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Full width axle questions

Jeep450r

Jeep450r

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Member
Location
Nor*cal
What are my options for a full width axle swap? I want to run 37's at first, maybe larger later.

What axles would you guys recommend, and what vehicles should I get them out of? Pros and cons would be very nice.

What frame/unibody re-enforcements would be necessary?

Where could I go about getting some cheap brackets and such for the axles?

I really like the idea of being overbuilt for my tire size...

Any thoughts, information, or help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Search really is your friend.
I built mine for 37's using a 79 F250 Dana 44 modded out to the max with chromo's, arb, yukons, 5.38s. 14 bolt rear with same treatment, I doubt I'll ever hurt either axle with the stock 4.0 and 37's.
If I were to do it again I would put a Dana 60 in the front.
I plated the whole frame front bumper to rear.
I used TNT front truss, TNT Y-link, Ruff Stuff for the rear mounting junk.
Soon I will be trying out the 44 with a set of 39.5's.
Looking at a D300 transfer case, buddy has 6 of em and a 302 stroked to a 331.
 
If you are thinking of a D44/9" combo you just need to try and stay away from them cast on wedges used mostly on the 78 79 ford broncos. A guy from work runs a 44/9 and a set of 39.5 Irocs on his TJ and has not had any issues.

You can do a D60/14 bolt or D60/70 or a set of D60s any of these combos will work great for 37" and up. And a D44/9 or a D44/60 Look for them in the late 70s fords.
You can get brackets from a few different companies like Rusty's, RE, ballistic, blue torch, not sure who is the cheapest.
I would do a full uni body reinforcement just my opinion.

here are a few links:
http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/web_rs44.html
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/bible/index.html
 
where do you wheel?

I've been able to break my 44 front and 9" rear by being stupid in competition wheeling on 35" tires, so I'd bet that on 37" tires, I could break them jut by being stupid on trails and rocks...


I'd look into running 35" tires, and not competing.

Then run a strong 30 or more spline front axle, and a 30 or more spline, 8.5" or more ring gear rear axle...
 
I plan on running the rubicon and similar trails.
 
Bruiser did a build up with a 44/9". He said that the rear spring perches were only 1/4" off, and so he didn't cut them off and weld on new ones.
BRUISER said:
44 came out of a 1978 f150

9" came out of a 1984 f150

9" is not shaved or anything. All I did was clean it up put all new gears, brakes, etc.. and it bolted straight up to my rear leaf pack. I did not have to mod the spring pads or anything. I was very easy and straight forward

Let me know if you have any more questions
Click to expand...

Is that true with all 9"s?

The main thing I am worried about is the weight of these axles... How much heavier are they compared to stock?

What will I have to do for all of the steering components? Id assume none of the stock stuff would work...
 
With 37's you are looking at D44's at a minimum. I run D44's front and rear on 35s and have had no problems. The trend seems to be to go with D60's anymore.

I tend to go against the grain. I run the D44 axle that everybody warns you about, with the cast wedges. I simply used modified Ford Radius arms and love them. It is an extremely simple setup to build and I have no complaints about how it works. My front axle ran me less than $1200 complete. That means the complete axle, new gears, QuickLock, new brakes, new hubs, fabricating for the mounts, OTK steering, and hydroassist, rims, and spacer adapters for the rear to match the bolt pattern and width. I did quite a bit of shoping and did all the setup and fab myself.

I've been meaning to do a writeup and some pix but life gets hectic.
 
How much lift is needed to run these axles? (60/60 or 60/14FF)

I want to keep my COG as low as possible. I am at 4.5" right now... Will I have any clearance issues at this height?
 
I hate to say this but 37's are a whole other world than what you are running. The number of things that have to be addressed are almost without limit. The axles don't cause the clearance problems. The tires do. There is no way to to run 37's without major trimming. Not to mention steering, gearing, shocks, drive shafts, frame plating, etc.

Running 37's without hydro assist on trails around here is not recommended.

Since the types of questions you ask leads me to believe you don't have that much axle experience and will have to have most of the work done, I figure a setup for 37's that isn't going to break your first time out will most likely set you back $7-8000. The tires and rims alone will run $2500-$3000.
 
Jeep450r said:
(60/60 or 60/14FF)
Click to expand...

