Codenamefa

So I have come to the crossroad of having to either put another rear axle in or just rebuild and make it better. My current 8.25 has decided its pinion bearing is no longer needed and that the carrier needed a new look, aka its eating itself alive. (Still drives tho) So I have tracked down a few possible solutions.

1. Pull another 8.25 at the u-pull-it (29 spline instead of 27) for $100.

2. Buy a Jeep XJ Dana 44 that came stock with 4.56 in it for $300. Very Rare. Only has 89,000 miles on it. (GF found it on Local Facebook swap page.... Go Figure) Not a clue if it has the limited slip in it or not but by what I have heard they usually did with that ratio. Story behind the guy selling it is that he pulled the rusted 87 cherokee chief out of a old farmers barn and was going to just take it to the crusher till he pulled the diff cover off and saw it said 4.56 on it. so he pulled the axles and is selling them. The axle is not very rusty either.

3. Or.... go big and pull a Ford 8.8 (Same u-pull-it) for $100 and buy the ruffstuff swap kit plus pinion yolk and then regear when I can afford the locker and gears.

Honestly I don't do much rock crawling, mainly just a little trail riding here and there and for Iowa there isn't much that can stop my jeep anyways, BUT that being said I do plan to eventually take this rig to the MOAB after I get my long arms and frame strengtheners on. So I know this has been beat like a dead horse of what I should do but I figure getting an opinion is better than reading about what others did and then basing it off their decisions when I am in a different area and I don't do as much as some others do. So place your opinions for this please.

Bustedback

Option #1 makes the most sense. It's cheaper and easier.

Atmos

I'd go swoop that 4.56 D44. Hell yeah. Then Just order some alloys or whatever and gear the front. Even if you're mostly street driven the 4.56's will make you very happy. And it will boost your resale value a bit

Atmos

For this axle debate I always say just screw it. Get the most bang for your buck. And an axle already geared is some decent bang. Cheaper than an 88 build but more expensive that a replacement 8.25. Worth it. And even if you can't gear the front right away, you can still pull the front driveshaft and mob around town 2wd

Codenamefa

Well a positive note is I have 4.56 up front already. But building the Dana 44 might be a task due to its odd build. alot of options for the carrier and the gears but axle shafts is a bit harder to come by unless its the same as the TJ Rubicon 44.

andrewmp6

For parts on the dana 44 hit up http://www.rwkhaussupply.com/magento/ Hes one of vendors and can get just about anything made.And ask for a forum discount.

caronaxtr

^ x2 on buying from Robert (RWK Haus) great to deal with & great pricing too.

I'd do the D44, since your D30 is already geared to 4.56. The 44 would pretty much be a direct swap. You'd have to regear the 8.25 and that'll start adding up quick.