He asked how hard the swap was and if it's worth it could be wrong but i did it and wouldn't look back

 

im going to be running a 29 spline 8.25 in mine but i got the axle for free..

i personaly would go for the 8.8 if you have the means to weld up the brackets. its a stronger axle and will hold up better. but the 8.25 is a pretty stout axle tho. im running 33's on my 27 spline with out a single problem and i trust it with everything i throw at it.

it all really boils down to the deals you can find and whats cheeper. theyre both worthy axles

 

My 29 spline 8.25 never had issues locked on 35's

 

That sound horribly wrong. I think there is something missing there. A 4.88 ring gear for an 8.25 is pretty big. Very thick, and only .55" smaller in diameter than a 8.8.
IF the ring gear broke my guess is the bolts were loose and it somehow broke in between the bolt bosses.

 

Nope a few teeth broke and then im assuming came back around in the fluid and took out more teeth.

 

What brand gears?

 

I wanna say g2 since there was a sticker on the window

 

Don't blame the axle for the po using cheap **** gears.

 

Problem is the pinion gear on the 4:88 is so small there is not much surface area to engage.

 

if you do the 8.8 it is a fun task and your up front cost will be up there you will have to get spring and shock perch/mounts you will need the drive flange adapter if you plan on running stock back spaced or even rubicon wheels then you will need wheel spacers. you will also need to figure out your pinion angle as well as accomodate the extra length of driveshaft since the flange is in place. im running the 8.8 i would never turn back but i also had no choice due to blowing out the d35 pulling a forklift out of a hole. you will also need brake lines and e-brake cable if your doing disc.


just my input not telling you what you should or shouldn't do

 

Also has anyone measured how large the diff is? Center axle line to bottom of diff on 8.8. I already measured my 8.25. Thanks

 

The problem with this is that the pinion diameter on the 8.8 and the C/8.25 are the same, 1.626 inches. The ring gear on the 8.8 is .55 inch larger, but I don't think that will be that significant on 33 or 35 inch tires.

 

5.75

 

The 8.25 pinion is not small by any means. There is no valid argument that the ring gear failed because of gear size. Hard to tell in the pics but it looks like maybe too much backlash and the pinion was riding the outside of the tooth.

 

^x2
The C/8.25 R&P with 4.88 gears are fairly robust looking while the D/30 R&P with 4.88 gears look tiny, almost toy like.
When I'm wheeling, in most situations most of the torque is on the rear axle so the D/30 has held up so far, but I do sort of hold my breath when I'm pounding on the front axle.