[Ares]

I've been seeing a lot of questions regarding axle strength, U-joints, tire size, etc etc. I found that theres a lot of info out there, but it can be hard to put it all together and sometimes hard to find. So, I've taken a little reasearch, a nice artical provided by JP Magazine and a few websites to help out a bit. Here is some axle information: (Note, most Dana axle spec information is given for Jeep application axles, spec information for other manufacturers may vary [i.e. Chevy axle width, stock gearing, etc])


FRONT AXLES
D27 Front Axle:
Full Floating
Vehicles: '66-'71 CJ-5 and CJ-6; '63-'70 Wagoneer; '67-'71 C-101 Jeepster
Ring Gear: 7.2"
Stock Gearing:
Axleshaft Spline: 10
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.13"
Axle Joint: Spicer 260X
Knuckle: Closed
Brakes: Drum 10" 11"
Weakness: Weak axle for upgrades, low spline count, weak carrier
Width: 51" (CJ and Jeepster), 57.5" (Wagoneer)
Wheel Bolt: 5x5.5"
Max Recommended Tire Size: 31"

D30 Front Axle:
Full/Semi Floating
Vehicles: From ’72 CJ-5, CJ-6, CJ-7, CJ-8, YJ, TJ, XJ, ZJ, C104, WJ
Ring Gear: 7.125”, 7.33” (TJ/WJ Only)
Stock Gearing: 3.07, 3.54 (3.55), 3.73, 4.10 (4.11)
Axleshaft Spline: 27
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.16”, 1.193” (TJ/WJ Only)
Axle Joint: Spicer 260X (pre ’95.5), Spicer 297/760X (post ’95.5), CV & 760 U-Joint (TJ/WJ)
Knuckle: Open
Brakes: Drum 11” (pre ’76), Disc (post ’76)
Weakness: 260X U-joint; YJ Vacuum motor fails; standard CV problems
Width: 51” (’72-’75 CJ, C-104), 53” (’76-’81 CJ), 56” (’82-’86 CJ), 60.5” (TJ, YJ, XJ, WJ)
Wheel Bolt: 5x5.5” (CJ/C-104), 5x4.5” (others)
Max Recommended Tire Size: 35”

AAM 790 Front Axle
Semi Floating
Vehicles: '05 and later WK
Ring Gear: 7.87"
Stock Gearing:
Axleshaft Spline:
Axleshaft Diameter:
Axleshaft Joint: CV
Knuckle: Open
Brakes: Disc
Weakness: Limited modification ability, small ring gear
Width:
Wheel Bolt:
Max Recommended Tire Size: 32"

D44 Front Axle:
Full/Semi Floating
Vehicles: ’57-’65 FC-170; ’63-’70 Gladiator; '67-'79 1/2 & 3/4 Ton Ford Pickups; ’71-’87 J-Series; ’71-’91 Wagoneer; '72-'93 1/2 & 3/4 Ton Dodge Pickups; '73-'79 1/2 & 3/4 Ton Chevy Pickups; ’74-’83 Cherokee; ’03-’06 Rubicon
Ring Gear: 8.5”
Stock Gearing: Many
Axleshaft Spline: 19 (pre ’71), 30 (post ’71)
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.25” (19 spline), 1.31” (30 spline)
Axle Joint: Spicer 206X (pre ’73), Spicer 297/760C (post ’73)
Knuckle: Closed (pre ’73), Open (post ’73)
Brakes: Drum 11” (pre ’73), Disc (post ’73)
Weakness: 260X and 19 spline axleshafts
Width: 63” (FC-170), 57.5” (’71-’73 Wagoneer), 59” (’74 and later Wagoneer), 65.5” (J-Series), 60.5” (Rubicon), Full Width (Ford, Dodge, Chevy)
Wheel Bolt: (Varies)
Max Recommended Tire Size: 37”

D60 Front Axle:
Full Floating
Vehicles: ‘67-’69 Kaiser M-715; ‘72-‘93 3/4 & 1 Ton Dodge Pickups; ‘74-‘77 3/4 Ton Ford Pickups; ‘77-‘87 3/4 & 1 Ton Chevy Pickups; ‘78-‘79 1 Ton Ford Pickups
Ring Gear: 9.75”
Stock Gearing: 4.10, 4.56
Axleshaft Spline: 30
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.31”
Axle Joint: Unknown Spicer
Knuckle: Closed
Brakes: Drum 13”
Weakness: Metallurgically axleshafts inferior to modern metals
Width: 72.5” (M-715), Full Width (Ford, Dodge and Chevy)
Wheel Bolt: 6x8.25”
Max Recommended Tire Size: 42”


