Axles/Tranny

[tbrand]

Found a set of axles on the local CL that I may try and pick up. The seller is not a man of many words, and all I've been able to get out of him is that they are "off of a 1996 Cherokee and they are Dana 408.69010-6." He's also selling an automatic transmission, presumably from the same truck. So, my guess is that he's selling a D35/D30 combo with 4.08 axles. How close am I, and what's a reasonable offer for those axles, if they have ~70k miles?

[Geonovast]

The rear axle in the picture is a Chrysler 8.25. Being a 96, it is most likely a 27 spline, but there is a chance it's a 29.

 

The number he gave you is definitely not a ratio. The D30 and 8.25 have an exact 4.10 ratio (41 teeth on the ring, 10 on the pinion). I also believe that with one that new, all 2.5s had gone the way of the 5 speed, so if the truck was an automatic, it would have been a 4.0/AW-4, resulting in a 3.55 gear ratio.

[tbrand]

Yeah, it's apparently an auto trans. Thanks for the info - you guys are so full of knowledge. :bowdown:

 

It's tempting to try and pick up a set like this, or this 8.25 http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/pts/2161602833.html for future upgrading, but how hard is it really to find all this stuff at once? Part of me says it would be a lot easier to find a wrecked XJ and pull everything at once, rather than putting it together piecemeal. I'm not a wheeler so off-road durability isn't a huge concern, but I also see no reason to replace junk with more junk. For a DD, what kind of real differences would I see going from my 3.08 D35 to a 3.55 Chrysler 8.25? I know that prices vary widely based on location and condition, but for an 8.25 and whatever would have come with it as a front axle, what would be a fair price? I assume that the read XJ driveshaft would be of no use, but would the front one fit?

[Geonovast]

You're going to notice quite a bit of difference going from 3.07 gears to 3.55. 3.07s are Junk.

 

The only front axle to come on an XJ/MJ is a Dana 30. Obviously if you change the rear gearing, you have to change the front, so getting a matched pair is good if you get the chance.

 

Correct, XJ rear shafts are useless to MJs. There were different length front shafts depending on Engine/trans combinations, but there's no length difference between an XJ and MJ one. The 4.0/Auto front shaft is going to be about an inch longer than a 4.0/5 speed one.(The pukey and AX-15 used the same shafts, as they're the same length.)

 

I'd say that $3-400 for those axles pictured would be good, since they seem like they come with all the brakes and whatnot.