My vote is for a 14ff or a 70 rear. Unless you are getting a 1.5" 35 spline shaft rear 60 but most are the smaller ones. I have a 60 rear now and have already blown a shaft on 35s the first time out.
 
old_man said:
I hate to say this but 37's are a whole other world than what you are running. The number of things that have to be addressed are almost without limit. The axles don't cause the clearance problems. The tires do. There is no way to to run 37's without major trimming. Not to mention steering, gearing, shocks, drive shafts, frame plating, etc.

Running 37's without hydro assist on trails around here is not recommended.

Since the types of questions you ask leads me to believe you don't have that much axle experience and will have to have most of the work done, I figure a setup for 37's that isn't going to break your first time out will most likely set you back $7-8000. The tires and rims alone will run $2500-$3000.
Click to expand...

I still have ~8 months until I will actually do the swap. I just thought I would begin gathering information as soon as possible so I would be prepared for when the time comes for the swap.

I will most likely throw in a 2 inch coil spacer and a longer shackle setup to get that extra height and clearance (yes I plan on chopping quite a bit)

I am trying to do this all as a total budget build. I can grind off the old mounts and such and tack the new stuff on, but will bring it in to have a professional welder do the final welds.

I am planning on using these (http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/XJ--TJ-Jeep-combo-bracket-upgrade-kit_p_1542.html) brackets with the 3.125 tube diameter for the D60. (Would you recommend something different?)

Also, I will use this all with a radius arm set up.

I will definitely look into hydro assist too.

Yes I am a newbie to 3/4 and 1 ton axles... and front axles in general, and I really appreciate everybody's help so far.
 
Not trying to dis you but a budget build and D60's should not be used in the same sentence. I would start with frame reinforcement. That can happen well before the upgrade. Be patient and don't jump on the first axle you find.

If you aren't going to piece things together yourself, I recommend West Texas Offroad for your hydro assist help.

You can most likely pay for a welder with what you would save on this swap.

Steering bung inserts and weld on tabs can be found at SpiderTrax in Longmont/Hygiene.
 
just for strength refernce, i run a hp44/9 inch conmbo in mine, front is welded, and rear is full detroit, 5.13 gears, i have been runnig this for about a year, with 35x15.50 swamper SXs, and have gone through two u-joints on the pass side, thats the only issue ive had and im willing to put money that if i had a locker in the front instead of it being welded i wouldnt have had those two issues.....i think a 44/9 would be fine for up to 37s, but i wouldnt push the 44 past that, i have seen the 9s hold up to 39.5 irocs abused, a few shafts, but thats about it.....

now, if you are planning on going bigger than 37s, i would just pull the trigger on 60s, or a 60/14 bolt combo
 
old_man said:
Not trying to dis you but a budget build and D60's should not be used in the same sentence. I would start with frame reinforcement. That can happen well before the upgrade. Be patient and don't jump on the first axle you find.

If you aren't going to piece things together yourself, I recommend West Texas Offroad for your hydro assist help.

You can most likely pay for a welder with what you would save on this swap.

Steering bung inserts and weld on tabs can be found at SpiderTrax in Longmont/Hygiene.
Click to expand...

Is a D60 swap so expensive because of the price of the axle itself? I was planning on purchasing a cheap 88-91.5 F-350, and using its front D60 (with drivers side drop) and possibly its sterling 10.25 rear. Then I could part out the rest of the truck to cover part of or all of the cost of the axles.

BUT, if that D60 is not desirable for some reason, then I will have to find another option.

Are there other reasons why the D60 swap is so expensive that I am missing? I am aware that I will have to re-enforce the unibody.
 
its alot of wieght to be putting under a xj, you will have to re inforce the unibody alot to withstand the extra wight, expect to spend 2 grand into the 60 not including steering, thats for gears locker and all that stuff, if your good at fabbing you can make your own brackets very easy, also 5" is fine for lift with a 60
 
gears, paying for regearing (unless you can do it), custom brackets for both axles, steel for plating frame...etc...it adds up quick
 
I would do the re-gearing myself.

Where can I get stiffeners for the front and rear of the unibody? (I will make my own for the unibody rails). 1/8" or 3/16?
 
I have 60/14bolt under my XJ. I ran 40" tires with 6-7" of lift plus the lift gained by the larger tubes and what not. I used TJ flares and cut well past the pinch seam in the rear to get enough clearance for the tires.

With patience and some good planning the swap doesn't have to break the bank. A welder and the ability to use it is kind of a must IMO.

To keep it street legal(ish) I use stock H1 rims. The 7" of back spacing helps. I had to run some 1.25" spacers in the front to clear the steering. They were also cheap.
 
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