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Issues for Dana 44 swap into 83 CJ7 w/Dana 20? CJ has YJ Susp. upgrade.

1K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  wm69 
#1 ·
I have a 1983 CJ-7 with the YJ spring conversion. I have a local boneyard that specializes in Chrysler products, and the back half of the yard is Jeeps. No CJs, but lots of YJs.

The question is, what's involved with pulling a Dana 44 off an 87-95 YJ and putting it on my CJ? It would seem to be fairly straightforward, but I've been around Jeeps long enough to know better.

What issues, what to look for, measure, etc?
 
#2 ·
YJ's never had a D44. 1986 CJ-7 sometimes were equipped with a D44 that would be bolt on.

For any axle swap, you want to know the width of the axle, and you want to inspect it for damage or abuse. The closer the axle is to matching the original, in width, wheel bolt pattern, and spring mounts, the cheaper/easier the swap. The location of the differential housing may or may not be be important as well.
 
#4 ·
See? I knew it wouldn't be simple.

Wouldn't an axle upgrade take care of the wheel bolt pattern?

But I'm always hearing about people transplanting 44s into their CJs.
Words like Waggy, Scout, etc. are bandied about.

But for proper fit, no other option but to get one from a late model CJ?
 
#5 ·
Why do you want to swap in a Dana 44? If you put 1 piece axles in your stock AMC20, weld the axle tubes, and truss it you would have an axle that is just as strong as a Dana 44.

From the pic in your avatar, you could throw in 1 piece axles and call it a day. You're running a 6 cylinder with tires under 35 so the AMC 20 with decent 1 piece axles would be fine.
 
#7 ·
Why do you want to swap in a Dana 44? If you put 1 piece axles in your stock AMC20, weld the axle tubes, and truss it you would have an axle that is just as strong as a Dana 44.

From the pic in your avatar, you could throw in 1 piece axles and call it a day. You're running a 6 cylinder with tires under 35 so the AMC 20 with decent 1 piece axles would be fine.
I've read articles about doing those mods to the 20, but since I have access to a Jeep boneyard I thought I'd look into the 44 option and see what's involved.
I thought that might solve other issues such as gearing, etc.
But if the 44 swap is a big deal, I will eventually get around to improving the 20.

What I'll probably wind up doing is putting in the 1-piece axles and maybe a Powertrax auto-locking diff. I'm going to move up in tire size now that I've done the YJ suspension upgrade (the picture was taken before that happened and the CJ looks a little top-heavy now). Probably a 31 or 32 inch tire, and then I'll see what I need to do with the gearing.
 
#9 ·
Colt,

I've had the same dilemma as you for quite a while. I have the open 20 with 2:73 gears.

Suitable 44 donors have been a hard find for me. I lack the fab skills and equipment to modify a set to work.

So, I've decided to upgrade my 20 to one-piece, and add selectable air lockers. The lockers probably aren't necessary for the way I use my CJ, but I like the idea of having them if I need them. I also like the idea having on-board air setup.

Anyway, good luck with your decision. If you get around to upgrading yours before I do, I'll be watching.

Matt
 
#10 ·
Colt,

I've had the same dilemma as you for quite a while. I have the open 20 with 2:73 gears.

Suitable 44 donors have been a hard find for me. I lack the fab skills and equipment to modify a set to work.

So, I've decided to upgrade my 20 to one-piece, and add selectable air lockers. The lockers probably aren't necessary for the way I use my CJ, but I like the idea of having them if I need them. I also like the idea having on-board air setup.

Anyway, good luck with your decision. If you get around to upgrading yours before I do, I'll be watching.

Matt
I like the KISS principle, or maybe I'm lazy, but I'm planning to use the Powertrax no-slip diff so I won't have yet another subsystem to keep functional.
 
#11 ·
Yea, I should have KISS tattooed to my forehead. :rolleyes:

I'm also considering the full floater axle setup, with locking hubs, from Warn. With these, apparently the wheel will never separate from the Jeep, if you break an axle, like a one-piece will.

The whole axle thing intimidates me a little, so I've drug my feet on it.

Matt
 
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