u-bolt size.....

[sidriptide]

the chrysler 8.25 in the back of my 99 XJ is a larger axle tube than a D44 isnt it? i'm ordering some online but they dont break it down very well.... i think i need the 3.25" right? i know the D44 is 3"
thanx
mike

[Wayne Sihler]

Hold On---------
The tube size on the Dana 44 are the same as the dana 35 and that is 2 3/4 "
The 8.25 has 3" tubes.
Wayne

[Ghost]

Could you put a set of D44 shafts in a D35 housing? With modifications to the spiders at the carrier?

[old_man]

Hold on again. There were actually three different D35 tube sizes used in Cherokees over the years. Don't bother asking how I know.

Tom Houston

[Ghost]

Wow! That seems odd! Did they have differnt wall thickness and how do you tell them apart when you order seals?

[Eagle]

I knew about two. One variation is the older non C-clip type, and the other is the newer type with the C-clips. Which of those has a sub-variation?

I don't think you can use Dana 44 shafts in a Dana 35, but the Drive Train Direct/Superior Axle and Gear "Super 35" kit is essentially that -- a special Detroit locker that runs with shafts that are the same diameter and spline count as Dana 44 shafts. The only down side is that you can't use junkyard shafts for trail spares, and buying a second set of shafts for spares would be pricey.

[Ghost]

So you cann't just put the super 35 shafts in a stock 35 carrier. I wounder what the shafts cost and if a mini, spool could be machined.

[Eagle]

The carrier isn't the problem. The problem is the spider gears or whatever (in the case of an aftermarket traction device) the shafts fit into. The stock D35 shafts are 27-spline. The Super 35 shafts are the same diameter as D44 shafts, and are the same spline count (30 or 31 -- don't recall) as a D44.

[Ghost]

Yea a mini spoll replaces the spiders like a lock right. Maybe I'll call and see what they cost.

[sidriptide]

ok..... i'm hijacking my thread back!!! i dont care about axle interchangability today.. however riveting it may be..... i assumed the D44 was larger.. i need new u-bolts to put a D35 in the rolling parts rig... and no parts shops around here even list an axle u-bolt.. they all want to give me u-joints.. the u-bolts holding the D44 in right now are trashed and broken and cant re use them.. when i bought my lift a while back i was sure that RE told me the D44 was a 3" u-bolt so thats what i assumed he sent me and i installed.. and i thought i had seen something somewhere that the 8.25 was a larger tube so i assumed 3.25"..... and yes i know the "ass-u-me" thing.... measuring the perches on the D35 sure looks like 2 3/4" to me... but it was raining and i didnt climb under all 3 trucks yet... the only place to get u-bolts locally are from the performance/offroad/bolt-on shop... he's not much help....
was going to order new bolts from RE with a few other things so i could do it in one shot...
mike

[mark]

what about autozone, they sell cheap u bolts, dont know if id wheel with them, but for just having some thing to hold the axle together they would work, just take on u bolt off of whatever axle u wanna put it on and start opening boxes till u find the right one

[sidriptide]

autozone was one of the places they tried to give me a rear u-joint..... they are a bunch of clowns in the local store... i generally dont go there.. advance auto didnt list them either....

[mark]

they are on the shelf with all the crappy lift blocks and crap like that, you just have to find them, cuz the people there sure as hell dont know whats going on

[sidriptide]

not in the store up here... i'll get it figured out .....

[Ghost]

Do you have a NAPA localy? They are usueally really helpful and have monster books to look up parts.

[spaulman]

Wayne had it right. D44 is 2.75". 8.25 is 3". I think the D35 is the same as the D44. I just had a set made up for my D44 this past weekend. If you have a spring shop that is close, they can probably bend up a set for you. Mine were just under $6 a piece. Just take one of the old ones in and they will match them up.

[sidriptide]

i found the old ubolts left over from my lift.... they do NOT fit the D35 laying in my driveway... 1/4" larger and the bolt diameter is larger as well... is this what you were talking about with the different tubes for different years? my tape measure shows me the D35 uses a 2.75" i.d. u-bolt and the D44 uses a 3".... i did not measure the 8.25.... i dont understand the confusion.. is this the 3rd incarnation of the D35 previously mentioned? what ODD-BALL rear axle did lawncher give me??? (just kidding mark..)
mike

[old_man]

My XJ Dana44 has a 2.75 diameter, which is the same size as my original D35. They used different tube sizes and wall thicknesses as they saw fit. The bearing sizes seem to be the same, but the tube can be different.

Tom Houston

[sidriptide]

i see this is a real big "grey area" .. i think i'll just drill the perches to fit the larger u-bolts......

[Eagle]

????

I just did an AAL on an '88 with a Dana 35. The spring mounting plates already had slotted holes to allow them to be used with either the D35 or the D44 axle. Or are you talking about hogging out the actual perch welded to the axle for a larger diameter u-bolt shank?

[sidriptide]

im talking about the perch on the axle tube itself..
mike

[Lawn Cher']

D35 history:

The housing, shafts and R&P are originally from CHW's XJ, which is a '88 or '89 Laredo w/ Selectrack. The differential carrier is originally from Stroker's XJ, which is a '94 or '95 Sport w/ Commandtrack. So it is a c-clip diff in a con-c-clip housing, but that still doesn't explain the difference in U-bolt sizes.