d44 questions

hey all, neww here but been lurking for a while. i,ve got a 97 xj with 6in lift stock axles and 33x12.5 street tires. i had a 88 with 5in lift and 33 thornbirds on stock 30/35 and never had any probs out of them. its been sold for a while now though so i got 'hers'. its a 90 xj with 2in bb on 32x12.5 m/t baja belted tires. this one is techically hers but i claim it too. shes getting into wheeling but im afraid of the d30/d35 shes got with the 32's. shes got a lead foot and is new to this world of rocks and trails. heres a pic if anyone cares. have more if you want to see them



my friend has a 73 f150 with drum brake 44 and 9in and he has a 79 chevy 1/2ton with what i assume is a 44 front and rear? would the ford axle be worth converting to disk and could i use any parts from the chevy? would i use the chevy knuckles, calipers, and get ford spindles, hubs and rotors?

thanks for reading my mini book and for any help your willing to give. ive been searching and will continue to. ive learned alot from your past posts.

You would need to use the Chevy knuckles, caliper brackets, calipers, and spindles, as the chevy/jeep has a 6 stud knuckle/spindle where as the ford has 5. You would then use ford hubs and rotors. Dana parts are pretty interchangable.

Make sure its high pinion first. then yes it would be worth converting. Just remember they are full width axles.

You just have to make sure that the bearings are the same size, as I can't remember off the top of my head which years the big wheel bearings were vs. the smaller ones.

Go here: http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/web_rs44.html
and go to the flat top knuckle section, everything you will need.

Edit: I just looked, '77 was when chevy went to the large inner bearings, so go there and see what you can do, as the ford hubs will not fit on those spindles.

A 9 rear and a 44 front is a bit overkill for your girls ride..... given the amount of fab work involved in swapping them both in (more so the 44 front). If i was you id just find a 29 spline 8.25 and upgrade the shafts and u joints in the turdy and call it good. Maybe make a spacer for the gas pedal so it only goes 1/4 of the way down for when she is on the trails.

so would that 9in be decent? i heard some one talking about a bigbearing 9, how do i know what this one is?

she wants to lift it and run 35's or 36's. i think i can get them for free or really cheap (maybe trade him some stuff). i can hang on to them till next winter till see gets some more seat time.

Got ya. The big bearing 9inch has a 3.15 inch diameter wheel bearing where as the small bearings are around 2.8 I think. I have also read somewhere that the inner pinion bearings can also be bigger in some of the 9" housings.... but dont quote me on that.

joshbaker said:

she wants to lift it and run 35's or 36's. i think i can get them for free or really cheap (maybe trade him some stuff). i can hang on to them till next winter till see gets some more seat time.

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Have you checked the rear axle in the 97? It might already have a 29 spline 8.25. If it does, concentrate on getting some good skid plates( gas tank and transfercase at a minimum). Save up for a good 4.5" lift w/ either drop brackets or long arms. Stick w/ 32's or 33's to get some good seat time. Once you go to 35's or bigger, you really have to spend the money on upgrading your drivetrain and brakes. If you do have a d35, start looking for an 8.25 or a d44 to drop in. You can upgrade alot of other things as you learn about the vehicle (lockers, regearing, bigger axles, steering, bumpers).

mine is the 97 and it has the 8.25. these are for the other one. but it looks like i wont work because of the bearing size differances. i would like to upgrade the shafts in my 30 and run 35's also. one of these days maybe.

What part of Mo. are ya from? Nice rigs, btw!

oregon mo, its 30 mi north of st joseph. and you?

a hp30 & 29 spline 8.25 will alloy shafts, gears and lockers will be ok for up to 35's with a light to not so stupid right foot. There is a lot of work to swap in a HP44/9" full width into the xj. I second the "get more seat time and armor" before moving up to full width stuff.

but thats just me