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86 comanche, gear ratio change


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any easy way to lower gear ratio on a 2 wd  ? on a mustang i just changed the ring and pinion gear , i think  its a dana 44 , fairly popular rear end   , i would like to get it down to about 4.11 to 4.88 , its got a highway gear thats way  too high for my use .  

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if you have a dana 44 you can only go up to 3.73 with a normal ring and pinion that is the carrier break. If you can find a thick gear then you don't have to change your carrier break. I have a dana 3.31 going to move at least to a 3.73. I may end up with a 4.11, however I will have to buy a new carrier break. If you change carrier break and you use open housing like OEM then you can just change out your spider gears. I found at www.ronsmachiningservice.net  150 for a ring set for the dana 44, and a carrier for 80 dollars. All you need is new bearings and shims then your ready to go.

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any easy way to lower gear ratio on a 2 wd  ? on a mustang i just changed the ring and pinion gear , i think  its a dana 44 , fairly popular rear end   , i would like to get it down to about 4.11 to 4.88 , its got a highway gear thats way  too high for my use .  

 

I just read this again and realized what the thread title says. If it's an '86 you do not have a Dana 44, because Jeep didn't use the Dana 44 in the '86 Comanche. The optional, heavy-duty axle for 1986 was the AMC Model 20. You can recognize that easily because the rear diff is comparatively large, and the diff cover is perfectly round. The much more common Dana 35 has an oval diff cover.

 

Dana 35:

AMC-Model-35.gif

 

 

Dana 44:

Dana-44.gif

 

 

AMC Model 20:

AMC-Model-20.gif

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if you do have a dana 35, please do not spend money on gears.  it is a light duty axle and I highly suggest finding a better axle and investing your cash into something that will last. :)  the Explorer 8.8 and the 29 spline Cherokee 8.25 can even be found with 4.10s in them already. :thumbsup:

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I think a beefy axle is a great idea, however you can make a 35 much stronger! many people say the only way it will last is with a beefy axle, that is true if you are offroading often. If your in a street machine that is mainly for highway a dana 35 is just fine. However unless  previous owner put a 44 in it, that 86 came with a dana 20 or a dana 35.

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a friend of mine that has scouts and jeeps said it was PROBABLY a dana 44 , i looked and it appears to be a dana 35 , so its probably due for a upgrade .

the keyword here "probably". That word alone tell me they aren't sure and just guessing.
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if you do have a dana 35, please do not spend money on gears.  it is a light duty axle and I highly suggest finding a better axle and investing your cash into something that will last. :)  the Explorer 8.8 and the 29 spline Cherokee 8.25 can even be found with 4.10s in them already. :thumbsup:

 

:agree:  I just picked up an 8.8 with an LSD and discs on the cheap. From everything I've read its a fairly straight forward swap, just have to match the front gears.

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if you do have a dana 35, please do not spend money on gears.  it is a light duty axle and I highly suggest finding a better axle and investing your cash into something that will last. :)  the Explorer 8.8 and the 29 spline Cherokee 8.25 can even be found with 4.10s in them already. :thumbsup:

 

:agree:  I just picked up an 8.8 with an LSD and discs on the cheap. From everything I've read its a fairly straight forward swap, just have to match the front gears.

 

 

a tip you may not have read is to use wheel spacers on the rear, not purely because the 8.8 is all that more narrow (just 5/8" per side), but because the bed of the MJ is already wider than the front and the 8.8 makes that difference even worse.  1.75 or 2" spacers push the tires out and make everything look right. :D

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