I am beginning a project on a 97 XJ this month and I have almost all of my plans set, except for spooling. I want to spool my front and rear end but not sure which spools are best, and by best I mean most durable. Money is not a concern, I'd rather pay more for better durability and reliability.

Suggestions and/or advice are greatly appreciated.

 

Why are you set on spools

 

Unless its 100% off road only i wouldn't think about a spool,And even off road theres times where a selectable locker will be better then a spool.

 

I prefer reliability and durability of spools. I'm aware they are not very road friendly, but I'm ok with that. Do you know which brands/types would work best for a 97 XJ?

 

I prefer reliability and durability of spools. I'm aware they are not very road friendly, but I'm ok with that. Do you know which brands/types would work best for a 97 XJ?

 

They don't make spools for Dana 30, Dana 35, or Chrysler 8.25. So unless your axles are swapped your SOL

 

I've noticed that when I'm looking for info on spools it's hard to find and most of what I find are lockers which is why I've come here for advice. I'd prefer to have spools so if I need to do a full axle swap, what would you recommend?

 

If I have to go with lockers I can. It seems like that is just the easier way to go. Would still prefer to go with full spools. If I have to swap my axles, can anyone point me in the right direction as far as axle options that would be best for off-road performance and durability?

 

Ford high pinion 44 front and Ford 9" rear. Or Dana 60s front and rear.

Detroit locker is the way to go if you want to keep stock axles and want spool like traction

If your on a budget. Front lunch box Locker and weld the rear axle spider gears

 

My budget is pretty high for this build. I want to do it right. Will the Ford high pinion front end and ford 9" rear be more durable than the stock Dana 30's or 35's it has now? And how well will the Dana 60's hold up?

 

Btw this was very helpful. Thank you.

 

I want to avoid any welds since I hear that it weakens the gears.

 

Yeah I agree it was only meantioned for small budget

 

The 44/9 combo is great for about 37" tires and really stout.

Dana60s are beef but you loose ground clearance but you can run up to around 42" tire on them or run smaller and have that reliability.

Either of those is miles ahead of a Dana30/35 strength wise

 

I'm going with 33's on a 6.5 lift. Might go up to 35's but I think that's the biggest I want to go. After doing a little research it looks like the 44/9 combo is more for me. If I do that, which spool do you think would work best?