Liberty 8.25 in a tj???

[88whitemanche]

Hey guys

I'm trying to help my buddy out that has a 2000 tj with a rear dana 35...it hasn't blown up yet but he wants to upgrade and I mentioned to him that a chrysler 8.25 is strong enough for his needs(doesn't go offroad) daily driver status with 4" lift and 35s...

I know I know...everyone says 8.8 or dana 44...

But I was thinking that the liberty axle must just be a plug and play axle

I've search long and hard to find if anyone has ever considered swapping a liberty rear axle into one?

Is it a direct swap? Considering it has similar brackets as a rear tj axle....

 

Any help and Info is greatly appreciated....

[Incommando]

Not a direct swap but neither is anything but a tj 44. Although they both use coil springs that is where it ends. The KJ uses lower arms but upper is a wishbone making it a three link. The advantage to the KJ 8.25 is the factory disc brakes. Any 8.25 is a great upgrade over a D35 and up to the task of 35's.

[Jeep Driver]

It's wider also........don't remember how much wider....

[Incommando]

The KJ is rear axle is the same width as MJ/XJ ones and is very close to TJ width.

[Jeep Driver]

The KJ is rear axle is the same width as MJ/XJ ones and is very close to TJ width.

My mother has the Liberty and I measured the rear a couple of years ago when I did the brakes on it. I dismissed it immediately as it was a couple of inches wider.

 

Who knows? maybe I was stoned that day.......

[benjy_26]

I'd go with an 8.8 because Artec.

https://artecindustries.3dcartstores.com/mobile/TJ-88-Swap-Kit-with-Truss_p_233.html

 

I'm also curious aa to how a Yota rear end would work in a Heep. The 2wd Taco rear ends came in 5x4.5 and have a pretty similar width to our rigs. They're also notoriously strong and have pretty high ground clearance.

[Incommando]

The WMS-WMS measurements of a disc-brake TJ D44  & Disc-brake 8.25 are about .5" wider than the drum brake versions of the TJ/MJ/XJ. So for all intents and purposes they are the same.

[88whitemanche]

The WMS-WMS measurements of a disc-brake TJ D44 & Disc-brake 8.25 are about .5" wider than the drum brake versions of the TJ/MJ/XJ. So for all intents and purposes they are the same.

I wonder since they have a similar setup with coil buckets control arm and track bar mounts...

If they just bolt in....

[benjy_26]

They don't. The ZJ rears are closer in suspension design than the TJ, and they still don't completely bolt on. The coil buckets are different, though they share control arms.

[Incommando]

 

The WMS-WMS measurements of a disc-brake TJ D44 & Disc-brake 8.25 are about .5" wider than the drum brake versions of the TJ/MJ/XJ. So for all intents and purposes they are the same.

I wonder since they have a similar setup with coil buckets control arm and track bar mounts...

If they just bolt in....

 

Again: The KJ uses a 3-link design with an upper ball joint in a wishbone. They have no more in common with the TJ than any other coil-spring rear axle design out there.

[mjeff87]

^^^^and, coming from a KJ owner here, the upper tri-link blows.  It severely limits articulation and the ball joint craps out on a regular basis (I have to change mine now as a matter of fact).

 

Jeff

[jayhawker]

I have also been curious about a Tacoma rear axle....if I remember correctly the yota axle is only a 1/2" wider. It would be waaaaay stronger than a Dana 35. If you get a 4x4 rear axle from Tacoma, you have the option of getting the factory E locker as well with 4.10 gears.

[benjy_26]

I have also been curious about a Tacoma rear axle....if I remember correctly the yota axle is only a 1/2" wider. It would be waaaaay stronger than a Dana 35. If you get a 4x4 rear axle from Tacoma, you have the option of getting the factory E locker as well with 4.10 gears.

4wd units have a 6 lug pattern, similar to Chevys. You CAN install the E locker center section into a 2wd housing with the 5x4.5 axles. :)