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the REAL strength of a Dana35......

W

workaholic

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Tacoma, WA
Ok, I currently have my 4x4 MJ that has totally stock suspesnion. well i've been wanting to do a lift, so i've been doing plenty of research to see just what is right for me. I keep hearing recomendations to do a ford 8.8 swap. This is all fine and good but if I were to do it then I would rather just do it the same time as a lift due to that I have a Dana 35 with 3.07's and a open diff so I would need to put some shorter gears and at least a LSD in there after it were lifted and I would prefer not waste the money on the Dana 35 if i'm only going to go with a 8.8 later on. So my question is just how hard do you have to wheel a Dana35c in order to really justify the upgrade to a 8.8? What I was thinking of running as far as a lift and tires were concerned is a Rusty's 4.5" kit and 33x12.5x15 BFG MTR's (unless you guys know of a better bang for the buck tire?) with Bushwaker flares if needed. I should also mention this is my first adventure into the 4x4 world (BMW guy finishing up my 318 now, in addition to only ever been wheeling twice) I have seen things like the super35 kit which seems really nice but the thing is its $980! I could build a pretty serious 8.8 for that (at least from what i've researched) since most of you all have a huge amount more experience with these things than I, I figured i would ask your opinons. what do you all think?

Go 8.8, dont even bother with the dana35
Keep the Dana35, even with just a locker and gears they will take a bit of a beating
Keep the Dana35, if you need it the super35 kit makes them bullet proof

What do you all think?

Thanks
Tom
 
jjvande said:
8.8 or D44 all the way and dont look back. with 33"s the D35 would work, but isn't it worth a few hundo to have piece of mind?
Click to expand...

thats exactly why i'm asking, I would rather have the peice of mind and know that its going to work rather than build it and think that it "should" be just fine. now if I could find a D44 ouf of a mj then I would be set and make my job alot easier cuz I have no idea whatso ever on how to set pinion angle or anything like that. As i would imagine that If i had the d44 ouf of a mj it would make things alot easier as the directions from the rusty's kit would explain just exactly what to do.

Thanks
Tom
 
I say 90% of the people here are going to say do the 8.8 swap, but I've ran 33x12.5's on my d35 in my xj for over a year now and no problems, but every jeep is different.

If your building a rig that you wheel a couple times a month on a few easy trails then I say stick with the d35 and throw some 4.56's in it. But if you want to see some hard trails then definitly go with a 44 or 8.8. It all depends on what type of wheeling you want to do.
 
a couple times a month is more than enough to warrant a stout axle. I bet half the guys here running a 44 or better dont even wheel twice a month.
 
I've got a d35 with a detroit and 3.73's I carry two sets of shafts and it's on 31's. One set comes on the trail, another set stays at the campsite, so I don't have to sweat the rest of the trip after I break the first one :)
Does that say much about the confidence I have in the d35?
 
BrettM said:
33s with an open diff may survive a while, but add a locker and it's gonna blow.

I'm not a big fan of the 8.8 swap, I'd go with an XJ/MJ D44, Toyota 8" or Ford 9".
Click to expand...

isn't the width on the spring perches different between the xj and MJ rear ends? thus you would need to weld on new perches and set the pinion wouldn't you? I'm just trying to avoid something like that as I have no idea of how to do it and dont want to mess it up. If i could just bring that rear end into a shop and have them weld new perches on it that is what I would prefer. Which is what I was told would be the likely solution by a local 4x4 shop (giving i were to keep the dana 35 as I never mentioned a possible rear end swap) since they stated that most commonly install manuals on lift kits that involve a SOA typically have directions on how do install the perches in the right spot.

why aren't you a big fan of the 8.8 swap?

Thanks
Tom
 
8.8 is a bit too narrow, most end up using wheel spacers. It's also c-clip, which leaves a bad taste in some peoples mouths.
the Xj stock is SOA, but the perches are a different width. Stock MJ's are SUA.
Either way you've got to do perches.

Any decent shop should be able to take the measurements from your existing axle. It's not difficult, all it takes is a simple magnetic angle finder and a level.
It took about an hour to weld perches onto my new axle, and that included cleaning out the garage and drinking a few.
 
87manche said:
8.8 is a bit too narrow, most end up using wheel spacers. It's also c-clip, which leaves a bad taste in some peoples mouths.
the Xj stock is SOA, but the perches are a different width. Stock MJ's are SUA.
Either way you've got to do perches.

Any decent shop should be able to take the measurements from your existing axle. It's not difficult, all it takes is a simple magnetic angle finder and a level.
It took about an hour to weld perches onto my new axle, and that included cleaning out the garage and drinking a few.
Click to expand...

