ron45

Is there a reason not to consider this for my XJ. There is one of these left according to the site info. price is OK, 283.00 I think

Ron

andrewmp6

A dana 35 is only good for a paper weight not worth buying at all.Its the weakest xj stock axle btw.

'00 XJ

Second that. A Chrysler 8.25 is not a bad way to go. Dana 44 is good. The 8.25 is decent, and might be fairly available.

andrewmp6

The chrysler 8.25 is about even with a dana 44 and you can run 35 inch tall tires on it with some upgrades.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

ron45

Thanks, the Danna 35 I asked about is a differential kit. Are you saying I'll have to install D35 axles to run that diff?

Ron

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

Do you already have a D35? This is getting confusing.

Martlor13

bro....x2!!!

man this is the 2nd or 3rd thread you have had that I'm just lost as to what exactly you are asking.

Basslicks

Wait. Differential kit? As in a kit to perform maintenance on the axle that you already have? Oh GOD no! The Dana 35 axle is barely worth putting diff lube in let alone spending that much money on maintenance for it.

You could get a chrysler 8.25 or even better a ford 8.8 out of the junkyard COMPLETE for 200 or less. THEN you'd have something worth putting money into.

'00 XJ

Ron, are you looking for a replacement axle, to rebuild an axle, put in a locker, or to rebuild your differential?

Or just exploring what option/s to go with, considering the resources available?

You mentioned not going rock climbing, however noble an endeavor, but trying to navigate the hilly road to the homestead on your remote property in mud, snow, ice, etc.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f9/whe...r-true-233906/

I think the 8.25 Chrysler, 8.8 Ford, Dana 44, are clearly what folks recommend.

For on road, stock tire, normal street and highway stuff, the Dana 35 may be okay. If you decide to upgrade anything, do any wheeling, tow, or replace the axle, skip the Dana 35, as not being worth the investment of time, or funds. Putting lipstick on a pig.

Please do consider upgrading to discs, instead of drums (there's guys on the forum who sell kits from reclaimed parts, or get a kit with shiny new parts, it's up to you).

Might as well go through the whole thing, replace bearings, etc., while you've got everything apart.

Have you Identified the axle you have under your rig yet? Maybe snap a picture and post it, or print out the photo on the other thread that Lack posted and compare it. Or get a build sheet on your vehicle as Cliffy mentioned.

I know it sounds silly, but first make sure you don't already have a good axle under there.




Thanks, Lack.

ron45

Hello again 00XJ, Sorry I'm not communicating more clearly. The differential in my XJ is open. W/rear wheel jacked up in neutral I can spin the dirve shaft. I'm seeking the least expensive way to upgrade to something w/better traction from both wheels. i.e. can't turn the jacked up wheel.

Some of these posts read like the axle and rear differential are the same thing. Or that's my impression of what is being asked. It could be my own confusion at work.

The Danna 35 kit I posted about looks like this.... I believe I did the upload of the Danna 35 kit correctly but I don't see it. I click on manage attachments, `browse to the file on my desktop, select it and click upload on the forum page. Fairly straight forward.

Regardless, the kit does not have an axle in it anywhere. And I don't get the confusion between axle and rear diff. One has ring and pinion and lots of teeth the other looks like a tube with a wheel flange on the end and splines on the other where it mates with the diff.

That's how they were all those years ago on my Land Rover series IIA. `Had to drive it home once in front wheel drive so to speak w/broken rear axle. So I think I know what I want. I did just learn that there are ford axles that will do the job. But I've forgotten the ID for it. I just discovered this msg is duplicated above, or part of it anyway. I opened a new tab to grab the pic. of the Danna 35 KIt hoping to include it in this msg. I was not aware that when I clicked the tab for this msg I got a whole new window. I didn't intentionally post the above thread.

My wife of 47 years is very ill and this rear diff quest is a bit of a brief escape for me. Apologies to all if .... to quote Strother Martin "What we have here is a"..... you probably know the rest.

Ron

ron45

No, I tried to post a pic of the kit on the ebay page. I didn't work. I do not understand how to use this forum I guess. I clicked quick reply in your msg. to get here, and now cannot find your post to make sure I addresses all the questions. Using the scroll bar on the rt. get's me to a post I answered two hours ago.

SO....Still playin' bass. I did that for 20 years, last ten spanned the 60's and 70s based out of Malibu. I even remember much of it!!

Ron

'00 XJ

It is all good, Ron. So sorry about your wife. Known love and loss, friends who stuck. I can identify with the failure to communicate. When we're kids, we think being positional means we're a stand up guy. But, as time goes on, as you know, it's the people with that spectrum of middle settings, in addition to fight or flight, that are valuable. Go to any dojo, most respectful people on earth. An armed society is a polite society, Heinlein said. Comes from lack of anxiety. Collaboration, highest form of competition.

So, I appreciate your humility. Trying to find the answers, going about things in a good way. Picking yoursef up, going about your business. No plan is foolproof. You have that low end torque we all need. Cool changes over time.

There's a lot of us who envy your 47 years. The longer I'm on this earth, the more I'm thankful for what it's given me, of all people. But it comes with a price. We get fond of people. And want them around. Whoever said all relationships end badly was right. But we wouldn't willingly trade it for anything.

Rogue4x4

Ron, here's the bottom line.

Don't put any money into a D35. Not even sure still if that's what you have, but if it is, don't spend a dime on that turd. The easiest, cheapest way to do what you want to do, is to find an 8.25 from another XJ. Salvage yard, craigslist partout, pawning your ring on Colfax, whatever it takes...the XJ 8.25 is a direct bolt in. A stock 8.25 should run you no more than a couple hundred bucks...at worst.

Once you have said axle, the swap is easy. Get new spring plate u-bolts. Jack the rig up, remove u-bolts, roll old axle out, roll new one in, put in new u-bolts, and Robert is your dad's brother.

Swap done, then get yourself a "lunchbox" locker...it is easily installed with grinding a couple teeth on the pinion gear down to get the cross pin out, remove spider gears, install locker, install cross pin...a lunchbox style locker will grip when it senses wheel slip...I run them front and rear in my daily and never notice them. You can find them for around $250 on amazon...Aussie, and Spartan are two I would trust, mine are Spartans.

To me, this is the easiest way to do it. Yes, you could try to find a factory 44...but they are unicorn farts. An 8.8, sure, but a lot more work...not a direct bolt on. Yes, you may even find a LSD, but, by looking specifically for one, you narrow your options. Plenty of 8.25's to be had, and easy to swap, easy to do a lunchbox, and easy to do a disc brake conversion, if you would like that as well. (I've done it to mine, one of the best mods for the XJ with an 8.25, hands down)...

Just my twin Abe's

andrewmp6

Your front axle is a dana 30 the rear one can be a dana 35 a chrysler 8.25 or even a dana 44 depending the year of your xj and does it have abs or not.Like said don't spend a penny on a dana 35 if you have one,You can bolt a chrysler 8.25 in from another xj as long as its the same gear ratio you have.