Regearing XJ

Could someone point me in the right direction of regearing my 2000 XJ with a d30 and d35 rear. All the threads I am coming across are regearing the d44's or 8.25's. Is this because I would be wasting time and effort regearing the d35 and I should swap it? I know very little about this and was hoping someone would be able to point me in the right direction. Thanks.

Skibum12189 said:

Could someone point me in the right direction of regearing my 2000 XJ with a d30 and d35 rear. All the threads I am coming across are regearing the d44's or 8.25's. Is this because I would be wasting time and effort regearing the d35 and I should swap it? I know very little about this and was hoping someone would be able to point me in the right direction. Thanks.

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Skibum12189 said:

I would be wasting time and effort regearing the d35 and I should swap it

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sounds like youve got a good grasp on it! it'll be $200ish for gears, $200ISH for the labor, and anything extra add's up, add another $200, and do this to a proper axle, on your bench, then swap it out for your d35.

are you trying to regear it yourself? or have someone else do it for you? (a lot of us arent ready to regear our own axles, and dont have the specialized tools to do so).

its a complicated process, i'd rather pay to have someone local install them for you, per axle. check your local chapter here on naxja, you may have a gear installer local!

DON'T WASTE TIME ON THE D35... Get a 29 spline C8.25... They are cheap and easy to come by... Then trash the D35.

The difference in strength between a D35 and 29 spline C8.25 is big... The difference between C8.25 and D44 is not that big.. but the C8.25 is considerably cheaper.

There are some advantages to the D44 over the 8.25 in that there is more after market support and deeper gears and the semi float vs the c-clip. Both can be given disks but I believe that the C-8.25 maxes out at 4.56 gears... I wanted 4.88s so I paid extra for the D44 over the C8.25 but that was my choice and I believe that the 29 spline C8.25 is a good axle for up to 33 inch tires, 35-s push it a bit but it can still be done knowing that you should have trail spares with you.

I recommend getting a C8.25 and having the gears installed then just swap out the whole axle.

When I did my axles I bought a scrap D30 and D44. Geared them and swapped them. The D44 should hold up great to my 31s but the D30 I kept the spare shafts and unit bearings as trail spares.

I got a break on the gear labor because it was a bench install instead of having to be under the Jeep. That and the trail parts made it worth while to have the 2 axles... Then it was just ME to install the new axles.

Skibum12189 said:

Could someone point me in the right direction of regearing my 2000 XJ with a d30 and d35 rear. All the threads I am coming across are regearing the d44's or 8.25's. Is this because I would be wasting time and effort regearing the d35 and I should swap it? I know very little about this and was hoping someone would be able to point me in the right direction. Thanks.

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Obviously, it's best in the long run to change out the D35. However, if you have a D35 you also must have ABS brakes. You'll have to make a decision about keeping the ABS. Depending on what tire size you plan to run, and where you wheel, it might be a decent option to upgrade the D35 to 30 spline axles if you think you need to keep the ABS. Otherwise, don't waste the money on the D35, spend a few more bucks and put money into a good axle.

Goatman said:

However, if you have a D35 you also must have ABS brakes.

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Not quite. Having ABS implies a D35, but having a D35 does not imply having ABS - a good number of XJs were built with D35s simply because Chrysler didn't have 8.25s on hand when they were building them.

Also, ABS can be deleted or disabled pretty easily - it's just some brake tubing to replace at most (after removing the old electric Bendix brake system, which I've been told is extremely unreliable) or on later models, some relays and fuses to pull. This is all assuming you want to get rid of ABS - if you don't, fyrfytr1717 has a great thread on how to put ABS on a d44, and I am pretty sure it could be adapted to work on an 8.25 by a suitably motivated person.

kastein said:

Not quite. Having ABS implies a D35, but having a D35 does not imply having ABS - a good number of XJs were built with D35s simply because Chrysler didn't have 8.25s on hand when they were building them.

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On 2000's? I was under the impression they had 29 spline 8.25's unless they had ABS.

I could care less about ABS personally, mines going bye bye when the D44 gets installed.

Not sure about 2000s specifically. My parts catalog indicates that the brake backing plates for 10" (AHB, police package) brakes had no ABS, while 9" plates were available with ABS and don't seem to be axle specific. I haven't seen junkyard evidence either way, wasn't looking at specific years on later models and when looking for rear axle parts, I'm pretty much blind to the rest of the vehicle.

I have seen early 90s XJs (believe they were from the 92-96 range, not sure) with d35s and no ABS.

JAS said:

DON'T WASTE TIME ON THE D35... Get a 29 spline C8.25... They are cheap and easy to come by... Then trash the D35.

The difference in strength between a D35 and 29 spline C8.25 is big... The difference between C8.25 and D44 is not that big.. but the C8.25 is considerably cheaper.

There are some advantages to the D44 over the 8.25 in that there is more after market support and deeper gears and the semi float vs the c-clip. Both can be given disks but I believe that the C-8.25 maxes out at 4.56 gears... I wanted 4.88s so I paid extra for the D44 over the C8.25 but that was my choice and I believe that the 29 spline C8.25 is a good axle for up to 33 inch tires, 35-s push it a bit but it can still be done knowing that you should have trail spares with you.

I recommend getting a C8.25 and having the gears installed then just swap out the whole axle.

When I did my axles I bought a scrap D30 and D44. Geared them and swapped them. The D44 should hold up great to my 31s but the D30 I kept the spare shafts and unit bearings as trail spares.

I got a break on the gear labor because it was a bench install instead of having to be under the Jeep. That and the trail parts made it worth while to have the 2 axles... Then it was just ME to install the new axles.

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Nitro Gear & Axle is the only brand that has 4.88's available for the 8.25. Give me a call & I'll hook you up!:cheers:

BIG DIFF JEFF said:

Nitro Gear & Axle is the only brand that has 4.88's available for the 8.25. Give me a call & I'll hook you up!:cheers:

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Sorry... Already have the 4.88 and the D44 under the jeep.... I was unaware that C8.25 has 4.88s


Jeff

OP, since other have already given reasons to ditch the Turdy5 I wont say them again. You will definitely want to switch axles, D44 or 8.25, your choice. As far as specific gearing, depends on tire size and what you want to do.