Axle Swap Questions

[Aidenmoreno3]

Hey guys. So i need some advice. I've got an 86 MJ that I put a I6 4.0 into (I know, I know), and the previous owner put a ford explorer 8.8 rear axle into it. The wheel base is super small and I wanna widen it and bring it down about 2 inches. My question is would a Dana 44 be a good rear axle swap, and can I still have disk brakes??

[Pete M]

8 hours ago, Aidenmoreno3 said:

Hey guys. So i need some advice. I've got an 86 MJ that I put a I6 4.0 into (I know, I know), and the previous owner put a ford explorer 8.8 rear axle into it. The wheel base is super small and I wanna widen it and bring it down about 2 inches. My question is would a Dana 44 be a good rear axle swap, and can I still have disk brakes??

 

wheel spacers can be used to push the tires out.   see, the MJ has a bit of a wide butt, much wider than an XJ, and so the rear tire always looks tucked in.  the slightly narrower 8.8 exacerbates this.  but an MJ/XJ 44 won't get you to where you want because it's still too narrow.  get a pair of 1.5" or 2" spacers and you'll be right as rain  

 

wheelbase is the measurement from the front tires to the rear tires.  you're thinking of track width; one rear tire to the other rear tire.