Topic: diff cover clearance

[drunkencityworker]

ok. so the 8.8 is in. i still have stock diff cover. i want to upgrade but also want gas tank skid in future. i have heard of clearance issues. has anyone had this prob? any solution ideas?

[Jesse-James]

I'm running a Poison Spyder rock ring, no clearance issues. In fact the axle will be moving back another inch with no issues. I'll see if I can get a pic from the side.

[Mozman68]

People always talking about clearance issues with differentials makes me pissed....Unless you are a competitive rock crawler or are going from D30/35 to D60's with no change in lift, there simply isn't enough of a difference.

A bunch of web wheelers on another site couldn't stop giving me crap about the loss of clearance I would be having by going to D60's, but between the minor change in lift height as well as tire height, I gained quite a bit.....from my thread build:



Before....3" lift, 31" tires, stock D30/35 combo, stock fenders/flares.

After....4" LA lift, 35" tires, front and rear HP D60's, flat fenders.

Front Before:


Front After:


Front bumper height from 22.75"h to 26.75"h

Front diff clearance from 9.25"h to 10.5"h


Side Before:


Side After:


Front wheel well clearance from 7"h to 8.25"h

Rear wheel well clearance from 7.75"h to 8.75"h

T-case clearance from 13"h to 19"h

Rocker guard clearance from 18"h to 23.75"h


Rear Before:


Rear After:


Rear bumper height from 19"h to 23.75"h

Rear diff clearance from 9"h to 10.75"h

[Jesse-James]

Whoa there Moz, he's talking about between the cover and the tank.

[Mozman68]

uuuuhhhhhh.......nevermind then.........

[smashcoast]

Out here in CA there are alot of rocks! I need some front and rear diff protection but why cant i find any that cover the U joints as well?

Did you swap the 8.8 yourself? If so how difficult was it?

[drunkencityworker]

i have seen pinion skids for 14bolts. i think when you do sye you point pinion up toward the tcase and takes it up outta harms way a bit.

[drunkencityworker]

technicaly the sye was the hardest. a couple guys i have wheeled with at greatlakejeepthing helped me in return for histeer knuckle. a welder is a must. pretty straight forward otherwise

[Jesse-James]

I'm thinking of doing something as well, sprung the flange ears on a rock this weekend and shot a cap out of the joint. Keep us posted if you find/make something.

[drunkencityworker]

thanks jj, i wonder if psc has them in there new line. those look easy to wash mudd out of

[drunkencityworker]

i did see one shaved then a pinion skid welded on with a ring the driveshaft goes thru. i will look

[drunkencityworker]

hey mozz, nice tj. i wanna do something simular to my rear fenders. do you have more info maybe a link. would be nice to match  the clearance i have in the front with my tube fenders.

[FourbangerYJ]

ok. so the 8.8 is in. i still have stock diff cover. i want to upgrade but also want gas tank skid in future. i have heard of clearance issues. has anyone had this prob? any solution ideas?

A good buddy of mine is running the 8.8 with a Riddler cover. He has the PSC cover that JJ is running. Before he switched. He also has a FXD gas tank skid. He is running 4- 4.5 inches of lift and has run 33's and now on 35's with no problem. His YJ is a 90.

[Mozman68]

hey mozz, nice tj. i wanna do something simular to my rear fenders. do you have more info maybe a link. would be nice to match  the clearance i have in the front with my tube fenders.

You can see the work in my build thread....JCR Offroad did the work.  The rear is Poison Spyder corners with JCR flares welded on and then they welded the whole thing to their rocker guards so there wouldn't be a seam.

[jagular7]

I have an 8.8 in my TJ and use a 'Solid' cover. I have adjusted my control arms be push the axle as far back as possible. I have less than a pinky thickness between the cover and the skid plate for rubbing. If it does rub, it is not a big deal.

What you need to remember is the rear axle pivots on the centerline of the axle housing during suspension cycling. It doesn't move up and down with the tires. About the only time would be when the Jeep jumps in the air.