TJ rear axle.

Treeshot · Jul 19, 2009

I've spent a ton of time researching what I want to replace my D35 with and have come up with what I believe are the final two choices. My rig is a 2003 TJ, stock 4.0L, 4.5" RE superflex, and 32x10.50 TSL's that will be replaced with 35x12.50's. My driving style is very moderate (I'll try all lines before I resort to mashing the skinny pedal) but I will be running some pretty tough trails as well as driving on the road. So the finalists are.....

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Drivetra...-ARB-AIR-LOCKER.aspx?t_c=12&t_s=237&t_pt=100715&t_pl=100349&t_pn=G/GTJRJR456ARB

and

http://www.4wheelerssupply.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/71714

Obviously the 60 is stronger but I will have less ground clearance, it's $900 more for just the axle, plus I will have to replace my TW's CV driveshaft.
The half ton with Super44 kit from everything I have read is plenty strong for the tires I want to run and I don't have to replace my DS. I get the OX locker I want instead of the ARB. Adding disc brakes to both is about the same cost plus the 44 will keep my COG lower. I'm leaning towards the D44 but before I drop a bunch of money and end up kicking myself in the ass I figured I'd give you guys a chance to overwhelm me with your expertise. Is there a better option, thoughts, opinions, anything I'm missing?

bsdboy · Jul 19, 2009

If you do moderate to difficult trails strength is helpful. What are you running up front?

Some more axle options here, they make some pretty nice axles:
http://www.solidaxle.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=19

Treeshot · Jul 19, 2009

For now I'm rockin the stock D30 up front, yay me, lol. I'll regear it and run it till it blows or hopefully it will hold together long enough for me to save up cash for a replacement. I just started building this jeep not to long ago so I'm trying to go piece by piece unless someone has a winning lottery ticket they don't want, lol.

The build so far is just the previously stated tires, lift, plus a home built front bumper and Warn 9000lb winch. After this rear axle swap it will be on to the front axle and I'll build a rear bumper/tire carrier.

fearfact · Jul 19, 2009

any reason you havent looked into a. 8.8 swap... fairly easy to do, huge upgrade over a d35, stock for stock stronger than a d44 and if you wanted to go with like super88 kit it'd be a plenty storng enough/overkill for 35's... if you arent a welder (im not either) you can either borrow a buddy and his equipment and weld it up with there help or tack into place and bring it somewhere to have burned on (thats what i did).. all together i have around 600 into mine with paying 300 for axle, then buying mad mfg brackets and paying to have it welded..

chaz187 · Jul 19, 2009

I have a set of tj rubi D44s for sale. email me at chaz187@cfl.rr.com

The Black Sheep · Jul 19, 2009

It depends what front axle you are gonna use and same thing with the tire size.

Dana 30 and 35" tires or less, go with the Ford 8.8 or TJ Dana 44 (which ever is cheaper)

Dana 44/60 and 35" tires or greater, go with a real Dana 44 at the very least, or preferably a Dana 60 or 14 Bolt (I wouldn't touch the latter unless you were gonna run 38"s or larger, Id run a Dana 60 for 37")

This is just my personal preference after wheeling on stock axles with 35" tires for a few years and building Dana 44s and running 37" tires for a few more then wishing I went to full one ton axles. I never blew a stock rear Waggy 44 shaft on 37 IROKs for what its worth, I did need chromos and Longfields up front to handle the torque generated by the 258 and the 106:1 crawl gearing.

Cliffnotes: Id go with the D60, you will never ever ever ever have to worry about it. And the only clearance loss is about 1-2" from the Dana 44.

Treeshot · Jul 19, 2009

fearfact said:
any reason you havent looked into a. 8.8 swap... fairly easy to do, huge upgrade over a d35, stock for stock stronger than a d44 and if you wanted to go with like super88 kit it'd be a plenty storng enough/overkill for 35's... if you arent a welder (im not either) you can either borrow a buddy and his equipment and weld it up with there help or tack into place and bring it somewhere to have burned on (thats what i did).. all together i have around 600 into mine with paying 300 for axle, then buying mad mfg brackets and paying to have it welded..

