Finding right Axel at the JY

[MJCanadian]

Hey bringin this back from my other thread, called up my my local yard and he said hes only got a U-pick it deal and that hes got a couple of cherokees sitting in his yard. I wanna find a D35 with 3.55 ratio. Pete said that any 5spd will have a 3.07 but what kinda cherokee am I looking for that would have a 3.55? and once I get under them where abouts on the pumpkin is the tag that'd say the ratio?

[whowey]

MOST manuals behind the 4.0l will have a 3.07.

 

MOST autos behind the 4.0l will have a 3.55

 

The original purchaser though order any of the available gear ratios.

 

That being said, yes there was a tag that had the ratio on it on the cover. It will be attached to one of the cover bolts. I have yet to find one that is in decent shape.

 

But the best way is to open the cover and count the teeth on the pinion and the ring gear.

 

 

If you take the ring gear teeth and divide that by the pinion gear teeth you will get the gear ratio. ring gear teeth/pinion gear teeth = gear ratio.

 

 

Or a 3.55 ring gear has 46 teeth, and the pinion gear has 13.

[Eagle]

... what kinda cherokee am I looking for that would have a 3.55? and once I get under them where abouts on the pumpkin is the tag that'd say the ratio?

You need an '87 or newer 4.0L with automatic.

 

The D35s didn't have tags. You'll have to pull the cover and check the tooth count (which is stamped in the edge of the ring gear) if you want to confirm the ratio before buying.

[Frankdm83]

or check the front tag since they would be the same

[mjeff87]

You'll have to pull the cover and check the tooth count (which is stamped in the edge of the ring gear) if you want to confirm the ratio before buying.

 

Here's what Eagle is talking about.....dana axles have the r&p tooth count stamped into the ring gear. It's the last set of numbers in the long string stamped on the face. This is a pic of the 3.07's on the axle I have (just swapped for a set of 4.56's :D)

HTH,

Jeff

 

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[FxRacing282]

cherokees DO come with tags on them as ive taken them off bofore and if you don't wanna pull of the diff cover count the times the tire spins in one spin of the driveshaft

[JeepcoMJ]

The D35s didn't have tags.

 

the dana 35 on my 86's both have tags, my bro's 88 has a tag on the dana 35, my 87 sport truck...had a tag on the dana 35. even the parts xj I had had a tag on the dana 35.

 

I just wanted to clarify, they could not have them, or they could have them. chances are that if they're not there, then they were removed when gear fluid was changed (yes, you SHOULD change gear fluid eventually) or it fell off. I've never seen anything to prove that they didn't come with tags.

[Rokhound]

Hold up here guys we are telling him info on a D35 right :nuts: I have one question for you why do you HAVE TO HAVE A D35. It will not just bolt in unless you get one out off of a MJ.

 

Who in there right mind puts a D35 in there truck for un upgrade. I understand that you want the gears or that is my thinking. If so this must be a 2wd because you are not looking for a matching axle for the front right.

 

Most junk yard are going to want 150 to 200 and up for an axle why not go with the 8.8 which will need spacer(it is like an inch shorter over all) or better yet get the 8.25(same width as the D35). They all come with the same gears. And there all going to take the same thing to make them fit. Cut perches off clean axle, set pinion angel, weld on new perches. And at this time you can decide if you want to leave SUA or go to SOA.

 

Just my thoughts :popcorn:

[MJCanadian]

yah its a 2wd (for now) so I just wanna get the 3.55 ratio, my local yard only has D35's available (that he knew of) and now I have 3.07. Rockhardzj said he could find me an 8.8 for like $250 but I'd have to cross the border then bring it back and go through customs and all that jazz. I still havn't decide which axel to go with but i'm goin to the jy tomorrow for some other stuff so I was gunna look at their selection of axels

[Rokhound]

Just my thought is put and axle in that you are not going to have to replace later. Way spend 100 dollars plus the funds of setting the axle up when you could buy a better axle the first time and be done with it.

