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Xj D44 Score

B

b_palmer22

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Military
Scored this XJ d44 for 240 the other night! Planning on building it to replace my 8.25 when i go to long arm 4.5 and 35's
Whats the most economical build route? I'm thinking 4.56's with the 35's and some sort of selectable locker maybe shafts. Lots of people have been telling me to build the 8.25 that i've got in there now but i'd like to have this 44 built so i can do a direct swap and sell the 8.25 later. Whats up with all the D44 hate lately?
 
Dont think its 44 Hate, usually people don't see the benefit spending $500 on the bare axle when its seen as a minor improvement over a 29 spline or a 8.8. If they could find a 44 for a good deal (same price as a 29 spline or 8.8) IMO most people would choose the 44; everyone else would go for the 8.8 with discs.
 
8.8 is the latest fad. An XJ Chry 8.25 or an XJ D44 can be easily modified to disk brakes with parts from the junkyard. Beside, they both bolt on. All three axles are strong enough for nearly all XJ owners.
 
The Chy 8.25 would be the best way to go, the D44 is only a little stronger and with a 35" tire you need 4.88 gears.
 
I'm not doing a Xj 44 I don't see the point the 8.25 had a beefier housing and is easier to gear. I am doing an 8.8 to replace my 8.25. Stronger r&p so I won't be as worried about it with 5.13s. Also I can run a true spool with the Yukon kit.
 
Also recommend 4.88's if you plan to run 35's. I ran 4.56's with 35's for a year, it was worth the money to regear to 4.88's. Now it drives like stock.
 
I have 4.56s and my only reason to go deeper is for a better crawl
 
I'll keep that in mind, Correct me if im wrong but you can only put 4.55's in an 8.25 right? Like i said i figured with the price of the axel its worth me building it. Anyone got a link to a write up about setting up gears and a basic rebuild? All the places i've been calling locally seems to think its 500 dollars. Is there some sort of voodo magic you need to set up gears? It seems fairly straightforward. As long as you take your time. Do you guys think i should do shafts while I've got it open? Or are the std D44 shafts fine for 35's and a locker?
 
It all depends on how you drive. If you are a hammer down kind of person, I'd look into some tenfactory shafts. If you wheel like me (with a level head and stay out of the throttle unless nec.) then the stock shafts should be ok for you.
 
b_palmer22 said:
I'll keep that in mind, Correct me if im wrong but you can only put 4.55's in an 8.25 right? Like i said i figured with the price of the axel its worth me building it. Anyone got a link to a write up about setting up gears and a basic rebuild? All the places i've been calling locally seems to think its 500 dollars. Is there some sort of voodo magic you need to set up gears? It seems fairly straightforward. As long as you take your time. Do you guys think i should do shafts while I've got it open? Or are the std D44 shafts fine for 35's and a locker?
Click to expand...
Do shafts while it is open. Hell they are cheap enough, to do gears a dial indicator is needed.
 
The strength between the 3 is pretty similar. For 35's I would definitely do shaft. Here's the 1st 44 failure

The 2nd failure spit spider gears through the cover and this is the 3rd

Shaft twisted pretty good before it broke. Problem is with the semi float axle, towing was necessary to get the jeep home. These were all on the wife's jeep and she is very gentle on the throttle. We will never run another semi float axle on a wheeling rig. 14bolts and rear 60's are usually far cheaper than xj 44's. The shaved 14 bolt only gave up 5/8" in ground clearance over the 44. It was only $300.
 
Your wife's rig is a WJ and I thought the alum housing 44 that they came with had issues breaking shafts. At least that what I thought I remember hearing you guys talk about at Hollister after the 3rd break.
 
They have issues with housing flex, which is why it got the 3/8" truss after the first break. The shafts are basically the same as the xj aside from lug pattern and being longer. I've seen waggy and xj 44 rears spit spider gears through the cover on several occasions as well. Anything can break, but a c&c 14 bolt is almost perfect in width and the likelihood of breakage is far lower. If a shaft were to break, it can be repaired without pulling the tire or even jacking up the rig. You can also drive without the shaft which makes getting home a breeze. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, especially when the cost is the same or less.
 
I ran a XJ 44 for a little while till I went to have gears put in and I found the housing was shot. Had a MJ 44 sitting in the garage I had swapped in.. Never had an issue with it after that.. It's still going strong under my dad's TJ now. And 4.88s are the way to go with 35s. Drove mine daily like that for about a year till I went bigger and loved it.
 
MikeMc said:
Can't you run 35-spline shafts in a D44 where this is not an option for 8.25 or 8.8?
Click to expand...

Yes you can. I have a 35 spline 44. As far as I know (haven't checked lately) only ARB gives you the 35 spline option. But there are plenty of 33 spline options out there (ARB, Detroit, E-Locker, Grizzly...) At the time I built mine it was cheeper to go 35 spline than 30 or 33.

Also, I agree with others about the gears. 4.88's work a little better in my opinion. I'm still only running at 2500 rpm at 70 mph on the freeway with 35's. Even with the 4.88's I still struggle on the long inclines heading up into the Sierras to go wheeling, like down to 40mph on some of the longer/steeper grades. Anyway, good luck with your build.
 
it all comes down to driving style...

i know of a number of 8.25s that live a happy life turning 35s. chromos and a light foot do a lot for keeping them happy. mine? i blew it to bits... destroyed a shaft, destroyed a locker, and destroyed a bearing race all in one instant. but i will admit that i was bouncing off the rev limiter. with that said, i went strait to a ford 9". in the end... 8.25, D44, 8.8... doesnt really matter to me. if you are in a situation where you can hurt any of these axles, your from D30 will be a liability as well.

as for gearing, again, its relative. with 4.56s and a manual trans, i still wish i was lower. and i mean much lower... into the 5.XX lower. but the D30 will have to go before that. if youve ever seen a D30 pinion gear for 4.88 gears, you may understand the concern with going that deep.
 

6 psi in the tires at 115# tire and wheel weight. I got air under the jeep at this attempt and I have to give the 8.25 slot of credit.
 
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