Ford 8.8 now what?
 

Hey guys....I've had quite a few cherokee's....they have pretty much all been swapped. I've got some knowledge, and I'm not afraid to tackle things...

Anyway...For those who swap a ford 8.8 in the rear, what does everyone do for the front? Right now, here is the setup:

88 xj

Ford 8.8 rear
4.10 gears
lunchbox locker
iro truss

dana 30 front
4.10 with locker
converted to cable actuator
apprantly has been sleeved with alloy ball joints
I have some spare shafts and stuff with it...just picked up the jeep last night...I got a ton of parts with it even mile marker locking hubs...just not sure if its all there or not yet.

I know a hp dana 44 is going to be a lot wider than the 8.8....whats my options here without having to have one narrowed?

Am I better off to throw the mm locking hubs back in and throw some chromoly shafts in it and just run the 30? It only has 32's right now....has a 7.5 inch lift...not sure if I'm going to go with bigger tires yet or not...wouldn't mind going to 35's but fear the gears aren't high enough and don't really want to regear front and rear.



All the cherokee's I've had didn't have an 8.8, they all had full size axles.

thoughts?

1980-1991 Grand wagoneer Dana 44 front axle.

I run a stock Dana 30. No sleeves, no truss, no fancy shafts. I run BFG KM2 35S & hammer on the XJ pretty good. It has yet to fail me. I carry spare axle shafts & drive shafts just in case.

I've heard the hub conversion kits are garbage. I'd sell the kit & invest that money in a future front axle.

I wouldn't run chromoly shafts in a 30. You will eventually grenade the ring gear. If a normal 44 or Rubicon 44 sure, they have e a larger ring gear to handle the stress.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'd suggest you run the D30 until it breaks.

my plan was a hp ford d44 fron and an 8.8 rear with dual drilled shafts with the ford pattern..

or a set of rubi JK 44's front and rear

For 35s you will have to re gear it to match.Here is a chart gear vs tire size http://jeeptalk.org/gear_chart.php

I run a Chy 8.25/D30 4.56 gear locked F & R, stock axles with 33 & 35" tires no breakage yet of either over 3 yrs. now. With 35's or larger you will need a gear change for sure what you have now (4.10's) is perfect for a 31" tire.

I will say one thing....these 88's are a dog compared to mid to late 90's ones I've had.

I haven't decided if I'm going to keep it yet or not...I'm partial to this jeep lol....buti t sounds like I'm going to beat the hell out of the 30 until it breaks then swap in a 44....

cleenrob...was you planning on narrowing the 44?

yup, to waggy width, that is if i can ever get a hold of one..

you could always go with a waggy 44 as well but theyre Low pinion and not as strong, but many have wheeled them with success

In '91 they came out with the HO 4.0. It had 190 hp. The '89- 90 4.0s are Renix with 177 hp. Lower horsepower & age are my my guess.
My '89 does fine to have 265k miles on it. It'll cuise down the highway at 70- 75 without issues.

My 90 has 45k on a rebuilt motor. 33s with 4.10 gears. Accelerates to 75 smooth and easy. It ain't my Camaro, but it gets out of its own way. Doesn't want to go any faster than 80 though.

Only problem is the waggy is a 6 lug,It can be changed over to a 5x5.5 or a isuzu rodeo rear dana 44 is xj width and same 6 lug as the waggy.

i think you can also get 6 lug 8.8 axles, but im not 100% on that

Or just get rear adapters with a 6 lug pattern. Personally, I'd just redrill the front to match the rear or vise versa.

Aftermarket maybe but thats a lot of money for custom axles,Ford never made a 8.8 6 lug it was 5 lug only anything 6 lug depending the year was a semi float dana 60 or a sterling after 93.