ghetdjc320

Sure thing! And if anyone needs more info, just let me know

Don’t mean to promote any other forum but here is the thread I wrote over there: https://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f12/definitive-info-passport-rodeo-dana-44-a-3006465/?amp=1 The first post was edited to reflect all the current info. I had a D44 from a JK, 95 rodeo/passport, 97 rodeo/ passport and 2000 rodeo/passport. Also had 4 exploder 8.8’s when going through the comparisons. I was building and selling most of these axles and had the option to keep any of them. The rodeo d44 is what I chose after working on them all. Lighter center section with much better clearance, thicker and stronger axle tubes, set 10 bearings upgradeable to set 20, 12.3” brake rotors, larger and stronger ring and pinion. Oh, and about 1/3 the price of the 8.8 at our local yards back stateside. The only down side you have to sort out is the wheel pattern.

The Dana 44 comes in multiple varieties and that article only shows the TJ/XJ Dana 44. First off the ZJ V8 d44 is an aluminum housing setup similar to the corvette version. The 98+ rodeo/passport d44 has d60 size pinion and an 8.9” ring gear. Quite a bit beefier than the 8.8. Thicker axle tubes as well. I think a lot of people think that Dana made a whole new axle for the JK but the HD gear set came out in 98 or maybe even earlier. The rodeo/passport axles also have disk brake options and most are 4.10 and 4.88 but you find plenty of different ratios depending on the vehicle. The Dana 44 was even used with 2wd 4cyl rodeo/passports. By the way, the dana 35 is still in use today in the JT and JL. The 07 JK also had a d35 depending on the build date. However the new d35’s are quite a bit stronger than the old ones in our trucks. The d44 in the rodeo/passport is a super good option and the only major drawback is the whee bolt pattern which can be addressed a number of ways. They are very cheap to pickup and super abundant in most places. Very stout axles that have been good on even 37’s without any major upgrades.

No crush sleeve in the high pinion dana 30’s. There are pinion depth shims and pinion preload shims.

You get what you pay for

It’s nice to have adjustable though. That way you can really dial in your alignment

😂 if it’s 10k for a new car I’d say no

There is no center hood “channel” or bracing on the xj hood that run the entire length of the hood. It’s more of a V pattern brace so there is plenty of room to add a vent/scoop without cutting any bracing. I have a set of the hyline off-road vents new in box somewhere at my folks place stateside. If your interested I can see about digging them up

Measure the true tire diameter and width of what you have an what your getting. Then just use the radius to determine how much/little clearance you’ll have. The control arm clearance is another story though

Again, without knowing what they are planning to do I don’t see how anyone can tell you if it’s a good deal or not. It’s like asking “there is a car for 10k, should I get it?” The devils in the details. I’ve got a little over 6k in my non stroker 4.0. That’s just parts and machining work. I did the tear down, rebuild and reinstall myself. Some people won’t quite understand that but if I show you my engine build sheet you’ll see where the money is. And yes, some will swap in a crate engine or an LS from the junk yard for the same or less money but there is a lot of work involved that often times gets overlooked. A CLEAN engine swap is pricey.

http://jeepm62superchargerkit.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html?m=1 Wilwood also makes a bolt in kit. The design of the pre 90 knuckles used large caliper mounting points and no brake pad “wings” like the newer ones do. This allows for a lite of possibilities for big brakes.

I wrote a thread about the Isuzu/passport d44 axle swap and have a ton of info on them if you need any. I’d not recommend an 8.8 unless you already own it

You could spend 3k-30k on your engine bay. Without knowing exactly what they will do and what parts they will use.

Yes I’ll stand by that all day. Not saying the 8.8 doesn’t work at all but there are better options out there. The 8.8 Is also heavy and unsprung weight should play a factor in any build. The bottom of a 8.8 is flat and wide vs the single narrow lowest point of a d44. It will make a difference which d44 your are comparing since there are some variations. But xj/mj 44 is lighter and much better clearance than an 8.8. The 8.8 is just chunky. If you going to build a new axle, built a 44 or a 60 if need that. 8.25 is a good choice though for what the OP described and is a cheap junk yard swap. Tire width, rolling weight and driving style play a big role in how long an axle lasts.

If all you want to do is run 33’s i’d just run the d35 if you have the right gearing. A liberty 8.25 as Pete suggests is an easy swap though and probably cheaper than a 44 in most places. An 8.8 in my books is about as worthless as the exploders they come from. I’ve had 4 of them over the years and they are all boat anchors. Think of it this way, a 31” tire on a Dana 35 has about as much clearance under the pumpkin as an 8.8 with 35’s. On 33’s it actually has more! The 8.8 is a chunky axle but does not hold up well to 37’s and low gearing without breaking things. The axle tubes are thinner than a d35/44 and have been known to spin. The c clip axle design is not really the flaw to me. If you break a non c-clip axle there is also carnage left behind and you won’t get far. Full floating axles are the obvious exception.

@Minuit don’t feel too bad. I threw out my oem rear bumper and brackets. Didn’t have a single dent or drop of rust. Even still had the license plate lamps.

The console insert is a separate piece also so if you could find one you could just install it in a good xj console.

Agreed, that keeps it simple

When I had my windshield installed i had them install the newer style 97+ gasket instead of that metal trim. Looks really good imho

96-97 rodeo/passport works great too. Same bolt pattern issues as the wagoneer axle though

Here’s what I did. 69 Mach 1 hood scoop. Fully functional and works great

Just grab the fitting you need from a ZJ with a V8 (don’t think the V8 makes a difference). It will fit your pre 90 Dana 30 or the 90+ axles. The biggest difference on those pre 90 Dana 30’s is the knuckles. They had a different style caliper mount (which is a great platform for upgrading brakes). Just run to your local auto store or jump on rock auto and order the drag link, tie rod ends and adjusters from 98 Grand Cherokee. I suggest moog or precision products. You’ll have all new steering that is quite a bit beefier than the stock setup. Now that I think about it, your existing setup may be an inverted t style vs the newer y link.

If anyone is interested, please PM me. I don’t mind shipping anywhere for the right buyer. I’ll post in the for sale section shortly

Aside from the machining of the block and the spray job I did it myself. The paint is pretty awesome and the pictures just don’t do it justice. That paint was like 90% pearl base then they added some deep colors at the end along with some metallic. I haven’t listed it for sale stateside and honestly I’m not sure how??? If anyone has any ideas please let me know. I don’t have any new projects planned at the moment and probably won’t be working on anything for a few years but MJs are my go to still. Would love to pickup an 88 mj chief and restore to oem or pickup another 91-92 ho MJ and build another one. Someday perhaps

Thank you all so much! This is quite an honor!