Ah ok, I wasn't aware it was that simple. I knew that the xj was SOA and the MJ was SUA I just thought that if you were to change the width of the perches you would have to set the pinion angle but I didn't realize it was as simple as that. sounds like i'm gonna track me down a ford 9" or a dana44 (i've seen quite a few ford 9" rears for pretty inexpensive) as well as I would imagine disc brake setups for them can be had for pretty inexpensive as well since there is so much aftermarket for a ford 9"?

Thanks for the help everybody, any additional info is greatly appreciated
Tom
 
workaholic said:
Ah ok, I wasn't aware it was that simple. I knew that the xj was SOA and the MJ was SUA I just thought that if you were to change the width of the perches you would have to set the pinion angle but I didn't realize it was as simple as that. sounds like i'm gonna track me down a ford 9" or a dana44 (i've seen quite a few ford 9" rears for pretty inexpensive) as well as I would imagine disc brake setups for them can be had for pretty inexpensive as well since there is so much aftermarket for a ford 9"?

Thanks for the help everybody, any additional info is greatly appreciated
Tom
Click to expand...

The 9" in my book would be the stronger rearend. They have 28, 31, 35, and 40 spline axles. If you do get a 9", make sure it is a big berring one, which will have 31 spline shafts. Here is a good read on the 9" compared to others. http://www.sunrayengineering.com/main.html, click on 'Why a Nine?'. Another, http://www.truehi9.com/gears2.html. And one more, http://performanceunlimited.com/illustrations/gears.html. They are supported greatly by the aftermarket. Drawbacks are full width(lots of narrow WA trails), Low pinion (which will drag ass on stuff). Thats about it from me.
 
Ramsey said:
a couple times a month is more than enough to warrant a stout axle. I bet half the guys here running a 44 or better dont even wheel twice a month.
Click to expand...
I did the 8.8 swap and I don't wheel near as much as I'd like. Maybe a good wheeling trip every 3-4 months, not including the occasional jaunt through the river bottoms. I feel my efforts are well worth it too. Not to mention I really enjoyed the project. It was just as much for the beefyness as it was the "I did it myself" factor for me. I went with the 8.8 cause I got it dirt cheap. That was the first major Jeep project for me. Very glad I did it. I would not put any money into your D35. It'd be like buying ice to watch it melt.
 
12GaugeXJ said:
The 9" in my book would be the stronger rearend. They have 28, 31, 35, and 40 spline axles. If you do get a 9", make sure it is a big berring one, which will have 31 spline shafts. Here is a good read on the 9" compared to others. http://www.sunrayengineering.com/main.html, click on 'Why a Nine?'. Another, http://www.truehi9.com/gears2.html. And one more, http://performanceunlimited.com/illustrations/gears.html. They are supported greatly by the aftermarket. Drawbacks are full width(lots of narrow WA trails), Low pinion (which will drag ass on stuff). Thats about it from me.
Click to expand...

couldn't I have it narrowed to factory MJ 60" width to avoid the fullwidth drawback? or would the cost not justify the means? I would imagine if i were to do that it would need custom axles too huh?

Tom
 
workaholic said:
couldn't I have it narrowed to factory MJ 60" width to avoid the fullwidth drawback? or would the cost not justify the means? I would imagine if i were to do that it would need custom axles too huh?

Tom
Click to expand...
You said it.
 
workaholic said:
couldn't I have it narrowed to factory MJ 60" width to avoid the fullwidth drawback? or would the cost not justify the means? I would imagine if i were to do that it would need custom axles too huh?

Tom
Click to expand...

If you are going to do all that, and you do not have the ability to do it yourself; Call Currie and order one. It will come with what ever gears (all set-up), locker, width, brakes and perches you want. All you will have to do is bolt it in.
Then you can apply lift, front gears and go break something else on the trail. :viking:
 
workaholic said:
why aren't you a big fan of the 8.8 swap?
Click to expand...

mainly because of ground clearance and housing strength.

If you want a bolt in swap, a factory D44 or calling Currie for 9" are the best ways to go (within reason). A Currie 9" will of course cost more.

An 8.8 swap needs perches and shockmounts as well as reinforcement of the housing so you don't get ripped or twisted tubes. At that point I think it would be just as easy to swap a Toyota axle which will have much better ground clearance and be just as strong.
 
BrettM said:
If you want a bolt in swap, a factory D44 or calling Currie for 9" are the best ways to go (within reason). A Currie 9" will of course cost more.
Click to expand...

X2

Currie will also do a D44 for less than the 9". IF you do not have the fab ability, it is not that bad of an expense.

Rev
 
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