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D44 Newbie ?

Saratoga

NAXJA Forum User
Yes I tried the search button first, but it did not really help me.

I have An 88 Cherokee 4 dr limited with 3.5 lift 31,10.5 15s and I want to upgrade to stronger axles so i can run bigger tires.
My problem is I'm no pro fabricator and want D44 front or rear which ever is easier, bolt in swap but have no idea what to get one outa.

If i can get some more info that would be great.
Mike
 
Some 87 and 88 XJ have d44 in the rear. Just start looking in the junk yard.
 
upgrade one axle to run bigger tires and leave the other alone?
 
Saratoga said:
Thats why Im a newbie. I figured I would have to do both after getting some Ideas.

It's a slight possibility that you may already have a D44 in the rear. It'll look like this if you do.

my44.jpg


When you say 'bigger tires', what do you have in mind? As long as you don't have a Dana 35 in the rear, you can probably run 33's or so with no problems. A D44 or a 29-spline 8.25 (found in 96+ XJs) will do 35s without much to worry about.

As far as the front axle goes...the D30 is actually a pretty stout lil guy. I wheel mine fairly hard with 33's, locked front and rear, and I've never broken a front axleshaft or u-joint on the trail, even with some pretty crappy u-joints. A friend of mine runs 35's on the same setup and he's never broken anything either. What you CAN expect, is to have to pull a bit more maintenance on it that you used to: balljoints, hubs, and tie-rod ends will probably have to be replaced at more frequent intervals than with smaller tires. Proper alignment will help to prolong these parts, but I'd expect to replace all of them yearly, with decent wheeling involved.

If you still desire something a little more stout up front...look into finding a Jeep Wagoneer D44. It's approximately the same width as what you've got already...but that's where the easiness ends. You'll be stuck with a 6-lug bolt pattern unless you pull some voodoo involving swapping over Ford outers, hubs, knuckles etc, and you'll also have to weld on all the control arm brackets so that it'll bolt into your front end. Some of this will involve welding on the cast iron center section of the diff, which is a fairly detailed task requiring some decent welding experience and some special high-nickel content welding rod.
 
call currie
 
for the rear i'd follow the advice offered already. look for an XJ D44 it will be a direct bolt in. except maybe for setting the correct pinion angle with shims or cutting the spring perches off, rotating them and welding them back on. the bolt pattern will also be correct.

another option for the rear would be to get an 8.8 out of a ford explorer. they are slightyly stronger than a 44 and can be found with disk brakes, 4.10 gears, and sometimes a limited slip. there is some fabrication that needs to be done to make it work but its pretty easy stuff. its been done plenty of time so search the forums and you'll find all the info you need.

putting a 44 in the front is far from a bolt in affair. even on the "easy" wagoneer axles you'll still need to weld on all the brackets needed for the XJ front link suspension. and the general consensus is that your only gaining marginal strength over a 30. if your only going to 33" or 35" tires and you done wheel that hard it probably isnt worth the work. here's a good post about getting a D44 under the front of an XJ.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=52219&highlight=dana+tech
 
So what would be the best option for beefing up your front end if you currently have a D30? Also, what exactly does 'spline' mean? Here there's mention of the Chrysler 8.25 in '97+ XJ's being tough because they're 29 spline; my Chrysler 8.25 is a 27 spline. What does that mean exactly?

Thanks!
 
carmike692000 said:
So what would be the best option for beefing up your front end if you currently have a D30? Also, what exactly does 'spline' mean? Here there's mention of the Chrysler 8.25 in '97+ XJ's being tough because they're 29 spline; my Chrysler 8.25 is a 27 spline. What does that mean exactly?

Thanks!

a spline is how the axle shaft conects to the rest of the drivetrain - the splined section of the shaft engages the splined section of the spider gear.

as a general rule, the more splines you have, the thicker the shaft becuase the way the splines are cut -
more info on splines and axle shaft technology here:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-BV60/index1b.html

here is a picture of splines:
bigsplinemain.jpg



as for your front end - depending on your year - look into some other axle shafts with the larger 297's or 760 joints (if you are pre-95)

also look into an axle truss if you are going all out...
 
what spline does the wagoneer dana44 have? spacifically driver side drop non vacum disco, 80+ (not83+84)

is it the same as the d44 cherokee rear? does matter if the front and rear have different splines?

figured id throw all my noobish questions in this thread.
 
if they have different splines it will casuse a lot of binding similar to if the gears are different.

Bottomline, dont do it.
 
doubtful. your going to need to find the fairly rare dana 44 front from an xj for it to match the xj rear.
 
no im doing a dana44 front from a waggy now, i just want to know if i could use a xj in the rear, but i guess im gunna put a waggy in the rear also, so the widths match and the splines
 
Ramsey said:
if they have different splines it will casuse a lot of binding similar to if the gears are different.

Bottomline, dont do it.

You're kidding, right? Or are you just making a lousy attemp at making fun of the newbies? :rolleyes:

Spline count only has to do with axle shaft size......where the axle shaft engages the gears in the differential. If the axles (splines) are the wrong size they just won't fit into that axle housing. Running axles front and rear with different size axles (spline count) is done all the time.....it means nothing other than the strength of the axles.
 
Ramsey said:
doubtful. your going to need to find the fairly rare dana 44 front from an xj for it to match the xj rear.

WTF?

You're idea of having fun? :huh:
 
yes sir, that is all. gotta take a poke every now and then.
 
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