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dana 44 swap, already searched..

3K views 57 replies 13 participants last post by  kowboydmac 
#1 ·
mostly cause i'm not a premium member, my search sucks lol

anyway, i found several articles about swapping a zj 44 into something else, like a cj, yj, etc.

the thing is, i'm trying to find a writeup of some kind about swapping a 44 INTO a zj.

i know there's some welding that i've heard about and stuff like that, but i also read there's no welding? for the info i'm after, i just started a new thread.

so yeah, and help about swapping a 35 for a 44 INTO a ZJ, not OUT OF a zj, is what I'm looking for.

thanks
 
#7 ·
ok the aluminum d44a? right.. isn't much of an upgrade over a 35 if i understood correctly.

so basically i'm interested in the iron d44, if i'm going to do this at all.

ok i figured waggy was waggoneer lol

i'm assuming the xj's have iron 44's?
 
#8 ·
ok the aluminum d44a? right.. isn't much of an upgrade over a 35 if i understood correctly.

so basically i'm interested in the iron d44, if i'm going to do this at all.

ok i figured waggy was waggoneer lol

i'm assuming the xj's have iron 44's?
it's a massive upgrade over a d35, there's just not much aftermarket support for it.
 
#10 ·
what kind of aftermarket support?

i want to run 4.56 gears and maybe lock it, but not anytime soon. maybe in a year or two, maybe.
 
#11 ·
i'd go for one for 150 if the welding would be that much to do lol i haven't learned to weld nor do i have the money for equipment yet
 
#12 ·
it's direct bolt in, BUT you will need to match front and rear gear ratios if you plan to use 4wd at all. which means regearing right away or swapping in a front axle that matches.

if i were you i'd get an xj high pinion front axle, 94-99 vintage, the 96-98 grand 44a, regear both at the same time. have a truss welded on the 44a to remove it's one glaring weakness. and wheel the snot out of them. they'll hold up well to 35" tires and hard wheeling, a d35 is a time bomb with 33's and light throttle.
 
#13 ·
yeah i understand matching them lol i do have the 242 so i can 2wd, but im not risking forgetting it when im out havin fun and screwing the whole drivetrain up..

i was thinking of buying the axle separately, so i could get things done to it easier anyway... i want to runs some tsl thornbird super swamper's at 33", so i think this setup would be an awful lot of fun and not eat me up since it's a daily driver as well.

is the high pinion front axle the same bolt on? I know a guy that welded up my broken control arm bracket quickly... kinda expensive but it's held nice and i told him i'd be back with some more work.

i just need some more direct info on all this done to a ZJ... i found plenty for wranglers and XJ's, but not so much something like this for ZJ's so I do THANK YOU for helping me understand this
 
#14 ·
how can i tell if an xj has a high pinion front axle from 94-99? are they all the same or is there an external distinguishing factor? I'm near a local u pull place that has good jeep stuff
 
#15 ·
Dont get the tsl ''Thornturds'' they suck...and dont deserve to be called super swampers.

Also if you truss and skid a 44a it will be stronger than an iron 44.
 
#19 ·
oh! ok I thought that the "high" meant something internal.. just a physical location... gotcha.

That's a direct bolt on swap to a ZJ?
 
#20 ·
You can find iron D44's that are the exact same width as ZJ axles in late 80's (like 86-87) XJ's and MJ's that came with the tow package. They are quite rare but can be found if you look. As already discussed, this option is far from a bolt in. You are looking at $250-$300 for the brackets and then you need to weld them on. An axle that old will certainly need a complete rebuild: $175 for gears, $125 for master rebuild kit, $120 for wheel bearings, seals, & retainers, $60-$120 for diff cover, and $500 for labor. Of course it does not make sense to regear without installing a locker so throw in another $300-$1,000. And then there is the question of brakes. Converting the drums to discs will run you about $500 for a kit from Tereflex but you can probably piece some junk together for alot less provided you can fab up the correct spacers to maintain bearing preload. All of this is described in my build thread. I went this route simply because it had been a long time since I built an axle. If I had to do it over again I would just buy a complete assembly from someplace like Dynatrac.

If you are on a budget, the path of least resistance is to swap in matching D44a and D30 from a 96-98 ZJ with low miles (I would not touch anything with over 120k). If you want some marginal strength gain in the front r&p then try to find an XJ HPD30 with 3.73's (and good luck with that). You should be able to wheel 33's with 3.73's although they are definitely not ideal. If you really want 4.56's then you need to plan on at least $2,000 to properly regear both axles.

And IIRC the Wagoneer D44's are narrower than ZJ axles so you will need to run spacers. Plus the bolt pattern is different.
 
#21 ·
to me it seems like my best bet would be to swap a zj 44 and just regear everything... not quite sold i'd need the high front end dana 30 for what i do
 
#25 ·
How about a S35 kit?

That would get you axle shafts that are stronger than stock 44 or stock 44a axle shafts.

You would also get a locker out of the deal.

There would be no fabwork or junkyard shopping involved.

But for those who like to junkyard shop and tinker, this is probably not your favorite option. :laugh:
 
#27 ·
How about a S35 kit?

That would get you axle shafts that are stronger than stock 44 or stock 44a axle shafts.

You would also get a locker out of the deal.

There would be no fabwork or junkyard shopping involved.

But for those who like to junkyard shop and tinker, this is probably not your favorite option. :laugh:
You still have a relatively small R&P to deal with, not to mention the additional cost associated with it. In addition to the S35 kit you still have to buy a new R&P if you are regearing.
 
#26 ·
ah well yeah i'll definitely go for one for 20 bucks! haha.

since this is more of a whim and just wanted info... i'll leave it be that i'll keep my eye out for those two types of axles, and just grin and bear with what i have until i can get ahold of those, build them up off the vehicle and then install them.

i definitely dont NEED them, but a 44 swap sounds like a significant upgrade, and i've been saving for 4.56 gears anyway... may as well kill two birds with one stone.

btw... i have no more savings baha. startin back from ground zero cause of a few personal things
 
#28 ·
hey didnt see the s35 thing... haven't looked into it

sounds like it'd be more expensive though
 
#30 ·
dang you guys are giving me insane info! lol trying to keep up...

ok so s35 kit seems to be more tedious than it's face value...

and yes tires i'm doing work trying to find what i want... the thornbirds are what I'm looking for when it comes to description, but apparently no bueno in actuality.
 
#32 ·
well u-pull here sells axle assemblies for 60 bucks... i figure i can pull one, clean it up take the gears out myself, buy new gears (kolak) and take the bare axle to a shop and have them install it for under 250, granted that's all they do.. i'd por 15 the axle to make it look nice, and just swap the stock parts i have already, maybe changing a few components here and there. i know the front 30 needs an open carrier, but i worked with kolak to get all the gear components for 600.
 
#33 ·
im doing more research and everything says to avoid a zj 44... is it worth it to find an xj 44 or something else and just pay to get the brackets welded and what not, or weld a truss (assuming thats a piece welded from arm to arm of the axle) like suggested earlier?
 
#34 ·
If you cannot weld, that is another good reason to get the S35 kit.

Most of the people that say to avoid the ZJ 44a are those who are looking to swap that axle in to another vehicle. And in that case with all the extra work, most people would opt for something else.

Finding an XJ 44 can be difficult because they were not very common. And they are about 20 years old now, so if you do find one, it will probably need some work.
 
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