Ford 8.8
$300 for axle assembly
$850 for locker
$250 for ring and pinion
$300 for brackets
$150 to have gears set up
Plus I "believe" I'd have to change my DS due to pinion length and my bolt pattern would be hosed. So approximately $1850 plus DS cost, new shafts or wheels to change bolt pattern, and my time of locating an axle, cleaning it up, welding on brackets, getting the gears set up, and modifying the axle to clear the track bar kinda takes the 8.8 out of the finalist circle for me. It's hard enough for me to find time to go wheeling so I'm willing to spend a little more for a bolt in axle. Especially if I go with the Super 44 which from what I've read is a tad stronger than a stock 8.8.

The Black Sheep · Jul 19, 2009

Weird you guys are paying top dollar or something

Ford 8.8 w/ 4.10 gears $200
Brackets from MORE $330
8.8 Spool $184 (Its the rear, its always locked anyways except when you pull into parking spaces , and it replaces the weaker carrier)
Emergency brake $123
Drive shaft shortening $50 (What my local shop charged last time) probably slightly more since you might as well have them put on a flange style yoke instead so it mounts the the 8.8 without that weak ass conversion yoke.

So I got 900 bucks. Regardless if you aren't going to go with an 8.8 you might as well go with the Dana 60 because a D44 would be a step down from the 8.8

Jeffb_79 · Jul 19, 2009

If you're only going to 35" tires, the D60 is a bit overkill. You'll be smashing the pumpkin and getting hung up on everything sitting that low.

Also, neither of those axles have the same bolt pattern as your D30. So tire rotations will involve moving your passenger tires to the drivers side and vice versa. To do a proper rotation you'd have to unmount your front tires and mount them to the rear wheels and vice versa.

I'd go with an 8.8 rear and upgrade the shafts and joints in the front.
If you're thinking about going to 37s or larger, then I'd start looking into the D60. Although, you could have one built a whole lot cheaper than the pro rock.

The Black Sheep · Jul 19, 2009

He says his sticking with 35s just like the rest of us that said it once upon a time and are now sorry we didn't do one ton axles in the first place and are now running 37+ inch tires. I could have saved thousands if I have bought or built one-tons from the getgo instead of building up stock axles, then selling them. Then building up Dana 44s, then selling them.....

And a good friend of mine wheeled on 35s with a rear Dana 60, he couldn't even find a rock or a climb that either hung up versus a Dana 44 or didn't hang up versus a Dana 44. That extra 1.5" over the coarse of what 6-7 inches along the bottom of the diff isn't really gonna make that much difference. I'm sticking hard to my guns and personal experience and going with the Dana 60, I imagine other guys who have lots of wheeling experience will probably say similar. Nobody stops if they get to 35"s :flipoff2:

Treeshot · Jul 20, 2009

Actually both axles I linked come 5x4.5 which is what my front D30 is. The Dana 44 I'm looking at getting will be stronger than a stock 8.8. I'd have to go with 38" or larger tires to gain any clearance at the diff with a D60 and that puts my COG considerably higher. I guess ultimately my choice should be determined by where I want to be at finished product. That being said I'm pretty sure locked front and rear with 35" tires is going to get me most places I want to go and if not I have a winch, lol. I like the challenge of off roading and don't wanna have to travel to Moab, JV, or some other place hundreds of miles away to find a challenge because I built a badass Jeep. Where I wheel here in Oregon there will still be plenty of trails for me to have fun on. I'll just have to become a better driver instead of compensating with a better rig.

The Black Sheep · Jul 20, 2009

Treeshot said:
Actually both axles I linked come 5x4.5 which is what my front D30 is. The Dana 44 I'm looking at getting will be stronger%2

rockr · Jul 20, 2009

Dear Black Sheep....................

Treeshot has already made up his mind to throw all kinds of money on the Rockjock 60 or the built 44.

let it go man:flipoff2:

The Black Sheep · Jul 20, 2009

I don't know what that garbled last post was, I was just trying to say take a night and think about where he really was gonna end up and enjoy the wheeling. :beer:

fearfact · Jul 20, 2009

yeah it seems that he doesnt want input outside of his 2 posted axles (so the fact that i did no d/s mods going from a d35 to a 8.8 wouldnt matter).. i'd go with the 60 for peace of mind personally..hell if $ wasnt important i woulda bought a crate built axle too
also, have you checked out any 9's...currie or other companies...gain groundclearance and strength over the 44, just as tough as a 60

Treeshot · Jul 20, 2009

rockr said:
Dear Black Sheep....................

