Wisdom needed, best YJ axle swap?

[mike s]

So I've been surfing web for info and thought I'd post after wasting hours. Looking for diff upgrades in my YJ but only want to do it once. Dana 60 probably too much, but what is worth spending money on lockers/gears for. The tiny stock stuff isn't worth the investment so what's everyone going to?

[big black dodge]

dana 44 rear out of a YJ would be easiest (i'm pretty sure they came with them) or out of a cherokee, MJ or TJ.  Another alternative is a ford 8.8 out of an exploder.
For the front, a new Dana 30 out of a newed TJ or XJ is quite strong, or bite the bullet and try to find a rubi dana 44 or a waggy dana 44.  i put scout dana 44's under the CJ, turned out to be more work than i expected (out board the front spring hangers, steering, etc)

[WagoneerXJ]

Ford Dana 44 and 9" out of a 70's F-150 or Bronco FTW!

[hps4evr]

if all you want is to run 33-35" tires and still be simple and reliable. look for a hi pinion dana 30 from a cherokee with no vacuum disconnect. the newer ones had bigger u joints as well. and its easy enough to find the small parts like seals and bearings. and the aftermarket is full of chromo shafts and stronger u joints, even lockers with 30 splines are out there. better steering kits bolt right in. for the rear the ford 8.8 would be the easiest to find. and its the same thing, many after market upgrades and all the small parts are easy to find. both the axles would need new leaf spring mounts and shock mounts welded on.
i think the older '66-'77 ford broncos would make for a good axle swap as well. 44 front and 9" rear. new mounts would be needed as well, but both are fully supported in the aftermarket.
the XJ rear dana 44 would be good but its not so easy to find. though i think there are some for sale on this site.
dana 60's are another option, but only if you are ready to run at least a 38" tire and up. and then many other parts will need to be changed. not so user friendly! lol!
of course there is the aftermarket fully built axles, such as dynatrac, currie, spidertrax, solid, crane, rockwell... oops, maybe not rockwells...

so what do you want out of this axle swap???

[JackstandJohnny]

sell ya my axles so i can goto 1 tonne suff

8.8 in the rear; you can get a super 88 kit for it if you want; can run 40s easily.... front;  well i run a HPD30 and its ok with 35s.  i personally like the 8.8/44 combo, will be what i goto when i ditch the D30
as for lockers and gears. go as deep as you can for gears, always. i run 4.56. wish i had deeper.  i also have ARBS front and rear. they  are nice for the road and trail but if i were to do it again i'd do an aussie or something in the rear and a selectable up front.....

cheers

[mike s]

Like a fool, building in steps. Pretty happy with 31's...I hear laughing...but 33's or 35's in future and I'd rather learn from your guys mistakes. Want to upgrade motor/trans to Haven't decided yet but axles come first. Stock 4.10's okay off road but poor on road and open both ends. Like to lock back and see what people have tried with front diffs. Wouldn't mind hand me downs from someone who is moving up to play with the big dogs. Any tips on decent web pages for info? Looking for a winch also...

[hps4evr]

well for the 4 cyl. engine gear the diffs as low as possible. which is 4.88. no matter what tire size. if you go with a front d30 and rear 8.8 or d44. personally i had the rear on my yj locked and the front open and it worked for me very well. i never broke a front u joint or axle shaft and i had no issues steering. and it was fine to drive on the street this way. if you decide later on to get real hardcore then throw a locker out front and upgrade the shafts.

[i_go_commando]

i have a 6 bolt d 44 rear out of a old waggoneer. free. but itll be about 4.5 inches wider than what youve got now. dont need to outboard the springs just move the perches on the axle

[mike s]

Thanks for the feedback. Read more, tried more. An ounce of pervention is worth a pound of cure. Guess I kinda got
on the Modify band wagon. The stock stuff seems to be holding up okay but I admit a lower gear set would be nice even
with 31's. Yes it's only a four banger but been keeping up okay so-far. Going to hold off on axle swap till motor/trans swap gets done, money/time better spent in other areas like winch....etc.

[muffintop]

Mike... I seen ya wheel... you dont need to upgrade. Myself on the other hand... I need all the help & parts I can get  

Check out Northridge 4x4 (canadian website)... the last time I was on there... I saw compete brand new D44 axles (front and back) built w/ chromo shafts, lockers, choice of gears etc for what looked like a pretty decent CDN$ price & free shipping.

The prices were decent enough that it made me question why I went super 30 & 35 (although I am positive my setup will be just fine). I am hoping the wife will inherit my TJ and I can build a new one w/ small block and Currie 9" ford stuff. Just gotta get her hooked first. I'm gonna tell her about this great new "Mclean Creek" mall they just built... the only catch is she needs an outfitted Jeep to get/shop there

If ya want a set of 33's... let me know ASAP... I am about to blow out my rims and tires to some dude I dont even know for a price he should feel guilty about.

Later!


  

[mike s]

Aawww shucks man, it ain't me, it's the jeep. Thanks for the vote of confidence, but your machine is set up pretty damn nice and it's VERY capiable of some really serious wheelin. Look forward to hooking up again and pushing the rigs again. I'll check out the site on diffs, just looking to keep from busting out in the woods and get some more bite from my lil tires. Been pretty happy with the DC Mud Counties and they're nearly new so I'll run em for a season or two. What bolt pattern is your tj? Or I could just google it. Doh.

[muffintop]

5 x 4.5"

My Jeep will be outa commission for a few more weeks... slammin some more goodies on in 

When I git ur dun... I'll PM ya... and we can head out on an excursion?

[mike s]

Most definitely! Looking forward to it! Your jeep is going to be brutal isn't it? Oh,
and shine. " I'm just a jealous guy".