dana 44 swap

there is a 87 xj dana 44 axle that i am thinking of buying and i was wondering if they is any modifing that needs to be done to put it on a 96 xj such as a new driveshaft? also what should i look for when buying a dana 44 axle from another xj?

The D44 will bolt in with no mods. If you can get the matching drive shaft that would be a good idea. The drive shafts, D35 vs. D44, are slightly different in length. Look the D44 over for damage or drag marks on the bottom of the diff or the shock mounts. You don't want any obvious leaks of fluids. If you can, look at the gears for any signs of damage or poor maintenance. Does it have the correct gears or are you going to change the gear ratio? Consider installing new brakes, brake lines, seals and bearings on something of that age and mileage as routine preventative maintenance.

when I did mine I redid ALL the brake components ..
I would suggest removing the axles an replacing the retaining plate bolts
mine were rusted together really bad..also the axles had been in there so long that they it took me about 40 HARD wacks with a axle puller....I wanted to make sure I could pull the axles on the trail if I had to..

You need new u-bolts; the D44 has 2.75" tubes. This is a good time to upgrade your rear brake line if you haven't already. It's a bolt-in but there's a dozen small items that can probably be replaced now. http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/dana44.html

The slip yoke on the 96'+ is different that earlier year, but you should be able to use it with the 44. The 44 requires a slightly shorter driveshaft, but the difference should be small enough to reuse it. As as mentioned, the u-bolts will be different as the dana 44 has slightly larger axle tubes. I would suggest getting the u-bolts with the dana 44 if you can, but it is a better idea to get new ones. Otherwise it's a bolt in.

Troy

is the xj d44's pinion low or high, is it any shorter than the 8.25? will it bolt right up to my hack and tap with a front drivshaft in the rear??
oh another thing, i want 4.10's and all i can find for the d44 is 4.09, i know it is very close but is it safe to run 4wd on the street like that?

brandon11130 said:

is the xj d44's pinion low or high, is it any shorter than the 8.25? will it bolt right up to my hack and tap with a front drivshaft in the rear??
oh another thing, i want 4.10's and all i can find for the d44 is 4.09, i know it is very close but is it safe to run 4wd on the street like that?

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thats only a difference of .002439, or less than a quarter of a percent, you would never know the difference

brandon11130 said:

is the xj d44's pinion low or high, is it any shorter than the 8.25? will it bolt right up to my hack and tap with a front drivshaft in the rear??
oh another thing, i want 4.10's and all i can find for the d44 is 4.09, i know it is very close but is it safe to run 4wd on the street like that?

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The XJ and MJ 44s use standard rotation (low pinion) gears... I am not sure which one is shorter or longer, but a 44 will interchange with an 8.25 with no driveshaft conflict. Replacing a 35 with a 44 would probably require using a shorter stock driveshaft, but with a SYE/slip-shaft it might be OK.

4.09-4.10-4.11:1 are all basically the "same" ratio... as are 3.54-3.55:1. No mismatch worries.

Big Red said:

The slip yoke on the 96'+ is different that earlier year, but you should be able to use it with the 44.

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'97-'01, '96 is VERY iffy......... :lecture:

91 Jeep Project said:

'97-'01, '96 is VERY iffy......... :lecture:

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nope - not from my research...

96 was the definitive crossover year for the sealed output shaft...

I have a 3.5" lift in the back, no SYE, but with a t-case drop. If I were to get a dana 44 would the stock shaft work, and probably even correct my slip yoke by pushing it further in?

Big Red said:

As as mentioned, the u-bolts will be different as the dana 44 has slightly larger axle tubes.

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Or slightly smaller ones, if the stock one is a C8.25"...(3" tubes)

DJ - I have never heard of a '96 with the old-style t-case output. I could be wrong, but so far I ain't seen it. 96-01 are the new style.

Yucca-Man said:

Or slightly smaller ones, if the stock one is a C8.25"...(3" tubes)

DJ - I have never heard of a '96 with the old-style t-case output. I could be wrong, but so far I ain't seen it. 96-01 are the new style.

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You learn something new everyday. I assumed, that with most things, the output was changed over with the new body style and a few '96s got it. Thanks for the info......... :wave:

Sorry if this is hijacking but its along the same route. Im swaping out the front dana 30 to a dana 44 and i dont know much about all of this "swap" stuff. I know the 44 is alot stronger then the stock 30 which took too many hits at paragon this past weekend and got bent up. So instead of fixing the stock axle and all, can you guys throw god tech advice for the swap? For example, do i have to run the same gears in the fron then in the back? Some people tell me to run 4.10 and others say 4.86's. I have a 95 with 5" of lift,(was 6" but sagged down over time), 33" that are wide, and the t-case is dropped and angled. SO i ask of you fine folks, what do i need and what gears should i run, AND remember that this is my D.D. so it must be able to handle higway speeds as long as being able to crawl on the trails!

I will do the rear when i have more money. Right now i have a $1000 to re-do the front end, steering included.
So seriously, SAME QUESTION, but just for the front??
Thank you!