mjdavis31
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Eugene, OR
my buddy has run his welded 35 for 2 years on 35"s (not recomended) and he is hard on it and he has broken only the welds one time.
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upgrades for a dana 35?...pointless? your opinion
- Thread starter NorCalChris
- Start date
cdn_xj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Vancouver, BC, CANADA
I ran 32's on my YJ wth an ARB'd D35. I never had any issues whatsoever with the D35. Then again, I'm not a member of the Nothing But Skinny Pedal school of thought when it comes to wheeling. Which is not to say I babied the YJ.
The 8.8 is an easy-ish upgrade: they're almost the same width, fairly abundant, strong and, if you pick the right year will have disc brakes on them.
Everyone gets all hot an bothered about the D44 and I can sort of understand why: they are probably the strongest rear axle that was offered on the XJ. They were an option on SOME late 80's XJs, so if you can find one of those it's a straight bolt-in. If you can't find an XJ D44, there are other applications that can be modified. The D44 is strong, has great aftermarket support and is a non-c-clip axle so if you DO bust a shaft the wheel won't walk out of the housing on you. That being said, I think that a lot of the upside to a D44 is the hype. The downside? D44s are pricey.
Chrysler 8.25 - There are 2 versions: 27-spline until early/mid 1996 and 29-spline from mid/late 1996. The 27 spline is marginally better than the D35. If you're upgrading to an 8.25 avoid these. The 29 spline version is pretty underrated: It's almost as strong as a D44 and more abundant, cheaper and has decent aftermarket support (the 29 spline 8.25 was used in the Dakotas and Liberties as well). disc brakes if you pull a liberty 8.5 and mod to fit.
The 8.25 IS a c-clip axle so if you DO shear a shaft the wheel will walk out, but if you upgrade to disc brakes the caliper will hold the shaft in long enough for you to pull over. the shafts are equal length on either side so you only need ot carry one spare. If you have a 27 spline axle and want to upgrade to 29 splines you only needto get the shafts and carrier; both of which should be in ready supply as used parts (ie cheap)
A lot of it has to do with how you wheel. If you're going to do nothing but logging road trail riding, the D35 will be fine. If you're going to run the Rubicon or Moab once a month all year round you might want to consider another axle.
The bottom line: keep your eyes open for the 8.8 or D44, but don't overlook the 29-spline 8.25 either. I decided to upgrade my 8.25 to 29 splines and regear with a track-lock instead of paying $800 for a D44 and then STILL have to regear it.
The 8.8 is an easy-ish upgrade: they're almost the same width, fairly abundant, strong and, if you pick the right year will have disc brakes on them.
Everyone gets all hot an bothered about the D44 and I can sort of understand why: they are probably the strongest rear axle that was offered on the XJ. They were an option on SOME late 80's XJs, so if you can find one of those it's a straight bolt-in. If you can't find an XJ D44, there are other applications that can be modified. The D44 is strong, has great aftermarket support and is a non-c-clip axle so if you DO bust a shaft the wheel won't walk out of the housing on you. That being said, I think that a lot of the upside to a D44 is the hype. The downside? D44s are pricey.
Chrysler 8.25 - There are 2 versions: 27-spline until early/mid 1996 and 29-spline from mid/late 1996. The 27 spline is marginally better than the D35. If you're upgrading to an 8.25 avoid these. The 29 spline version is pretty underrated: It's almost as strong as a D44 and more abundant, cheaper and has decent aftermarket support (the 29 spline 8.25 was used in the Dakotas and Liberties as well). disc brakes if you pull a liberty 8.5 and mod to fit.
The 8.25 IS a c-clip axle so if you DO shear a shaft the wheel will walk out, but if you upgrade to disc brakes the caliper will hold the shaft in long enough for you to pull over. the shafts are equal length on either side so you only need ot carry one spare. If you have a 27 spline axle and want to upgrade to 29 splines you only needto get the shafts and carrier; both of which should be in ready supply as used parts (ie cheap)
A lot of it has to do with how you wheel. If you're going to do nothing but logging road trail riding, the D35 will be fine. If you're going to run the Rubicon or Moab once a month all year round you might want to consider another axle.
The bottom line: keep your eyes open for the 8.8 or D44, but don't overlook the 29-spline 8.25 either. I decided to upgrade my 8.25 to 29 splines and regear with a track-lock instead of paying $800 for a D44 and then STILL have to regear it.
1sickhick
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- podunk wa.
I run 33" swampers on D35 AUSSIE LOCKER for about a year now.NO problems.ALL I DO IS WHEEL IT.:laugh3:
Russ Pottenger
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- West Covina, California
I put a limited slip in my dana 35. The first, and worst decision I made on my Jeep. :dunce:
Russ
Russ
rcnerd
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Calgary, Alberta, Great White North
pottenger said:
why???
sik4wheeler
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Campbell, C.A
I had a locked 35 on 33s w/ 4.88s for two years and it took me through slickrock trail in 2wheel drive really beating it. I started to do hard trails and put in the 8.8. If you are going to go the 35 route I would give you a great deal on a detroit locker with 4.88s for it.
StylerG
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Oklahoma City
just to throw something out there....
i threw a lock-right in my 35 when i had it to give me some locker for winterfest last year, think i spent 80 bucks on it. It worked fine, no breakage on 31's. Sold it with the 35 for 100 bucks and got an 8.25 for 100 bucks, it possible as a temp solution but i wouldnt have felt safe driving it around a lot.
i threw a lock-right in my 35 when i had it to give me some locker for winterfest last year, think i spent 80 bucks on it. It worked fine, no breakage on 31's. Sold it with the 35 for 100 bucks and got an 8.25 for 100 bucks, it possible as a temp solution but i wouldnt have felt safe driving it around a lot.
