rustysuor

First: I hope this is in correct place to post this.
Will Dana 44 from 1998 Grand Cherokee work in my XJ. I do plan on installing 4 link coil over next year. If not cold someone please tell me what rear end(s) are compatible with '01 XJ. Thanx in advance.

bad_idea

Bolt in, no.

Weld in, sure.

IIRC, that axle has an aluminum center section prone to failure. Not a very desirable axle. IIRC.

The 01 likely has an 8.25" in it, which will handle quite a bit. If the 8.25" won't handle your plans, a Dana 44 won't either. At that point you are looking at one ton axles and lots of custom work.

What are you doing, and why are you doing it?

rustysuor

My XJ has Dana 35. Running 33" tires(may/may not go bigger). Plan to put 4-link coil over rear suspension next year. Maybe LS swap down the road. Want to have rear & front ends that will hold up to it. Never gonna be a mudder with it.
How about Ford 8.8 front Explorer.

00t444e

The 8.8 is a popular upgrade, and would be a much better choice then the Dana 44A out of a Grand Cherokee.

firebane

Wayyyyyy to much work involved for then 8.8, finding a 8.25 should be easy.

00t444e

For a direct bolt in then yes an 8.25 would be fine, but the OP said he was going to do a 4 link setup which would be about the same amount of work on the 8.8 as it would on the 8.25.

bad_idea

In your position, I would go 8.8. I have a 90 that had a D35 and installed an 8.8 in mine. I did it at the same time I installed a lift and SYE. Doing it all at the same time I was able to set the spring perches at the correct angle for everything to play well together.

The 8.8 has the advantage of strength (negligible gain over the 8.25). A variety of gear choices laying in scrap yards. Disc brakes.

Couple drawbacks that are easy to rectify. The biggest one is the center section can twist free of the axle tubes. The center section is a weldable cast steel and can be welded in your garage easy enough. Preheat 400, weld w/ 3/32 7018, wrap in fiberglass to slow cooling. The other issue is the axle is about 2" narrower (IIRC) than the XJ axle. Not a big deal, just tucks the tires in a bit.

I pulled one out of a 97ish Explorer w/ fresh disc brakes, 4.10 gears, and a LSD from Pick n Pull for $75 (half off sale). Bracket kit off CL for $50.

andrewmp6

The grand don't have a normal dana 44 its a dana 44a aka 44hd.It uses a bigger diff and ring gear then the standard 44,Even the diff cover is a lot bigger.The reason its called a 44a is the center is aluminum with pressed in axle tubes.The aftermarket is very limited for it also.Like said get a 8.25 it bolts in,Anything else that takes welding go to 1 ton axles skip anything else.To swap a axle cost about the same so why not go big and be ready.

caged

the 44a only came in the V8 grands, otherwise it had the d35.
but the 99 and up had that odd rear upper control arm thing.

bad_idea

I have to disagree with that statement. If your goal is to run 33s or smaller, want disc brakes, and can do the welding yourself then I don't think you can beat the cost to throw in an 8.8. I have $125 into an 8.8 loaded w/ 4.10 gears (sufficient for 33s, would have to regear an 8.25"), including the bracket kit.

The other benefit of welding in a 8.8 vs bolting in an 8.25" - No need to shim the spring perches for driveshaft alignment, you weld the perches on where you want them.

Assuming the same cost to buy an 8.25", then you would have to buy spring perch shims (~$30), disc brake setup (~$50 at the scrap yard), and regear (~$200 for gears and bearing kit). These numbers are rough numbers, but you are looking at a $230 difference. Even then, your lower shock mounts are going to be at an odd angle, unless you rework those too.

Both scenarios assume you complete all of the work yourself. If you have to hire out the work, then I am unsure how that would work out. I'm guessing it would be a wash, as the time to weld up suspension brackets and regear are close (it took me about the same amount of time to regear the D30 as it did to weld the 8.8 in). As far as a one ton axle swap costing the same as an 8.8 swap, I don't buy that either. Explorer 8.8 axles are a dime a dozen while one ton axles demand a premium price. Also all of the parts to build the one ton axle cost more. Also, if you go with a one ton axle on 33s or smaller, you will lose a fair amount of clearance due to the larger center section.