Big question of the day! Which axle?

Alright, my Turdy5 died on me (not from wheeling) and the whole axle is junk.


The biggest tire Ill run would be 31s and I may lock it up.

Ill be changing front gear to compensate for the rear.

Should I

A. Buy another 35 out of a 2.5L Comanche and bolt it in.

B. Buy a ford 8.8 (probably drums, found a dirt cheap one here) and make it work.

Basically, if I do the Ford 8.8 I need

Spring Perches
Shock Mounts
New brakes (pads and rotors/ drums and shoes probably wheel cylinders because of the rust in maine)
Driveshaft yoke
Misc. nickle and dime stuff

I would either buy the Ford 8.8 or a XJ D44. The XJ D44 would be pretty much bolt on, other than mabye new brakes lines. See if you can find one of those. I've got a XJ D44 sitting in my garage waiting to be cleaned up and installed.

If you're going to take the time to swap anything, don't swap in another D35.

Have you considered swapping in a 29 spline 8.25? If all you're gonna ever need is for it to handle 31's that could be the cheapest option. Bolt in and not priced like gold (xj d44). just a thought...

Edit: Sorry I just realized we were talkin about an MJ, so i suppose this doesnt apply. I guess I need some more coffee this mornin.

Factory MJ Dana 44...

Factory AMC 20...

and didnt you ask this already?

I would try to get a Toyota rear. I think the 2wd V6 Taco has a 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern already and disks (I might be wrong on the disks). Good clearance, good strength, comparable to a D44. Removable third member for easy gearing changes.

Granted, this would require approximately the same work as the 8.8, but it has no C-clips and is often cheaper.

ECU88XJ said:

Have you considered swapping in a 29 spline 8.25? If all you're gonna ever need is for it to handle 31's that could be the cheapest option. Bolt in and not priced like gold (xj d44). just a thought...

Edit: Sorry I just realized we were talkin about an MJ, so i suppose this doesnt apply. I guess I need some more coffee this mornin.

Click to expand...

A MJ D44 is a little better, but the 29 spline 8.25 is still a good option for the MJ:

• exactly correct width
• Jeep brake hardware
• bolt on ZJ disc conversion potential
• plentiful and usually pretty cheap
• fairly good locker/LSD selection
• More than sufficient for 31s when locked up

RKBA said:

A MJ D44 is a little better, but the 29 spline 8.25 is still a good option for the MJ:

• exactly correct width
• Jeep brake hardware
• bolt on ZJ disc conversion potential
• plentiful and usually pretty cheap
• fairly good locker/LSD selection
• More than sufficient for 31s when locked up

Click to expand...

X2
Since you wouldnt even "have" to cut off the old mounts(just weld on some new ones).The shock mounts are bolted onto the spring pack.

Toyota.

Better than D35 clearance with a simple shave, and better than D44 strength. Aftermarket is probably only exceeded by the 9".