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Ford 8.8 or Dana 44?

S

Snake2083

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Titusville, FL
Ok, here's my situation. Just finishing up a RC LA 4.5 lift on my 99. I'm putting 32's on it and had always planned on putting a ford 8.8 under the rear with 4.10's (xj came with an 8.25 w/3.55's) and I'm familiar with the cutting and welding needed to do it. However, I've come into a hell of a deal recently. A friend at work has an xj with a Dana 44 that needs a rebuild (I'm assuming, he says it's noisy as hell, to the point he's afraid to drive it very far). He's just looking to sell the jeep and asked me about selling my old 8.25 to him, to which I replied that I'd trade him for the Dana 44. So I have a Dana 44 coming that needs some work, plus I'm going to the local JY to get an 8.8 that's there, w/4.10s plus lim slip. I'm still going to hang on to the 44 regardless. If I don't use it I may just rebuild it and sell it. Just wanting some opinions on which axle you guys prefer to run. I'm told they're pretty close in strength.
 
personally i'd keep the d44 just to cut out the fab work. the 8.8 is a c-clip isnt it? if you break a c-clip the whole shaft will slid out the housing
 
Web wheelers say they are close in strength but if you ever get a chance to
compare the axles and gears in front of you there will be no doubt in your mind that the 8.8 is significantly stronger. However depending on your build goals either one is a good choice.
If the 44 requires comeplete refurbishment and the 8.8 already has the 4.10's you are looking for then build the ford. The swap is quite easy if you can weld and the money you would have spent towards refurbishing the 44 you could dump into a super 8.8 kit. I can't tell you how nice the 8.8 swap is when it comes time to do brakes.
 
Plus another thing, the 8.8 brings disk brakes to the table. I'm already looking at at least 300 for parts to rebuild the 44. If I want to convert to discs as well? No idea what that'll cost, I'm sure not cheap. Im pretty sure the 8.8 will be cheaper since I'm doing most of the work myself, except the welding. I guess I'm just more interested in which would be the better axle and what other people would do
 
I'd go with the 8.8 from the JY if it comes with disk brakes and you can weld or know someone else who can.

Edit: we posted at the same time. Disk brakes for a D44 are going to run you anywhere from $75 to $500 depending on how new the components are.
 
On 32 inch tires it really doesn't matter, it will rather difficult to break either one. If the 44 needs the guts replaced, the 8.8 will likely be cheaper.
44...... Bolt in, needs work, VS 8.8...... light fab for perches, drive shaft companion flange, e-brake cable mod.




Could be a toss up depending on your skills. My .02
 
Yeah, when I started looking at prices of parts and such and just really thought about all of it, I'm thinking it's going to be the ford axle. I had been planning on it from the beginning, plus I already have most of the parts for the swap. The 44 just happened to fall in my lap and made me second guess myself. Just getting excited about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I've been working on this in my spare time, so the jeeps been sitting in my driveway for the last two months. So, I'm getting antsy to be driving her again, especially with her new legs. When it's done I'll be sure to put some pics up. Thanks all for your thoughts.
 
Id rather have an 44 just because its cool to have OEM parts. I say build the 44.


Edit, I would only run an 8.8 if I wanted 4.10 gears. Oh and I think you would be happier with an open 8.8 with a lunch box. But the 8.8 does have a pretty weak case.

I think when I put a V8 in my 4 banger TJ Ill go 8.8 and keep the front 4.10 D30.
 
8.8 all the way,
Disc brakes, Strong 31 spline, 4.11s.
So you have to do a little fab work, That means you get to set the spring perches @ the proper angle (No Shims required!!)
& you can place the shock mounts nice & high,
A win Win situation!! :clap:
 
is 31 spline signifigantly stronger than that of the 30 spline dana 44? even if it is, is this fact even relevant when it comes to the 32" tires.

both are solid options... but one thing i think you are missing when it comes to trying to justify the cost of one over the other, is that when you go to 4.10s youll have to regear your front as well. so there is another $300 +/- for gears and a master install kit. your original post implied that yours and your buddies gear ratio was the same.

id say go with which ever option will result in the least down time for you and your buddies jeeps. especially if either one is a DD.
 