 

Also most all of the guys on here will tell you it is not IF the D35 will blow but more of WHEN

[Pete M]

This is one of those rare occasions where I think a Dana 35 will do just fine. He's got tiny tires and it's his daily driver. The XJ Dana 35 will go right in (after welding on the perches), no muss, no fuss. He should even be able to even transfer over the brakes from his current axle if they are new. The 8.8 requires a bunch of extra stuff to accommodate the pinion flange, the larger tubes, the brakes etc. It's a project unto itself. I know it sounds really really weird to hear me say it, but I think he should get a cheap Dana 35. :eek: And it better be cheap. No more than a hundred bucks. If the junkyard wants more, keep looking. And if I haven't mentioned it yet, try car-part.com for junkyard searches.

[Rokhound]

Ok Pete i guess I understand :roll:

 

Ok then the 8.8 is out put the 8.25 under there then. I understand that this is your DD with tiny tires. But if/when you lift the axle is done.

 

once agian just my thoughts.

[Maveric]

not that he needs it, but if he was going to upgrade to a new dana, why not get the dana 44? that can't be hard to put in right? after all its a jeep rear end it should bolt in, although i don't know what jeeps would have them, grand cherokees perhaps? although i think those are aluminum :nuts:

perhaps a wrangler would have one, not sure never put much thought into it till last night.

and that is when I'm told to upgrade to an 8.8 (and i being almost mechianically incompitent, thats what i get for never learning)

 

y'all should know more about this then me, thats just my two cents.

[whowey]

not that he needs it, but if he was going to upgrade to a new dana, why not get the dana 44? that can't be hard to put in right? after all its a jeep rear end it should bolt in, although i don't know what jeeps would have them, grand cherokees perhaps? although i think those are aluminum :nuts:

perhaps a wrangler would have one, not sure never put much thought into it till last night.

and that is when I'm told to upgrade to an 8.8 (and i being almost mechianically incompitent, thats what i get for never learning)

 

y'all should know more about this then me, thats just my two cents.

 

Actually, only the center section is aluminum. But its also coil sprung, and uses a track bar.

 

This is a 2wd DD, and the guy wants to move up from 3.07 to 3.55 gearing. In this situation getting a D-35 is a good solution.

[MJCanadian]

well If the truck is till purring when I'm done school (ways away) or if I get into Military colledge (free) i'll be getting serious with 4x4 conversion, 3 1/2" lift 33's, trimming etc. But for now, its a people mover with small tires and big speakers. So for hundred, hundred fifty bucks total I wanna have a little extra G forces off the line. I've got a bigger engine than all those hondas, why shouldn't I be able to go faster then them?

[Rokhound]

well If the truck is till purring when I'm done school (ways away) or if I get into Military colledge (free) i'll be getting serious with 4x4 conversion, 3 1/2" lift 33's, trimming etc. But for now, its a people mover with small tires and big speakers. So for hundred, hundred fifty bucks total I wanna have a little extra G forces off the line. I've got a bigger engine than all those hondas, why shouldn't I be able to go faster then them?

 

ok after that get the 8.25 if your going to be showing off in front of your honda buddy's the last thing i want to see is your MJ being laughed at becouse you did a burn out and bang goes the D35.

[Eagle]

You guys crack me up.

 

All he wants is a 2WD daily driver. My '88 Cherokee was bought new, it now has (IIRC) 272,000 miles on the original D35 rear axle, I've run it with tires as large as 31x10.50 and wheeled Maine, Paragon (PA), Rhode Island, a few trails in Connecticut, the Mohawk Trail area in Massachusetts multiple times, and it's been driven cross-country twice. It hasn't broken yet.

 

The D35 will do fine, and it's a LOT less work than any of the other swaps you guys are recommending to him. Even the ChryCo 8.25 -- that has smaller brakes, and if he doesn't do a master cylinder/booster upgrade he'll be rather unhappy.

 

This is one case when (except if he could find an XJ/MJ D44, which he can't) the D35 swap really makes the most sense.