D35-D44 axle shafts

[jimoshel]

Do the axle shafts from D35 and D44 interchange? I have a shaft that I assumed was from a D35. It was laying, lying? loose in a pile of rear ends. I tried it in a D44 housing.. It fit perfectly. I don't have a D35 tore apart so I didn't try it in one. Markings on the end of the shaft. Cast in. 1 60-1 D71 MW. The following number was stamped. 964-1 C. Any body got a clue as to what it's for? :dunno:

[Blue88Comanche]

they do fit as far as the U-joints go.. the D-44 shaft is shorter by about an inch or so.

 

I had the D-35 and swapped in a D-44, used the D-35 shaft and it was just too long to use.

[cody4359]

since when did a dana 35 have a ujoint on the shaft :D

 

 

dana 35 has 27 splines (edit) non-clip 90-, C-clip 90+

mj/xj 44 has 30 splines

 

 

 

jim, if you want to post the splines, min. dia etc maybe i can browse thru my diff book and get an idea

[Motion Offroad]

D44 XJ/MJ shafts are 30 spline. D35 XJ/MJ shafts are only 27 spline. Not to mention the D44 is 1.31" diameter and the D35 is only 1.18" diameter. The spider gears are different so I'm not sure how you got a D35 shaft to fit into a D44 case correctly. I'd assume that the D35 shaft isn't fully engaged...

 

You also have to remember that 1990-on the D35 was a c-clip axle, and the D44 in the XJ/MJ was NEVER a c-clip (prior to 1990 the D35 was non c-clip).

[Blue88Comanche]

:doh: i was thinking drive shafts.... my bad :thwak:

[jimoshel]

OK then. It has to be a D44 shaft then. Like I said, it fit perfectly in the housing and there's no slot for a C clip. Really weird. I got a D44 rear end a couple months ago.

It came from a '87 or '88 MJ MT. It was missing the right side shaft. Had the springs. I was going to find another shaft and re build it to put under one of my MJ. I never even thought of the possibility of that shaft fitting. Thanks for the input guys. :cheers:

[HOrnbrod]

Besides the D35 / D44 axle spline and thickness differences, the left and right axles between the two diffs are of different lengths too.

[jimoshel]

To milk this for all it's worth, or to more fully explain what's happenin. Some of you may remember a couple years ago I got a '89 MJ. Fella was gonna make a rock crawler out of it and quit.

It had a D60 under the rear and a D44( I think ) under the front. Steering wasn't hooked up and the coils had been replaced by leafs. Really Mickey Mouse F*cked up mess. The bed and cab was full of parts. 2-D35's, a D30, springs, brake drums, shoes, drive shafts etc,etc, and 1 axle shaft. I ASSumed it was for a D35. Two months ago I got a D44 from a MJ-MT at the P&P missing the right hand shaft. This morning I was sorting thru stuff and for some reason, I don't know why, I tried the shaft from the MJ bed into the D44 housing. It fit perfectly. I refused to believe it was a D44 shaft or that D44-D35 stuff interchanged. The reason for the post that started all this. And that's the story. I now have a D44 to rebuild, or at least check out and get it under my DD. :wavey: El Jimbo