axle swap

[RuggleS]

ok im trying to decide wat axles to put under the jeep. im pretty much lookin to have the front and rear locked and run on 35-37s.

iv thought about building the dana 30 and putting an ford 8.8 in the rear, i know the 8.8 will be fine but even with the built 30 will it hold up to the bigger tires?

wat about toyota axles? any one ever use front and rear axles from the older toyotas? i think i heard of someone putting them under a TJ and he flipped the front diff around then rotated the knuckles so the pumpkin was on the right side for the t-case

any input would be great, thanks

[dangerousdave]

like you said the 8.8 will be fine. the 30 however will be fine with it on road and off road depending how you drive. Once you put stronger axles and u joints on the front axle you have moved the weak point of the axle to the ring gear. Gearing sucks when it goes because of cost. SO if you have the money I would go with a bigger axle up front, especially if you really want to do 37s.

[grandmaster]

If you have the money i would get a front HP 44 out of a waggy. That will last for a while, then when you get more money i would upgrade to some chromo shafts and some bigger knuckles. (which i think they make)

[5.9 ANDY]

correct me if i am wrong.

the D44 uses the same size shafts/U-joints as a D30, and they also have the same sized pinion gear.

[ATL ZJ]

Locked front and rear on 37s will get you places that no Dana 30 needs to be. With 37s you are getting into alloy shaft territory on either the 30 or 44.

The d30 and 44 do use the same joints but it's not usually the joints that break (unless you don't retain the caps properly and they start working themselves loose). The pinion shafts themselves are also both 1.38" and 26 spline, which is good but hardly a point for comparison because it's not something that usually breaks.. Dana 30 shafts are 1.16" in diameter and Dana 44 shafts are 1.31" in diameter. Dana 30 inners are 27 spline and Dana 44 inners are 30 spline.

The real advantages to dana 44s are flat top knuckles and a ton of steering options, real hubs and the option for lockouts (like having an open diff on the road), and a ring gear that's about 20% larger in diameter than the d30's.

[Ted_Z]

If you have the money i would get a front HP 44 out of a waggy. That will last for a while, then when you get more money i would upgrade to some chromo shafts and some bigger knuckles. (which i think they make)

Waggy's never had HP D44's, that was a Ford only thing.

Building is D44 "right" is just about as costly as a D60 so you might as well do it right the first time. Plus with 37's the lost clearance from a 60 isn't the big of a deal. Or you could do a 60/9" hybrid with a matching 9" out back.

[RuggleS]

ya the 44 was an option also.

anyone have any info on doin the toyota axles? i know thier strong and i can get them easly

[SuicideTireZJ]

Yota axles have about the same strength as 44's and you would have to extensively modify them to work for your rig and application. You would have to have them re-tubed and the c's welded back on, which costs money. Then you would have to upgrade the birfields and steering because your rig weighs a LOT more and has a LOT more power than any yota has had. I don't think it would be worth it IMO but if you want to be different...

[grandmaster]

Waggy's never had HP D44's, that was a Ford only thing.

Building is D44 "right" is just about as costly as a D60 so you might as well do it right the first time. Plus with 37's the lost clearance from a 60 isn't the big of a deal. Or you could do a 60/9" hybrid with a matching 9" out back.

Thats my fault, sorry. The only problem with going to a D60 is that its a lot wider then the d30. So if it is not a dedicated trail rig its probably not the best option. Unless you want to go to the cost of having it cut down.
Like Ted said, a d60 is almost the same as a built 44. So unless you are looking to spend a lot of money i would go with a 44 and then just build it up overtime.

[J B]

Like Ted said, a d60 is almost the same as a built 44. So unless you are looking to spend a lot of money i would go with a 44 and then just build it up overtime.

What Ted said what that a built 44 cost about the same as a 60...so you should go with a 60.

If you're going to run 37s with any reasonable reliability, you're going to spend some coin. If you want to do it on the cheap, then you should probably pick a smaller tire.

The tires start a trickle down of components that must be upgraded to ensure some reliability. You could probably run 37s on the stock axles and a 4.5" short arm lift if you went nuts with the sawzall. But your entire driveline would be a time bomb. And upgrading one thing exposes the next weakest link in the chain.

[grandmaster]

I guess the question is, "how crazy are you at wheelin?" If you are heavy on the skinny pedal i would go with a 60, If you are pretty easy and just crawl over stuff and dont floor it on every obstical i would go with a 44. Just my opinion though. And like i said, if you are worried about it upgrade the 44 and save the shafts for spares.