The 8.8 is a stronger axle no doubt. the shafts, tubes, bigger ring gear, etc. however, if i was given an XJ 44 I would definitely run it. If I were choosing between the two, 8.8 all day. You can get an 8.8 at a junk yard for relatively cheap. if the 44 is bad, it might need a lot more work then you think.
 
Depends on gearing, what are you shooting for? If you're doing 4.10s, I'd go with the 8.8. If you're doing some other gear ratio, it's less of an advantage... in fact I'd rebuild both, resell both, and use the money to get whatever axle you want and put whatever gears you want in it.

The 8.8 has much stronger axle tubes than the d44, but you will have to have them welded to the center housing or they will spin.
 
Like it's already been pointed out, don't understand upgrading and throwing all that money at the rear when you are only running 32" tires. 8.25" has no problem with those. I guess if you are planning to go over 33"s it would be a good idea? I'd say just regear the 8.25 and throw a locker in it, regear the front and lock that sucker out as well...muchhhhh more bang for you buck.

I would think it would be hard to rebuild a 44 and sell it for a good amount of profit.
 
I can see upgrading from an 8.25 to an 8.8 to get disc brakes and 4.10s (as stated in the OP) since it's way cheaper to do than those two upgrades alone, especially when it also gains you a limited slip diff. It also leaves more space for further increases in tire size in the future.
 
I can't really see that, but whatever floats your boat I suppose.

Do you plan on wheeling it or what's your plans, as far as off road activities are concerned?
 
jonzer12 said:
Web wheelers say they are close in strength but if you ever get a chance to
compare the axles and gears in front of you there will be no doubt in your mind that the 8.8 is significantly stronger. However depending on your build goals either one is a good choice.
If the 44 requires comeplete refurbishment and the 8.8 already has the 4.10's you are looking for then build the ford. The swap is quite easy if you can weld and the money you would have spent towards refurbishing the 44 you could dump into a super 8.8 kit. I can't tell you how nice the 8.8 swap is when it comes time to do brakes.
Click to expand...

Everything said here is accurate, the brakes on the 8.8 are a big upside. Drums suck when they get full of water and mud.

fasteddieyj said:
While technically possible, the disc brake setup on the 8.8 makes the shaft sliding out of the axle pretty unlikely.
Click to expand...

The disc brake will not hold the shaft in, trust me, it will shear off at the "hat" and leave you a nice looking frisbee. It's all the more insteresting when it happens at 65 MPH and the wheel departs. But the likelyhood of breaking an 8.8 shaft with 32's is slim to none, and slim left a while back.

Personally I've been bagging on a junkyard 8.8 for 4 years on 34" TSLs. Having a factory gear setup is nice, and I'm not concerned with breaking a shaft and mine is spooled. Hell, until last year I was still running the brakes that came on it from the junkyard. Previous to the 8.8 swap I had killed 3 D35s. The flange is also nice if you have to flat tow it for some reason.

The only downside I see in your situation to the 8.8 is that the diff is big, and with 32's it will hurt your ground clearance. Haleyes ran an 8.8 with 31's for a long time and it was always leaving a third rut. The upside though is you can up the tire size to 35's and not worry about it.
 
Last edited:
I run an 8.8 with 31s. I did the swap because I bent both able axles after a massive jump at about 80 mph. I want to run 35s soon and everything fell into place for a 4.10 30/8.8 swap. I love the axle but its like running a road grader with 31s hanging off it. Every where i go that big lip on the bottom is dragging. If I was going to stay on 33 or smaller I would want an 8.25. I wouldnt have to be as hard on it if I wasn't always hung up on my diff.

I pretty much suck.
 
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