stuff, but the width is 59.5" with disc brakes... so consider it a 60" front. The rear 9 is 58".

"Is it worth it" compared to what? Building what other axle? Get a few ideas on your other options, price everything out and compare it that way.

[CarolinaTJ906]

i still have my factory dana 30 and im wanting to toss it. or at least gear swapping it until i get a good front axle to go in.
like i said i already have the front axle. but im comparing it to just keeping the axle and building it, or going and buying something like a waggy front end, or a full width ford dana 44 and shortening it.

[RANGERROD]

I have an eb frontend for sale and my buddys building a tj and thought about using it. But I think the pumkin is just too far in board to work. And you would have to fab you own link mounts, which isn't a problem for some. But TNT makes a truss system that makes an 80+ waggy 44 basically a bolt in so that's what he's going with. I'd like to see someone with pics of this swap though.

[jeepinnorcal]

Was just about do this but figure full width for money is better way go..I can just think of to many other axles I'd want

[CarolinaTJ906]

i'd go full width too if i hadnt already invested all this in a factory width 9 inch. which i think is plenty strong enough for what i'm looking for in the rear. i wouldnt have a problem fabricating brackets onto the axle. i just wonder is it more worth it to invest in a different axle. i just spent the past day reading through a 30-44 battle.

[THECHAD]

The EB 44 isn't that low pinion??


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[xBlakex]

I have seen one in a YJ and there is enough room for the front drive shaft to clear the oil pan. Probably around an inch or 2. I think he had to route his exhaust coming out of the header different though.

[GFY Racing]

Originally Posted by CarolinaTJ906

the factors that make me wonder if its worth building are as such:
1. 58 inch wheel base (which i could possibly ad spacers to)
2. low pinion
3. the amount of money i would need to dump into it

I don't have any experience with putting one in a TJ, but those are the same 3 factors that keep me from putting the same axle in my XJ. I picked it up for next to nothing, but it was just the housing and knuckles, and would have cost much more to equip it than buying a complete axle, either stock, or with aftermarket parts. I never got far enough into it to consider if the offset would be an issue.