found a 87 xj d44 now??

i found an 87 xj d44 for $350 close enough to pick up ,, now are they all the same??,, when I go get it what should I look for?, Im going to rebuild it and drop a new r+p and an electrac in it, but are there any diffrences or reasons it shouldn't just "drop" right in??
thanks

Check the shafts if it's been on a lifted/ big tire vehicle. I just rebuilt a 44 for a friend that had a couple of twisted splines. If it's been on a DD, don't worry about it.

CRASH

Advice about the Dana 44

I too am looking to swap in a Dana 44 into the rear end of my XJ. I was wondering how the dana 44s out of 80s XJs handle/feel going around corners and what kind of wear you get on the tires. My Cherokee is a 96 and is only 2wd but with the nitrous I have going into it along with the large amount of towing I do with it I wanted something that was beefy in the rear end. Any advice would be appreciated.

Steve, I am very interested to hear how the install is going to go, please let me know what the outcome is and how she handles once the rear-end is installed. Good luck man!

IMO, $350.00 seems like a lot to pay for a medium duty axle considering you're changing out the gears, putting in a locker, wondering about what shape the axles shafts are in and you will probably want to replace the wheel bearings, seals and who knows what else.

thanks for the suggestions,,

yeah I really didn't know what to expect as far as a fair price,, I only want to do this thing once, and there are so many ways do do it,, take a little from here weld it to that, stick one of those things in there, put some of that on it (im I talking porn now?)
Well Im back to square one,, all I know is I want something stout, not overkill, with discs, and a selectable locker, because I drive to snowshoe, WV a lot and I hear a regular locker like a detroit is crazy on off camber ice/snow (what's not right) so thats it, strong, good brakes, good traction, no worries..so I thought..

$350 is a fair price. I've seen them sold as low as $100, and I've seen them sold for as high as $600 -- all used, in unknown condition.

As for the original question ... I don't understand the question. It feels like any other Cherokee, the wheels are round and it basically goes where you steer it. Why would a Dana 44 rear axle handle or drive any different from a Dana 35 or a Mopar 8.25?

Isn't the rear end locked or isn't there a limited slip in a Dana 44? It's not an open differential is it? I thought that was part of the difference between a Dana 35 with an open differential and a Dana 44. If it's not could someone please correct my nieve knowledge or lack there of.

THanks,

Jamie

the stock d44 in my 87 xj was open.

Brad

btl_fed_xj said:

Isn't the rear end locked or isn't there a limited slip in a Dana 44? It's not an open differential is it? I thought that was part of the difference between a Dana 35 with an open differential and a Dana 44. If it's not could someone please correct my nieve knowledge or lack there of.

THanks,

Jamie

Click to expand...

Some (but not all) of them have a Trac-Lok, which was the factory optional limited slip. Trac-Lok was also available as an option on the Dana 35 axles and on the Mopar 8.25 axles. The presence or absence of the limited slip (it is not a locker) is not related to why people upgrade to the Dana 44. We upgrade because it has bigger gears, stronger housing, larger axle shafts, and larger brakes.

if you hold off and look around more in your area ive seen them go for around 80-100 bucks drum to drum. and you could even get a disc to disc 31 spline 8.8 for under 200.

Hunter

BTW --

Just noticed that you plan to install an Electrac. That's a full carrier replacement anyway, so it wouldn't matter if the axle you found had a limited slip or an open diff, because the OEM carrier would go on the shelf as a paper weight.

Reality check -- you have looked at the prices for the ElecTrac, right? You know what you're getting into? You're looking at $350 for the axle, another couple of hundred+ for new gears and bearings, maybe $750 for the ElecTrac, you might well need new brake drums, which will be another 100 clams ... by the time you add that all up plus labor, I think you should contact Drive Train Direct, Currie, and Dynatrack and get comparative prices on having a new Dana44 built for you, 'cause I think you're in that ball park.

http://differentialeng.com/

This guy can usually cut Dynatrac prices by 1,500.00 or more. He is located in FL. I priced a D60 for the front high pinion 4.56 ARB and it was right at 4,000.00 so a rear low pinion shouldn't be that bad might want to give him a call and check out some different options you might be able to get a D60 rear for 500.00 more than you are going to end up spending on that D44