Treeshot has already made up his mind to throw all kinds of money on the Rockjock 60 or the built 44.

let it go man:flipoff2:

LOL, if there is a better alternative I'm willing to listen. A few requirments I have for whatever axle I go with are 4.56 gears, a selectable locker, and matching bolt pattern front and rear. If I go with the D44 I'd be more comfortable with moly shafts so thats an added cost for a swap from a scout, rodeo, or other donor rig.

As far as the Ford 9" I've heard they're not as great as some people think but honestly didn't dig to far into researching them.

This is why I posted here, so you guys could help me make the right decision. I don't want anyone to think I'm not open to suggestions. However, I'm not gonna go with brand 'X' axle just because someone says so. There needs to be some facts backing the choice. So please, by all means keep the debate going, lol. I appreciate the input.

Treeshot · Jul 20, 2009

fearfact said:
yeah it seems that he doesnt want input outside of his 2 posted axles (so the fact that i did no d/s mods going from a d35 to a 8.8 wouldnt matter).. i'd go with the 60 for peace of mind personally..hell if $ wasnt important i woulda bought a crate built axle too
also, have you checked out any 9's...currie or other companies...gain groundclearance and strength over the 44, just as tough as a 60

Actually I had read on a different forum DS mods were necessary to prevent vibration on an 8.8 swap. If thats incorrect straighten my arse out. If the 9" axles have better ground clearance and are stronger what made you choose to go with the 8.8?

jsmith7364 · Jul 20, 2009

I did the 8.8 swap. I do like it. If I was in the same situation previously, would I make the same decision? Probably not since now I have more money to spend on it. I would go with the largest I could afford. none of us plan to move to 37' or 40's and I was one that said I would never go larger than 35's. Boy that only lasted one set of tires. Now with 37's and wishing for 40's.
I did just add the Super 88 kit to mine as well for 560.00

It is hard to compare the strengths of the Super 44 to an 8.8 that is stock. It is not apples to apples. The only tests that I ever read about being performed that was not just garbage being spewed out of someones mouth was done with stock diffs.

I was a little curious on the parts/price list that you posted on the 8.8 though. It is a nice swap for some.

8.8 less than 200
detroit 550
Gears 150
Master rebuild kit 100
I only needed spring perches. 30
Bolt pattern is 5 on 4.5
you get disc brakes
yoke offset but not enough to cause problems for me.
I know this is a bolt in replacement for the Cherokee. Don't know about it for the TJ though.

The hardest part of the swap was getting the E-brake to work right becuase I did not buy the kit to do it. I ended up buying the disc brake kit for the D300 output side DS.

The only vibrations I had was prior to the 8.8 becuase of my lift and not having a proper CV shaft. When I put the 8.8 in, I also upgraded the shaft with a Tom Woods premium shaft. Built with the correct ends and allowed for extra flex that I was able to take that damn Transfer Case drop kit out.

The yoke for the DS is offset a little. But it wasn't enough to cause problems for me. I know some people that actually cut the long side down so it was centered. But they were putting them in CJ's

I want to say it is also 59.75" WMS to WMS. (could be off a little here)

But, again, if you have the money go big and never touch it again.
D60

fearfact · Jul 20, 2009

i went 8.8 for cost purposes.. i would have rather foudna 44/9 out of an EB but thats easier said than done around here, also the 8.8 has the right bolt patterna nd discs plus its a very strong unit hence why i ended up with it..the aftermarket 9's like currie shoud be considered aswell, just another suggestion. personally i wouldnt want to spend that much on a d44, the 9 is an upgraded over the 44...
either way man good luck, like i said i woulda gone witha crate axle but i needed to get one cheaper and install then build it up over time... mines in my tj with stock gears, open diff and as $ permits itll get an aussie then 456s

The Black Sheep · Jul 20, 2009

I have a question. The answer will probably make up your mind once and for all. My question is, and I may have missed it so pardon me if you have to repeat yourself but.....

What front axle do you see yourself ENDING up with in your final build?

Other then tires I would say the front axle is the second biggest dictator of what parts you put into your rig. As it effects everything from trans/tcase combos and diff drops to rear axle size and lug patterns.

TJ rear axle.

Treeshot

bsdboy

Treeshot

fearfact

chaz187

The Black Sheep

Treeshot

The Black Sheep

Jeffb_79

The Black Sheep

Treeshot

The Black Sheep

rockr

The Black Sheep

fearfact

Treeshot

Treeshot

jsmith7364

fearfact

The Black Sheep

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