REAR AXLES
D35 Rear Axle:
Semi-floating (’85-’89), C-clip (’90 and later)
Vehicles: Most XJ; YJ; TJ (except Rubicon); ZJ; some WJ
Ring Gear: 7.562”
Stock Gearing: 3.07, 3.54 (3.55), 3.73, 4.10 (4.11)
Axleshaft Spline: 27
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.13”
Brakes: Drum 11”; Disc (later ZJ/WJ)
Weakness: Weak carrier & axleshafts
Width: 60.5”
Wheel Bolt: 5x4.5”
Max Recommended Tire Size: 33”

D44 Rear Axle:
Semi Floating
Vehicles (here we go…*long breath*): ’49-’65 6cyl Willy Wagons; ’49.5-’53 CJ-3A; ’53-’68 CJ-3B; ’50-’52 M-38; ’52-’57 M-38A1; ’53-’57 M-170; ’55-’75 CJ-5 & CJ-6; ’85.5-’86 CJ-7; ’58-’65 FC-150; ’57-’65 FC-170; ’63-’70 Wagoneer & Gladiator Pickup; ’67-’71 C-101 Jeepster; ’72-’73 C-104; ’71-’75 Wagoneer & ½-ton J-Series; ’74-’83 Cherokee; ’87-’91 Grand Wagoneer; Some ’86-’92 XJ and MJ; Some ’97-’06 TJ; ’99-’04 WJ; ’96-’98 ZJ
Ring Gear: 8.5”, 8.9” (WJ only )
Stock Gearing: Many, including 3.55, 3.73, 4.11
Axleshaft Spline: 10 (’49-’55), 19 (’56-’70.5), 30 (’70.5 and later)
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.193” (WJ/ZJ) 1.25” (10 and 19 Spline), 1.31 (30 Spline)
Brakes: Drum 9”, 10”, 11”; Disc (Rubicon, ZJ, WJ)
Weakness: 10 & 19 Spline, Some aluminum housings.
Width: 50.5” (up to ’75 CJ, FC, C-101, C-104), 54.5” (’85-’86 CJ), 57.5” (’63-’73 Wagoneer), 60.5” (XJ, MJ, TJ, ZJ, WJ), 65.5” (FSJ Cherokee, J-Series)
Wheel Bolt: Varies
Max Recommended Tire Size: 35”

D53 Rear Axle:
Semi Floating
Vehicles: '55-'65 Willys pickup; '63-'69 Gladiator; '57-'65 FC-170
Ring Gear: 9.25"
Stock Gearing:
Axleshaft Spline: 20
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.31"
Brakes: Drum 11"
Weakness: Hard to find parts, low spline
Width: 65.5" (Gladitaor), 63" (Others)
Wheel Bolt: 5x5.5"
Max Recommended Tire Size: 35"

D60 Rear Axle:
Semi/Full Floating
Vehicles: ‘67-‘69 1/2 & 3/4 Ton Ford Pickups; ’69-’87 J-2000/J-20; ‘72-‘93 3/4 Ton Dodge Pickups
Ring Gear: 9.75”
Stock Gearing 4.10, 4.56
Axleshaft Spline: 30
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.31”
Brakes: Drum 12”
Weakness:
Width: 65.5” (J-2000/J-20), Full Width (Ford, Dodge & Chevy)
Wheel Bolt: 8x6.5”
Max Recommended Tire Size: 42”

D70 Rear Axle:
Full Floating
Vehicles:’58-’68 FC-170 w/dual rear wheels; ’63-’68 J-3000 w/dual rear wheels; ’67-’69 M-715; CJ-10; '72-‘93 3/4 & 1 Ton Dodge Pickups; ‘76-‘77 3/4 Ton Ford Pickups; ‘77-‘87 1 Ton Chevrolet Pickups; ‘78-‘79 1 Ton Ford Pickups
Ring Gear: 10.5”
Stock Gearing: 4.10, 4.56
Axleshaft Spline: 23, 35
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.5”
Brakes: Drum 13”
Weakness: Poor parts availability
Width: 59” (FC & Pickup), 72” (M-715), Full Width (Ford, Dodge and Chevy)
Wheel Bolt: 6x7.25” (M-715), 8x6.5” (others)
Max Recommended Tire Size: 44”

