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44 or 9 inch

redneck1939

redneck1939

NAXJA Forum User
Location
sherwood
i have a 89 xj and it has a dana35 in it right now i want to up grade. my question is should i put in a dana 44 or a ford 9inch? i can get a good ford 9inch for $200. thanks.
 
IIRC, the ford 9" sucks for ground clearance....someone described it as a "boat anchor" dragging behind you....

I'd get a D44 out of an 87-89 XJ....will bolt right up (provided you have the same gears up front)
 
How big of tires do you plan on running? What kind of terrain? What is the 9" out of, 28 or 31 spline? What kind of upgrades are you looking to do?
 
well i have 31inch wild cats now i want to go 33 to 35s later on the 9 inch is a 31 spline im sure but it is two inches wider on each side i would go with the dana 44 but they are hard to find were i live and they go for a lot of money. isnt the 9 inch stronger?
 
At 33/35's either axle will hold up fine. If its 31 spline, its stronger than the 44 - but you need to get aftermarket shafts to make the bolt pattern match, or run a spacer up front to make the front match (and be as wide).

I'd probably keep looking for a 44 to keep it simple, but if you want to do it real nice, do the 9" rear and start looking for an f150 44 front to match.
 
If you get a 9" it is seriously worth getting the bottom shaved so it increases ground clearance by an inch or so and also will slide over rocks easier.
 
ok well i have a friend with a 9 inch that has same gears lug pattern and it has a posi for $200 and then all i will need to do is get two inch spacers in the front should i just go with that?
 
redneck1939 said:
ok well i have a friend with a 9 inch that has same gears lug pattern and it has a posi for $200 and then all i will need to do is get two inch spacers in the front should i just go with that?
Click to expand...
The 9" is a stout axle (31 spline) but, the biggest drawback is how low the pinion sits.....you'll be dragging it over the rocks and it would make an already poor driveshaft angle even worse however, IIRC some of the big block powered sedans might have come with the more gusseted housing, 31 spline shafts and 4 1/2" X 5 wheel pattern. It also takes a little more horsepower to turn the ring and pinion because of the deeper gear engagement but, that's what makes it so strong. If you have it regeared, have them install a solid pinion spacer instead of a crush sleeve to keep from loosening up the pinion preload when you're bouncing the pinion yoke off the rocks......you should see the one on my early Bronco!:D--------Hans
 
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just went through this in May 07 d44 hard to find, 9s too found 8.8 4.10 limited slip and disk brakes $400 MORE install kit, best of all already has 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern.
 
so besides draging the 9 inch is a better choice? cause 200 bucks and its ready to install isnt that a good deal?
 
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If the 9 is ready to bolt in to your xj and all you have to do to the front is run spacers then I would go for it. The 9 inch has the ability to be built to run some big tires with some trussing. The 44 out of a xj is usually an easier swap as it the 8.8. But If you can bolt it in and run it with only a gear change and maybe a locker then it sounds like a good deal.
 
Redneck,
Cal, and Oatmeal gave you good input to make your decision on the 9inch (I have one myself), but like others have stated don't rule out a $150.00 disk brake 8.8. Some U bolt eliminators from TNT, and some 1.5" spacers, ebrake cables, your done.
Just something to think about.

Good Luck
 
I have a MJ 4.09 geared axle but decided to go with a Bronco 9" and a '77 F-150 HP D44 instead.
 
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