Sexmachine

I own a 94 jeep grand Cherokee Laredo and am looking into possible axle swaps. My current is a dana 35 with drum brakes which i absolutely hate and want to convert to disk. A friend said that later zjs came with a dana that would swap right in. I did a little research and it seems as if this axle is junk and better off staying with the 35. Im tight on money since i am supporting my wife, three year old and five day old baby. A junkyard swap would be nice. Does anyone know of any axles out there that would swap right into a zj?I am a do it yourselfer and would like to avoid any major welding or fabricating since i do not own a welder at this time. I plan on doing some serious off roading and need something strong and dependable. My whole jeep is on coils so no leaf setups. I also plan on at least a four inch lift in the future.

Eric M

There really isn't much that will bolt right in...if you could find one a '00 or newer TJ came with a steel dana 44 as aposed to the aluminum center section 44 in v8 grands...but you might still have to regear. Someone who knows more than me might be able to tell you if a tj rear is straight bolt in or not, but most suspension componets on a zj are similar/same as a tj.

FAlfani81

I have a 93 ZJ. I just simply took the rear brake assembly from a 95 and bolted it all bolted right on, lines hooked up directly in place DONE

OnARoof

There's not much that bolts right into a zj. The d44a isn't a good enough upgrade, mostly because of limited aftermarket support, to go through the hassle.
The best upgrade is a 8.8 out of a 96 or newer explorer. You get disks, same bolt pattern, e-brake assembly, and a track that's only slightly narrower. It does require welding mounts, but if you do the prep and price shop it can be had for not that much. Or save your money and buy a welder, it will come in handy later.
But for now a 35 will handle up to 33's and a locker as long as you don't get crazy with the wheel-hop. If you're still worried, run to the junkyard and get a spare axle shaft, they're not really hard to change, and you're going to have to do a trail repair eventually.

billyxj

you can also sleve and truss that d35 upgrade to chromemolly shafts

wildspear

if you plan on off roading serious then your going to have to put some dollars in your jeep. To make it more capable, fix stuff that breaks, so on and so forth. If you don't have the coppers to fix up right then save them coppers untill you can do it right.

Things like swaping axles is going to cost money and it's going to have a fair part of fab work involved. Do some searching on what you really want out of your rig. Come up with a plan on how to get your jeep to be what you want it to be. Then research, research, research. It will cost time, and money but you'll have a whole lot of fun getting there.

mrtoofast4u

I have a 94 with the Dana 35 with disc brakes. Just swap yours to discs if that's what you are wanting. Then truss the axle and get chromoly axle shafts. I have 33's and a Detroit locker and have no problems.

Sexmachine

Thank you all. I got the answer out of you that i fugured i would. Sometimes i wish i had a xj for convenience. I notice in lots of parts mags the xj has hundreds of options for different components where as the zj might have one ore two. But i love my jeep and will make way with it. I found a awesome Rear bumper on ebay with a tire carrier i plan on buying soon. as far as the brakes go about how much did you spend out of a junkyard for the disk brakes? I figure while i save money up for a new axle i can just junkyard swap in the mean time. as of right now i have no e brake as the cable snapped inside the drum so this is a priority. I seen Drum to disk brake kits online but those run over 500 bucks! CRAZY! As far as what i have planed for this jeep...........Everything~

Gee oh Dee

And have an axle that will still hndle only 33s and probably break and let a tire walk with much bigger, esp if locked.

They are great for daily driving and light wheeling, tho. But I wouldn't put money into one if I didnt have to.

01XJ1833

8.8 is really the best way to go. The 35 and 44a will always be weak. The regular dana 44s are too expensive or just don't last long in junkyards, at least around here

Sexmachine

Does anyone have any real experience with the difference of a dana 44 or a ford 8.8? Pros cons?

biggoofy

I wheeled my d44a hard on 33s and 35s with no issues it's a really good 100% bolt in option.

01XJ1833

Did you have a locker in it? Most experience issues once they are locked

biggoofy

Nope I ran it open I locked my 9" though lol. If ya truss it and connect the tubes that way it would really help strengthen it up.

01XJ1833

Yeah it does help to truss it, but it still does have the aluminum center section. Which is the biggest weakness of that axle. I would honestly go with the 8.8 if just for the reason that if I broke it and had to get a new one, there are about 30 in the junkyard near me