Incommando

I should just go out west and buy cleaner truck to start with. it would be a lot easier in the end.

Looks like the factory bore was 3.88" of you want to base it off of that... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_straight-6_engine http://www.baeta.org/opie/engine.htm#C

They are not worth any money now and certainly not worth what they ask for them.

the list of individuals that have managed to break an 8.8 shaft is very small indeed. :D In the off-road world you are probably right although I have seen this. Luckily it was a disc-brake 8.8 and the caliper retained the axle. In racing, which is admittedly a different beast, they do break/come off. If it is a weakness on the track then it seems to follow that it would be a weakness anywhere once the same threshold is reached. NHRA doesn't mandate that they be replaced for no reason. I will say that this is much, much less likely on an 8.8 then the pretty crappy GM c-clip rear axles, especially most versions of the 10-bolt. Those things broke regularly. I thought that the 9" does have a separate housing and axle tubes...just that the seam is pretty far out from the center-section??? Time passes...memories blur... :hmm: I have not priced 8 3/4 stuff in a long long time. Lockers, etc...used to be pretty pricey for them. Glad there are more and more reasonable options out there. There are a lot of these axles sitting around that can probably be had very cheaply with about the right width and the right bolt-pattern. I am not sure how it would work, if at all, in a jeep application but the 8 3/4 has a bolt-on adjustable pinion snubber available that is an easy and cheap fix for spring wrap in a performance car. Oh...remember that there are different versions of the 8 3/4. They have a stamp on the drop-out center section. If it says "741" it has a pretty smallish pinion shaft. The "742" is larger and is more desirable. The "489" is the biggest of the three and is the most desirable. Even the "741" isn't weak but it is weaker than the others. You have to know the stamping number to get the correct gear set should you change ratios.

Yes. The 8.8 has c-clips that retain the axles. The 8 3/4 has bolt-in axles. Bolt-in is a big advantage. C-clips have a history of breaking/coming off and when they do the axle shaft leaves the car and takes the tire and brakes with it...almost assuring body damage as well as, well, you lost a wheel maybe at speed. To run a c-clip rear end with slicks in NHRA requires that you install c-clip eliminators to make the axles bolt-in, for example. The 8.8 has an advantage in that you can get them with factory disc brakes and there is more support in the form of after-market lockers, etc... Everything is a trade-off it seems.

My DD is a 2014 Patriot Latitude 4x4. The new 6-spd auto tranny transforms these things. IMHO that CVT was crap and the 5-speed was not very smooth. These tranny makes the Jeep faster (over a second faster 0-60 then the CVT or stick), more smooth, and it gets better MPG's. Although it is not a brute off-road it is the best off-roader in its class and has a half-arsed locking "brake-lock differential" which uses the traction control and ABS to sorta lock the rear diff. It was very good in this last winter which was even rougher than usual . It has the upgraded "all-terrain (not really)" tires. It is AWD but you can lock it for a true 50/50 split. Even with no low range it has a 17.5:1 crawl ratio. But as to the insurance: I pay $702/year for full coverage with a $250 deductible. That beats the $1,104 for the less expensive Sport version on that list pretty soundly.

The 8 3/4 is really strong. It is not as popular as the 9" ford but it gives up nothing to it IMHO. I used one in a 4,300# bracket car that would pull the front wheels and it was dandy even after 11 seasons. The clutch-type posi is a plus over the cone-type, as well. These were the rear ends that came in even 440/automatic Mopar muscle cars. The best years of the 440/4-speeds and all of the best years of the Hemi auto/4spd got a semi-float D60 of the same width and bolt pattern. Someone has one under his MJ and I would love to find one of them! A downside might be the pinion. IIRC it is a touch lower than some others but so is the 9". But if hardcore off-roading isn't your goal I can't see where that would be a problem if at all.

It is simple: sometimes people are overlooking things. Not knowing each individual poster and their knowledge level it is possible that said poster has been fed a line of bull, such as the smaller than average D44 axle tube MJ version is some god-send axle. For every disgruntled poster ( or a person taking the thread equally off topic with their "stay on topic rant" ) you get as many responses along the lines of "Thanks, I never thought of that" or "Man, everybody told me that I had to go to xxxx to get xxxx." If you say you have never suggested an alternative route to someone in a post I would call shenanigans. I noticed that while complaining about people including extraneous info/opinions you took your chance to interject your opinions ( I don't, its not, it's not) when your opinions are just as irrelevant as the other opinions you are complaining about. You could have made your point more easily without posting your opinions but apparently added your own unnecessary (your claim) opinions. The OP wants answers, not opinions, right? Mr. Pot, meet Mr. Kettle. JeepDriver also makes a point regarding the info actually IN the OP. (BTW: The comments were "not worth the hassle," "easily comparable to", and "offer nothing over" not that the D44 is inferior or the 8.25 superior. ) Regardless, I posted the title of this thread the way I did because that's the wording i kept coming back too after searching all over a few forums. I don't care what fits a 8.25 specifically (this time in this thread) only a D44. I plan to post exactly what works in this thread for future use! AK Sorry. I couldn't tell which rule applied to this thread at this time and which didn't :yes: . Another off-topic suggestion/opinion, just as a reader, is that if you get a plan together you could make a new thread with the good info in the first post or edit it into the first post of this thread if nothing else. Even if it is relevant many don't like reading through responses, even relevant ones like "didn't so-and-so do this?", to get to the good stuff.

