Rear axle swap candidates

[CW]

Hey, my jeep has been on jackstands for a month now, and it needs to be on the road before school starts. So I need ideas for an axle swap that is as close to a drop in as possible and can handle 35's. I know a xj d44 would be best but I only found one in my area and its $350. I can get any axle at the Pull and Save for $65, I just need to know what to look under. Any ideas would be helpfull. -Thanks

[xj92]

$350 is not bad for a Dana 44 complete axle assembly.

[CW]

Yeah it's not bad, but I would rather pay $65 for something else and use the other money to buy gears and a locker.

[Georgia Mike]

Try and find an XJ with a Chryco 8.25". They're pretty stout compared to a 35.

[Eagle]

Specifically, look for an XJ that's '97 or newer with an 8.25" axle.

There is nothing other than an XJ Dana 44 or an 8.25 that's going to be "close" to a drop in. Ever hear the saying "Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades"? Close isn't any better than not close. If it doesn't fit, you still have to grind off spring and shock mounts and weld on new ones. You would have to do that even with a Comanche Dana 44, which is the exact same thing as an XJ Dana 44 except for the mounts.

You can but an Explorer 8.8 from your pick-n-pull, but then you'll spend the rest of your "savings" buying the kit to make it fit into an XJ.

$350 for a genuine XJ Dana 44 is a good price. If you don't want to spend that much, get an 8.25.

[Ghost]

I don't know what kind of pick and pulls you have but the newest car in the one near me is from the 80's and the only xj's they have are from 84-86!

[CW]

The newest cars in the pull and save here are around '89, the newest xj I've ever seen there was a '91. I dont mind cutting and welding, I'm just looking for axles that are near the same width and bolt pattern.

[yellowxj]

get a cheap 8.8 find a 89ish lincoln mark VII. width is .5" more than stock xj same bolt pattern. comes with disc brakes, strong enough for a 5.0 ho in a big car. havent broken it yet with 35's or 36's on my xj. Will have to trim brackets off. Local speed shop has spring mounts for $13. Pull the cheap-o proportioning valve mod and you'll have better braking than stock.

[daytripper]

You can also look for A Ford Explorer 8.8 (1990 to 1995), there's a write up on it in one of petersons 4-wheel and off road mags . Pretty easy to do the mods yourself. The issue is June 2001. They claim that it is stronger than a D44.