Rubi axle in a WJ

[knight]

I am strongly thinking about replacing the axles in 200 Grand. Rather then rebuilding the Dana 44A(aluminum) lump in the back and the Dana 30 up front, I am thinking that the Mopar offered Rubi axles would be a nice swap, that would allow me to use the speedometer and abs. I am wondering if any has some pricing on the axles or knows of any used ones floating around. The price I got from the my local Stealership is $4000 and $2600.  This place does seem to want more than other dealers for parts that I have looked into before.

Or is anyone aware of a cheaper axle swap that would allow me to run the speedo abs and keep my stock wheels?

[hps4evr]

the new fancy jk rubi axles are available from mopar and they have abs. i checked my self and they arent cheap. they were at one point but i guess mopar realized 1500$ for a built front end is way too cheap. one of the big magazines did this swap on a zj a couple years ago. project aint it grander i think they called it. they fit very well and were way ebtter then stock. you may be money ahead looking for  tj rear dana 44 and cherokee hp dana 30. depends what you want to do with the jeep i guess...

[knight]

Yes it was the mopar aftermarket ones I was refering to. The Grand came with a high pinon 30 stock so I dont see the point in swapping in a narrower version of what was in it.

[WhiteOut]

What exactly are you planning on doing with the Jeep?

[JackstandJohnny]

ironrock offroad sells JK rubi axles complete with bracket kits, etc, that bold right into the WJ.

the front axle should swap right in.  the rear won't; WJs us a wishbone suspension out back to get rid of the track bar, and i dont' think the JKs do. think they have trackbars still.

either way you are gonna look at some expensive upgrades (buying the axles from IRO or paying someone to do it) or a lot of man hours to make it work.  personally i think it'll be pretty cool.

but if you're stickin with 35s,  you could make the D44 work for you with a truss gears and aussie lockers. alloy usa makes chromo's for it too.  either way your lookin at big bux.

good luck with your build!

[knight]

To answer the question about what I plan to do with the jeep is a tough one. Basically what I think I want it a gentlemans jeep. I want a vehicle that is very capable offroad but holds a high level of refinement on road. I had originally thought about the aussie locker and gears. Since my WJ is a quadradrive unit, I would have to get a new stock D44 rear to put in an aussie. But I figure by the time I re gear and swap in an aussie I am almost at the cost of these axles.

As for lift and tires I figure I can drive most trails I come across with a locked vehicle on 32-33's so I think 4"-4.5" of lift max is all I need. I am strongly looking at a longarm setup.

[WhiteOut]

-IRO Critical Path longarm kit
-IRO or Clayton 4.5" springs
-Trussed rear D44a
-Chromo shafts front and rear
-Aussie locker
-4:10 or 4:56 gears
-Upgraded steering components

[knight]

The only problems with the aussie lockers are 1) I would need to buy a new carrier as my WJ has quadradrive 2) They are no longer being made 3) They are not selectable and would rather not shock load the the shafts or deal with the clicking on the street 4) Still does not solve the alloy pumpkin that I have on there right now

As for the suspension you are bang on the money, and 4.10 would be my gears of choice.

I did just come across another possible option. I do not know much about them or the cost involved. But it looks like teraflex offers new center sections for Dana 44's. So the idea would be that I can use my old tubes get them trussed when they are welded onto a new pumpkin that is not alloy, and shove the locker gears and new shafts inside. That way the brakes would stay the same. The other benifit would be that it would allow me to maintain proper transmission function since the speedo would still read off the abs rings.

[w squared]

Selectable lockers = 

Especially on a rig that sees a fair amount of pavement. The Grand is probably better as a on-road vehicle than any of the other Jeeps that get wheeled around here - picking selectable lockers would maintain those excellent on-road manners.

If you do go with a JK-spec'd front 44, consider sleeving the front tubes. Probably not necessary with 32's or 33's, but the sleeves are not expensive (2 or 3 hundred) and that V8 probably has more weight over the axle than the JK would. I guess the wisdom of doing that depends on how hard you plan to wheel and how much you want to spend on building in durability...and how long you're going to keep the rig.