I'd just do a bastard lift like he said. As far as the dana 35 being weak, I've heard alot of stories about people breaking them. My last Comanche was a 4.0 5 speed but it only had 32's on it. It saw lot of air time and even 4 foot under the tires one time. I never had any problems with it, but I never opened it up either. I'd put an 8.8 under the rear if it was mine. Some of the guys on here can tell you better about what to look for and what not to in an 8.8. I went crazy with mine and I'm putting full widths under it. Just build it like you want, what you don't know you'll learn. 8)