AMC20 Rear Axle:
Semi Floating
Vehicles: ’76-’86 CJ; ’76-’91 Wagoneer and J-10
Ring Gear: 8.875”
Stock Gearing: 2.76, 3.07
Axleshaft Spline: 20
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.31”
Brakes: Drum 11”
Weakness: 2 piece axleshafts (CJ only), tubes spin, 20 spline
Width: 50.5” (’76-’81 CJ), 54.5” (’82-’86 CJ), 59” (Wagoneer), 65.5” (J-Series)
Wheel Bolt: 5x5.5” (CJ), 6x5.5” (Wagoneer and J-Series)
Max Recommended Tire Size: 33”-35”

Chrysler 8.25 Rear Axle:
C-clip
Vehicles: '91-'01 XJ
Ring Gear: 8.25”
Stock Gearing: 3.55, 3.73, 4.10
Axleshaft Spline: 27 ('91-'96), 29 ('96-'01)
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.17” (27 spline), 1.21 (29 spline)
Brakes: Drum 11”
Weakness: 27 spline, c-clip
Width: 60.5”
Wheel Bolt: 5x4.5”
Max Recommended Tire Size: 35”

Ford 8.8 Rear Axle
C-clip
Vehicles: Ford Explorer (Prefered Swap, information reflects Explorer only), Ford F-Series , Ford Ranger
Ring Gear: 8.8"
Stock Gearing: 3.08, 3.27, 3.55, 3.73, 4.10
Axleshaft Spline: 28, 31
Axleshaft Diameter: 1.320"
Brakes: Drum ('91-'94), Disc ('95-'01)
Weakness: C-clip, weak carrier
Width: 59.625" to 65.6"
Wheel Bolt: Most 5x4.5"
Max Recommended Tire Size: 40"


AXLE STRENGHTS:
COT - Continuous Output Torque
MOT - Maximum Output Torque

Dana 35 ........................ COT: 870 MOT: 3480
AMC 20 .........................
Chrysler 8.25 .................
Dana 53 ........................
Dana 44 ........................ COT: 1100 MOT: 4460
Ford 8.8 28 spline ........... COT: 1250 MOT: 4600
Ford 8.8 31 spline ........... COT: 1360 MOT: 5100
Dana 60 semifloat ........... COT: 1500 MOT: 5500
Dana 70 ........................
Rockwell 2.5 Ton ............ Industructable


IDENTIFICATION:
Tag Identification:
D30: “30” cast into back of diff casing on top right and left next to diff cover. Tag bolted on diff cover with axle ID and gear ratio.
D35: “35” cast into back of diff casing on top right and left next to diff cover. “C” next to “35” DOES NOT stand for c-clip, but “custom” (unfinished by Spicer). Tag bolted on diff cover with axle ID and gear ratio.
D44: In most cases “44” into back of diff casing on top right and left next to diff cover. Tag bolted on diff cover with axle ID and gear ratio.
D60: Similar looking casing to the D44, except the oil fill plug is elevated to provide more fluid for the larger gears.
Chrysler 8.25: Tag wrapped around passenger side tube with axle ID and gear ratio.
Ford 8.8: See Joe Dillard and T.Dome's writeup linked at the bottom of the page

Differential Cover Identification:
AMC 20: 12 cover bolts, round cover, fill plug not present
D27: 10 cover bolts, oval with straight sides, distinguished ring gear extension, low fill plug
D30: 10 cover bolts (five on top, five on bottom), oval cover w/flat sides, fill plug just below centerline
D35: 10 cover bolts, evenly spaced, oval "dome" shaped cover with low fill plug
D44: 10 cover bolts, hexagon shaped cover with very round edges, fill plug on centerline
D60: 10 cover bolts, hexagon shaped cover, fill plug on centerline
D70: 10 cover bolts, hexagon shaped cover, fill plug on centerline
Chrystler 8.25: 10 cover bolts, oval shaped cover, fill plug just below centerline
Ford 8.8: 10 cover bolts, square with very round edges, fill plug not present on cover




Gear Identification:
If the gears are unidentifiable from the tag or if the tag is missing, there are two methods to find the gear ratio.