Heck a CJ2a isn't much bigger than some of the new side-by-side ATV's

Ummmm...stir fry

32's/33's would tuck really wheel with that lift. Just use shocks that give you a full range of motion and you would not have to bumpstop as much to keep the tires out of the body ( if at all )

It looks like he has tried to cover rust or poorly fixed rust over the rear wheel arches & other places. Always look carefully at areas painted satin or flat black...those colors hide a lot of imperfections. I have seen better trucks that run/drive sell for $1000 but again a lot depends on the area.

It is simple: sometimes people are overlooking things. Not knowing each individual poster and their knowledge level it is possible that said poster has been fed a line of bull, such as the smaller than average D44 axle tube MJ version is some god-send axle. For every disgruntled poster ( or a person taking the thread equally off topic with their "stay on topic rant" ) you get as many responses along the lines of "Thanks, I never thought of that" or "Man, everybody told me that I had to go to xxxx to get xxxx." If you say you have never suggested an alternative route to someone in a post I would call shenanigans. I noticed that while complaining about people including extraneous info/opinions you took your chance to interject your opinions ( I don't, its not, it's not) when your opinions are just as irrelevant as the other opinions you are complaining about. You could have made your point more easily without posting your opinions but apparently added your own unnecessary (your claim) opinions. The OP wants answers, not opinions, right? Mr. Pot, meet Mr. Kettle. JeepDriver also makes a point regarding the info actually IN the OP. (BTW: The comments were "not worth the hassle," "easily comparable to", and "offer nothing over" not that the D44 is inferior or the 8.25 superior. )

Unless you just have to have an MJ/XJ D44 they really offer nothing over a later 8.25. Sell the 44 to someone who thinks they are gold and use the money for your brake conversion.

Research Lokkas even on this forum. The extra $45 for an actual Aussie might be worth it

The difference in ground clearance is only 1". Go to WWW.grimmjeeper.com/gears and plug in your drive train parts. Check where the RPMs compare to how you use your jeep to where each tire size puts your power band

Hope it was a good birthday. By the way: Is it true that you are the father of that baby on Sacajawea's back?

Does this 3-link kit ( or the 4-link, if you know) truly bolt-on to an MJ? So many of these XJ things actually need some mods due to the differences in the MJ architecture is why I was curious. The $599 IRO kit includes the cross member too.

But by the time you add the cost of the cross member or custom mounting what would the cost it be? Some of these kits, like this one, leave out many expensive requirements. A guy I wheel with and who I have helped build a jeep or two for others has the IRO LA kit. It is a bit of a weird design and his XJ has no issues on road but it is not a DD. They work well off-road as well and I have driven it both places. Like most of these kits they actually convert the front to a radius arm set-up. The IRO only connects once side's top axle mount to the LA where most link both. I don't know why but the kit is pretty complete and they have a good rep and they 'wheel their own stuff. http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=IROR&Product_Code=IR-XLAU&Category_Code=PFX

That the Suzuki that father the Sammi is a rip-off of the jeep is no surprise. Japan is famous for ripping off another countrys products. People forget that the Japs of 3 decades ago are the Chinese of today. The I6 that Toy used for decades was taken from Chevy during WWii when GM had to abandon their factory there. Sammi's rust worse than Jeeps around here. Cool to see a decent looking version.

Yeah the drop brackets are a personal preference thing. I have seen them hang up a cherokee with a 4.5" lift on 32's on the same obstacle that a very similar 4.5" lifted chero made on the same line. I also have seen a chero come down on one hard enough to smash the subframe where the subframe itself probably would not have made contact. Granted the subframe may have been seriously weakened as rust was a dealer installed option on a new jeep around here. others use them with no issues at all. Good luck on the build. These things can get out of hand quickly... :doh:

I am jealous of where you get to wheel

Very true.

You can't go wrong with Barnes or RuffStuff.

Neither the 203 nor the 205 are any fun. They make our aluminum jeep cases seem like paper weights.