Topic: Axles??

[enginethatcould]

The story of my jeep and I has been a slow one (If it was a movie, you would demand a refund). I have done everything at least twice to get wha i wanted. The vision I have for my jeep has taken a long time to bring to life, but I am  starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Don't get me wrong, the light is still far way, but at least I can see it. All this has brought me to an axle swap. This is the first thing that I plan to only do once. In my current possession is an isuzu rodeo d44 rear which I have stripped and preped for an install. I have been looking for a waggy front to match but have has no luck. This has got me thinking of either going 3/4 or 1 tons. My only concern is will the 4 popper be able to handle the added weight. Keep in mind that I will have a turbo setup and will want to run a max tire size of 38". Offrading is not that great where I am currently living, but I want to be able to tow it to texas in the summer to my father-in-laws hill country property. So what do you guys think? D44's or go big? All opinions appreciated! Thanks

[Jeffy]

38's?  Dana 60 and 14Bolt rear.

[enginethatcould]

here is what I have found in the Houston area;

http://houston.craigslist.org/pts/2182223537.html

http://houston.craigslist.org/pts/2180042466.html

[FourbangerYJ]

It's all about the gearing. You would need 5.38-5.89 for 38's. I did the 37's and 5.38 for a couple years. It wasn't to bad. Texas is pretty flat so if you drive it alot on the FWY it's livable.
On your CL finds just make sure the front is a driver drop. Some of the older Dodge's had pass. drop fronts.
I have had good luck with my D44's but I have chromo's all the way around and premium U joints in the front. D44's would work depending on your driving style.

[Jeffy]

here is what I have found in the Houston area;

http://houston.craigslist.org/pts/2182223537.html

http://houston.craigslist.org/pts/2180042466.html

Do you want the tires sticking out really far or under the body somewhat.  The best setup is probably a '78-79 Ford F350 D60 front and rear.  But a 14 Bolt rear is usually a bit cheaper and easier to find then a 60.

I'd put the cutoff for Dana 44's at 38".  You could beef up the D44 but then it's probably going to cost more then a D60/14.  If you were going to go with 35-36" then 44's would be good as the D60 needs to be shaved or else you'll lose a lot of clearance at the pig.  IIRC, you can shave an inch off without too much trouble.

I have a few friends who run 44's with 37's and 38's but they had the axles when they were at 35's and moved up.  Some have broken axles though.

Gearing wise, shouldn't be a problem if you gear low enough.  I'd go 5:89's for sure.  BUT your acceleration will probably suffer with all of the mass.

[Bounty Hunter]

Why the 38" tires if your type of wheeling doesn't dictate it?

I'd still use the Isuzu rear d44 and narrow a Ford 3/4t front d44 to Waggy width.  There's a local 4wd shop here that will narrow my housing for $300 but I'm going to do it myself.  You then end up with thicker axletubes than a Waggy, a high pinion diff, and the ability to run off-the-shelf Waggy axleshafts.

Then stick with 35"/36" tires.

[planman]

Also at that size tire, consider that axles aren't the only concern. 

The AX-5 tranny behind a 4 cyl will not last long with a turbo 4 cyl and 38"+ tires--even with 5.38 gears and a 4:1 transfer case.

[enginethatcould]

Also at that size tire, consider that axles aren't the only concern. 

The AX-5 tranny behind a 4 cyl will not last long with a turbo 4 cyl and 38"+ tires--even with 5.38 gears and a 4:1 transfer case.

I have already done the nv3550  conversion

[enginethatcould]

Why the 38" tires if your type of wheeling doesn't dictate it?

I'd still use the Isuzu rear d44 and narrow a Ford 3/4t front d44 to Waggy width.  There's a local 4wd shop here that will narrow my housing for $300 but I'm going to do it myself.  You then end up with thicker axletubes than a Waggy, a high pinion diff, and the ability to run off-the-shelf Waggy axleshafts.

Then stick with 35"/36" tires.

I want to run a max size of 38's, my current wheeling honestly justifies a stock jeep as offroading is somewhat nonexistent. My father in law is located near the San marcos area with several acres of mild to mid rocks and hills that I drool over everytime we visit.

I had looked at the 100 dollar man website and would like to
Run decommissioned military tires due to the price.

[planman]

Those ex-military tires are ubber stiff and were designed to be run on huge diesel Hummers that have a loaded weight of more than 3x as much as a 4 cyl TJ.

If you haven't done it already, find out if the tires even get a bulge on a TJ when aired down to 3-5 psi.

[RT]

38's?  Dana 60 and 14Bolt rear.

I second this motion, 38's are monstrous

[neale_rs]

Placing reliability in first place, any tire larger than 35" should be run with axles larger than Dana 44s.  Dana 60s, 14 bolts, Ford Super Duty axles, etc.

[DodgeMudder]

Placing reliability in first place, any tire larger than 35" should be run with axles larger than Dana 44s.  Dana 60s, 14 bolts, Ford Super Duty axles, etc.

WOW you are willing to give up allot of performance in the name of reliability.  I run 34's and 36's on my Jeep w/ a hp30 and 8.8, I have only ever spit the caps on the u-joints and now there tacked in that shouldn't be an issue anymore, and I often think I should have kept the 35 instead of the 8.8 as the 8.8 is a pig.  I wouldn't run 1-ton axles w/ anything less than 40" tires and a V-8, I would rather sink money into beefing up a 44 w/ chromo's and a truss, this would be a realiable set-up on 38's, and I know a few guys running this way.

I personally follow the thought that if an axle doesn't break once in a while, when on hard trails, you have over built, making the rig heavier, killing ground clearence and losing capability.  How often a breakage happens is personal opinion is once a month acceptable, or once a year, or once every five years, and the answer to that will be a big factor into how you should build a rig.  Of course if you say never breaking is the only acceptable answer, then you better be running 1 tons and 31's.

[4BangerTJ]

Wow I'm new to this but everything you just said goes against everything I have been told which is absolutely never go above a 33 on a dana 35 and you said you wish you had stayed with the dana 35 over changing it out and you are running 36s. Now I'm way confused.

[FourbangerYJ]

Wow I'm new to this but everything you just said goes against everything I have been told which is absolutely never go above a 33 on a dana 35 and you said you wish you had stayed with the dana 35 over changing it out and you are running 36s. Now I'm way confused.

I broke both D35 shafts at once when I was on 31's. The D35 is a turd and should be  flushed from everyones Jeep who takes it offroad IMO. There are people who have wheeled it hard and not had any issues but they are time bombs IMO.

I would put reliability over performance. You can always drive home, even if it takes a bit longer. D44's are pretty safe up to 37's. I have seen people on larger tires with the D44's. It depends on you much you invest in them and how you drive and the terrain you run.
The steering really needs to be upgraded with a tire much over 35-37. The stock box needs some help with a big tire.