Throwing a Grand Cherokee 44 in the back of the cherokee

Hey, I'm gettin a great deal on a dana 44 out of a Grand Cherokee and I'm grabbin the dana 30 while I'm at it. I know that I will have to cut off the coil mounts and weld on spring perches so does anyone have any information or tips on how I can do that without F'cking them up?(setting the pinion angle and so on..) Also is there anything else that I will have to do to make the axles fit? Will brake lines be ok and line up? I believe the driveshaft will bolt back up like normal(I hope). Thanks for any help

From what I've heard the 44's from the Grands were aluminum and not worth your time. Might have been some alum and some not, but what I've heard in the past is they're not worth the time.

hah yea, stay away from any D44's out of GC's. I'd rather have a D35 then one of those. Also you cant get gears from what I remember, they dont take normal D44 gears.

-Scott

The axle already comes with 4.56 gears and a detroit locker. I won't be adding anything to it just swapping it in for my orginal dana 44 that's in there right now. How weak are the axles? A V8 was feeding them so I can't imagine them being too weak.

its not the shafts that are weak. Its the housing. Its made of aluminum just like your transfercase. Have you ever seen what happens to your TC if it encounters a rock?

not pretty.

Not to mention you already have a D44 under your rig, why not just upgrade that one. It would be 100x better.

once again, i'd rather have a D35

-Scott

lostcreek21 said:

The axle already comes with 4.56 gears and a detroit locker. I won't be adding anything to it just swapping it in for my orginal dana 44 that's in there right now. How weak are the axles? A V8 was feeding them so I can't imagine them being too weak.

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There made out out aluminum because Jeep wanted to save some weight and that is one place where you don't want to be chincy on. I wouldn't put much time or $ into that axle, gears & other goodies are hard if not impossible to get for it. A ford 8.8 rear axle from a 95+ explorer would be a lot better & you'd be happy with it.

I work at an alignment shop, and we see all sorts of things. One of the things that comes readily to mind is bad thrust angles on GC's due to a bent axle housing. We see quite a few of them... I once pondered putting a D44 from one in the back of my cherokee until I saw the amount of GC's that we had to fix rear housings on.

Detroit in the front or rear?

If they are saying the rear then it is not a factory D44. ZJ/WJ uses a AL44 you can get gears (pricey) and no locker currently available (technically you can get one but it costs about $2500). If it is out of WJ you will need new wheels (different bolt pattern) and if it is a detroit it has been seriously shimmed, along with being wider than your current axles.

A ZJ front will bolt right in but it is a LP, WJ are also LP and wider than the XJ/ZJ etc. you could pull the detroit if it is a front and re-use it and also use the rear discs. If it is WJ the front brakes would also be worth snagging.

I haven't seen it yet but the guy says that it came out of a GC and the detroit is in the back. I don't have the money to upgrade my 44 right now and I'm getting both of these axles for 300$. How can I see if the axle is aluminum since you say that it is not the stock axle?

lostcreek21 said:

I haven't seen it yet but the guy says that it came out of a GC and the detroit is in the back. I don't have the money to upgrade my 44 right now and I'm getting both of these axles for 300$. How can I see if the axle is aluminum since you say that it is not the stock axle?

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it looks quite a bit different that regular d44.

the manual for ZJ even says not to jack the vehicle by the rear diff, cause it might break. i wouldn't want that axle in anything that sees wheeling.

sent you a PM

Does anyone have any pics of what that GC D44 looks like?

lostcreek21 said:

I haven't seen it yet but the guy says that it came out of a GC and the detroit is in the back. I don't have the money to upgrade my 44 right now and I'm getting both of these axles for 300$. How can I see if the axle is aluminum since you say that it is not the stock axle?

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I don't think anyone said it isn't a stock axle. I think people are telling you that this "deal" comes with a LOT of red flags.

The ZJ and WJ "Dana 44s" both have aluminum center sections, and do not accept standard internal parts. They also bend and warp. At one time, Chrysler rejected a huge shipment of new axles because the weight of the center sections caused them to sag and bend during shipping from Dana. The last I knew (which was ahile ago), Tractech had said they would not offer a Detroit Locker for the aluminum D44 because they didn't think the housing was strong enough to handle the loads that would be put on it. The FSM for the '99 WJ specifically says NOT to jack up the back end with a floor jack under the differential because it'll bend the axle tubes (actually the housing where the tubes fit in). Does that give you some idea how strong it isn't?

I had one in a WJ. It whined something awful, starting at about 4000 miles. Dealership reset it, and it started whining again soon after. Factory sent in a special technician to work on my WJ (it had other problems, too). He spent a full week doing nothing but my WJ. The rear axle made more noise after he "fixed" it than it did before he touched it.

Forget the price. You are not getting a "deal" here. That axle isn't worth anything, so if it's a factory what you're really looking at here is a $300 Dana 30. If that's a good deal to you, go for it. Otherwise, walk away. Quickly.

The fact that it is described as a factory axle with a Detroit suggests that he either doesn't know what he has; he's not being truthful; or Tractech is offering a Detroit for the aluminum D44. I don't know how to tell the difference visually, especially from photos. Up close and personal, I'd just slap a magnet on the housing and see if it stuck but I assume that's not an option for you.

If you feel the need for an aluminum centersection, go w. a Currie Rock Jock 60....

My brother has one in his. Aluminum housing is a little bigger than a normal d44 (looks something like a 14-bolt) with more taper from the top and bottom of the housing to where it meets the axle tubes.

I wonder if someone just bought a d44 detroit if it would fit an aluminum housing? Maybe that's what happened here?

I think you need to wheel what you got until you have enough money. you could put a lockright in your current d44 for less than what you'ld be buying those pieces of crap for. live with the gearing until you can afford to regear, or find a REAL deal. Not only is the d30 low-pinion, but it also has cv-joints at the knuckles which also cause tons of problems for GC, especially ones that see trail use.

dennisuello said:

the manual for ZJ even says not to jack the vehicle by the rear diff, cause it might break. i wouldn't want that axle in anything that sees wheeling.

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Not trying to say the ZJD44 is sweet, but nearly every Chryco FSM says that, no matter what the vehicle. My 2000 FSM says that about both the Chyrco8.25 and Dana35. Probably says that to cover liabilities, or something...

basalt51 said:

My brother has one in his. Aluminum housing is a little bigger than a normal d44 (looks something like a 14-bolt) with more taper from the top and bottom of the housing to where it meets the axle tubes.

I wonder if someone just bought a d44 detroit if it would fit an aluminum housing? Maybe that's what happened here?

I think you need to wheel what you got until you have enough money. you could put a lockright in your current d44 for less than what you'ld be buying those pieces of crap for. live with the gearing until you can afford to regear, or find a REAL deal. Not only is the d30 low-pinion, but it also has cv-joints at the knuckles which also cause tons of problems for GC, especially ones that see trail use.

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the AL44 doesn't even use the same gears as the iron 44, I have heard on the WJ's being able to use a iron 44 carrier but apperently it is a shakey deal at best requiring alot of shimming.

Keep in mind also the al44 in the ZJ is c-clipped.

So u have 300 dollars to throw at this shit but you cant upgrade ur axle. Is anyone else cornfused.

jeepguy97 said:

So u have 300 dollars to throw at this shit but you cant upgrade ur axle. Is anyone else cornfused.

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yeah, I didn't read the opening post carefully.

I am confused

that axle is a piece of crap, use the money for something else.