[grandmaster]

Just a question also. Isnt a built dana 44 with chromo shafts and all the good stuff almost equal in strength to the 60? just curious.

[RuggleS]

ya the lift wont be super big, im lookin to trim more to get some room.

and ya id like to not use the 60 cause the width of it.

im not heavy on the pedal 85% of the time id say but there are the times when ya got to get on it lol

[redline61]

Just a question also. Isnt a built dana 44 with chromo shafts and all the good stuff almost equal in strength to the 60? just curious.

Simple answer no, I think a great comparison is a built D30 isn't as strong as a D44.

[redline61]

Oh, and Toyota axles are garbage. I really like their rear axles but I hate beirfields. They drive me nuts and I am tired of fixing them. I have seen two Longfields break. They are reasonably strong but not worth the effort.

[RuggleS]

Oh, and Toyota axles are garbage. I really like their rear axles but I hate beirfields. They drive me nuts and I am tired of fixing them. I have seen two Longfields brake. They are reasonably strong but not worth the effort.

i dunno why ud say thier junk when thier obviously not lol but everyones got thier own opinion. thier super easy to work on to. and i just have parts for them on demand, so it would be nice

but ya when put behind the v8 and some big tires then i could have some problems

wats the biggest tire i could get away with on a built up HP dana30? 35"?

[MotoX5874]

i dunno why ud say thier junk when thier obviously not lol but everyones got thier own opinion. thier super easy to work on to. and i just have parts for them on demand, so it would be nice

but ya when put behind the v8 and some big tires then i could have some problems

wats the biggest tire i could get away with on a built up HP dana30? 35"?

that's what i'd recommend, you could prolly run 37s unlocked with a light foot and some chromo's

[BuschLight]

Oh, and Toyota axles are garbage. I really like their rear axles but I hate beirfields. They drive me nuts and I am tired of fixing them. I have seen two Longfields brake. They are reasonably strong but not worth the effort.

True Burfs are a problem.... however not if you put Bobby Longfields on em.... I'd rather have one of those than u-joints sometimes... in a production of near 8,000 I think there are VERY few that have broke... in some ridiculous circumstance. A set is about $800. I have thought about yota axles a time or two. Alloy shafts, maybe a truss and you can wheel 39s hard with nary a problem.

[IndyZJ]

Alloy shafts, maybe a truss and you can wheel 39s hard with nary a problem.

That might be true for a 3k lb truck/ 4runner with a 4 cylinder but I don't quite think that would apply to a 5k lb zj with a v8 (granted we're talking mini truck stuff here). I could be wrong though...

[ATL ZJ]

True Burfs are a problem.... however not if you put Bobby Longfields on em.... I'd rather have one of those than u-joints sometimes... in a production of near 8,000 I think there are VERY few that have broke... in some ridiculous circumstance. A set is about $800. I have thought about yota axles a time or two. Alloy shafts, maybe a truss and you can wheel 39s hard with nary a problem.

obviously you are talking about the 30 spline longs. I have watched dozens of 27 spliners break, but that is a different story. I wheeled with a guy that had broken a couple sets of the 30 splines under a minitruck. Normally with birfs the shaft doesn't twist off like Dana axles. Instead the bell expands or cracks and the joint itself is the point of failure. But you are right- very good shafts with a low failure rate. Bobby also has excellent customer service and will treat you right.

[2KFLEXJ]

My suggestion would be to pick a tire and the size and make your axle choice from there, for example if you are thinking about a 37" Bogger then I would say certainly a Dana 60 would be needed, but if you were considering something lighter like an Irok or a BFG KM then you could get away with a Dana 44 with Alloy shafts. Take this in moderation, and its just something to think about.

[RuggleS]

thanks for all the info guys, im goin to start with the 8.8 in the rear for sure and decide on the front as i go. but il prob go with a dana 44 and just run 35 or 36s.

is the 8.8 roughly the same width as the dana 30? or how much of a difference is it?

[MotoX5874]

it is 5/8" narrower per side, not really much to make a difference, i would recommend reading this thread

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2880

[RuggleS]

it is 5/8" narrower per side, not really much to make a difference, i would recommend reading this thread

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2880

awsome, thanks for the link

i noticed that most the builds i c ppl are cutting off leaf spring pearches, i take it most ppl get them out of explorers? wat abou tthe mustang diffs? and wat should i look for when finding a diff?

n/m i read more and more and i found my answers lol

[5.9 ANDY]

the explorer 8.8 is stronger than a mustang 8.8

also, the coil buckets on a mustang arnt on the axle, they are on the crontrol arm.