Hey folks, I got a lead on a Dana 44 rear with 4.10s that I'm going to pick up on Monday if it's in good shape. Just a few questions before I strand myself:


The axle will be going in at the same time as a Zone 4.5" lift - TC drop for now, SYE will be in the summertime. I currently have a Dana 35, and the AX15 manual trans. Will my existing driveshaft work with this swap, and if not, what should I be grabbing one out of?

 

Your drive shaft is fine but if its not the xj or other jeep.d44 then a yoke swap might be needed for the axle. Any drive line shop will have you for ya

 

Thanks for the info. Yes, the D44 is out of an '86 XJ. I'm hoping they have the front one as well to save me a bit of searching.

 

Front 44 on a xj?

 

86 XJ's did not have D44's, only 87-89.

The only XJ's that had a front D44 where sold in South America...mythical at best.

You will need to swap out your driveshaft as well. Grab one from the d44 donor rig or fom an 8.25" equipped XJ at the JY.

 

Oops sorry for the bad info. I swapped my 44 from a 89 and i didnt need a shaft

 

I used my stock shaft but I'm an auto Tran

 

No, the front D30 so I'll have matching gear ratios with one trip to the junkyard.

 

I have only seen Cherokee Dana 44s in 87 model years, though they were supposedly factory installed in 87 thru 90 year XJs.

 

No, you're mistaken.

87
88
89

That's it nothing more. They were not installed through the 1990 model year.

 

What are the pro's of this swap and are there other axles that are good to swap as well?

 

More Splines
Bigger Shafts
No C-Clips
About a metric a$$-ton of after market support

Yes, there are other axles that can be swapped in with a little more time and more money.
It's been covered quite a bit in many, many threads. Use the SEARCH button above and look for threads with AXLE SWAP in the title.

 

Direct bolt on, and mine handled 35"tires.

 

you can run 35" tires on stock axles
not the d35 that is lol

 

Nuff said, if you can get a 44 I say get it. So Cali has at least one for sale monthly, ranging from $250-$450. It's a simple, strong axle, and as Frank stated, a lot of aftermarket support.