1) Spin the tire one full rotation and watch how far the driveshaft rotates. Double the amount the driveshaft rotated, this gives you your gear ratio. Be sure you are spinning the tire forwards.

2) Count ring & pinion gears: Count the number of teeth on the ring and the pinion. Then divide the ring teeth by the pinion teeth to attain the gear ratio.


USEFUL LINKS
Identification information along with applications outside the Jeep family can be found here

Very informational thread by OhioYJ covering the Jeep, GM, Ford and Chrystler axles at cdmfabrication

All the information you could ever need pertaining to the Ford 8.8 by Joe Dillard and T.Dome

More information better encompasing years and qualities of the D60 and Ford 9"

A writeup by Tomb Raider on axle u-joint replacement

Another writeup by OhioYJ also on u-joint replacement



Now there was a ton of typing in there and a lot of numbers, so feel free to correct me if you see a misprint or mislabeled information. Also, if you have any information to add, please let me know and I will go about adding it.

[theonecsf]

Good info, thanks.

One question, is the Chrysler 8.25 rear axle easier to install into a YJ than a Ford 8.8?

[Ares]

Originally Posted by theonecsf

Good info, thanks.

One question, is the Chrysler 8.25 rear axle easier to install into a YJ than a Ford 8.8?

It requires relitivily the same amount of work. Its slightly cheaper however depending on what year you get, but only about as strong as a D44 (at least the 30 splines). The up-side is you need no adaptors to make the brakes work since it uses the same style brake setup the D35 does, so you save some money there. I was looking into it, but couldn't find a 30 spline in the right ratio, so i passed for the time being.

[chupacabrah]

no 8.8 in there??


other than that, good info!

[Ares]

Originally Posted by chupacabrah

no 8.8 in there??


other than that, good info!

Yea, I know. I don't have any good, reliable info on the 8.8. Just some approximate years. If someone does please add it!

[OhioYJ]

Ratio: Pinion/Ring Combo:
3.08:1 13/40
3.38:1 13/43
3.55:1 13/46
4.10(4.11):1 9/37

I would just explain how the ratios are determined, by dividing the number of teeth on the ring gear by the number of teeth on the pinion gear. I think that would be better as ring and pinion tooth counts vary from axle to axle, for example a 3.54 ratio in a CJ Dana44 would be a 46/13 but a 3.54 ratio in a CJ Model 20 is a 39/11.

[OhioYJ]

Here is the Axle Guide I've been working on. It has most axles in it, not just the Jeep axles.

[Ares]

Originally Posted by OhioYJ

I would just explain how the ratios are determined, by dividing the number of teeth on the ring gear by the number of teeth on the pinion gear. I think that would be better as ring and pinion tooth counts vary from axle to axle, for example a 3.54 ratio in a CJ Dana44 would be a 46/13 but a 3.54 ratio in a CJ Model 20 is a 39/11.

good point. Those numbers are out of my factory manual for the '88, so D35 specific. Great thread btw, definitly adding that!

[Ares]

Update: Added a few more front axles and fixed a few pieces of information.

Anyone else have stuff to add? Doesnt need to be as awesome as OhioYJ's anything will help!

[D0ntTr3ad0nM3]

Ares:
Dont know if this will help you, but heres a link on the 8.8 I've gotten through doing my research. It seems that it might be of interest to you.

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?t=674123

GREAT write up otherwise, really helpful.

[Ares]

Originally Posted by D0ntTr3ad0nM3

Ares:
Dont know if this will help you, but heres a link on the 8.8 I've gotten through doing my research. It seems that it might be of interest to you.

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?t=674123

GREAT write up otherwise, really helpful.

Wow, that thread has a ton of 8.8 stuff. Nice find. Added info for the 8.8 from there and added that link. Thanks alot, the thread is starting to come together pretty well.

[Ares]

More info added

[Ares]

Added a few new things today including a current thread thats runnin around about the D60

[rustywrangler]

Talk about a workout to read.

I Vote for a STICKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chupacabrah]

sticky!