motownXJdad Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 so i searched and came up with 28,837 results here, i went through 5 pages, no mas. i have a factory XJ dana 44 id like to use in my 1990 comanche. are new spring perches all that i need for the swap? if you have done this swap, any advice is appeciated and pics would be great. thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 -cut off XJ perches and shock mounts -weld on perches in MJ location -shorten driveshaft 1" (unless you're also lift 3-5" in which case the + and - balance out) -figure out what the brake lines need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motownXJdad Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 perfect! thanks Pete! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 Curious, is the XJ dana 44 axle the same overall length as the MJ dana 44? I want to be able to run the stock 10 spoke or pizza pie rims, and it doesn't seem that any other axle will allow for this without a lot of modification. -ford 8.8 rear axle will need perches, shorter length, has 3.55 gearing option. -Chrysler 8.25 axle not much better than dana 35 non c clip, needs perches, spline count conflict -wagoneer Dana 44 axle has wrong wheel hubs (6 bolt), needs different perches etc... Not wheeling, just driving and occasionally hauling Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 Axles are the same but you will need to flip the spring perches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 the later 97+ 8.25 is as strong as the 44 and 8.8 bonus points if you look at KJ Libertys because they have the same bolt pattern but are an inch or so wider than stock and thus helps to fill out the wheelwell to match the front. (MJs have a wider butt than XJs which is why the tire looks tucked in) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 54 minutes ago, Pete M said: the later 97+ 8.25 is as strong as the 44 and 8.8 bonus points if you look at KJ Libertys because they have the same bolt pattern but are an inch or so wider than stock and thus helps to fill out the wheelwell to match the front. (MJs have a wider butt than XJs which is why the tire looks tucked in) This is exactly what I was going to ask you! You previously mentioned: Quote personally I'd go with the whole KJ 8.25 axle. it's a couple inches wider and would better accommodate the MJ's wide butt. What entices me about the KJ rear end is that it includes discs and its the same 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern. My two concerns are: Will it make the wheels sit too far out of the wheel wells? I plan on running OEM 10 spoke or pizza pie style rims. I only plan on daily driving this and occasional towing. Not planning on wheeling. Maybe my next one :D. Will the liberty discs clear the factory 15in factory comanche/cherokee rims? I am a sucker for OEM period correct rims. I don't know why. The designers got it right. I have been wanting to put rear discs on my comanche because the rear drum shoes are nearing replacement. I went ahead and grabbed a teraflex 4354410 kit since I have non c-clip D35 rear axle, but I decided to return it because my press broke and dang its a lot of work for not a lot of gain. I realize that the KJ rear axle is not bolt-on for the comanche, but It seems the MJ metric ton rear axles have reached unicorn status. I just want to minimize time spent fiddling and the KJ route looks the least fiddly other than finding the stock MJ rear D44. This all ties into track width. I noticed my comanche is drastically different in the front and rear. The front tires stick out 2-3in while the rear ones are flush with the tire well. I have removed the tires and rims and there are no spacers or adapting plates on any axle hub. Is this normal? I'd prefer the wheels to be close to flush with the wheel wells. The front's are a bit too cheeky for me. My comanche came with barely used Dick Cepek 31X10.50 tires and procomp 15in tires. The wheels are too big for my tastes and look strange because of the reduced backspacing of the procomp rims. I'll be selling these soon after I find an OEM set. The only suspension related changes made look to be the added 2.25in plastic spacers to the front coil springs. The rear leaf springs are below the axle and it does not look like a pack was added. There are shackles on the leaf springs but they don't look extended. Thanks a ton for all the input guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 I do believe @ghetdjc320 is in the middle of a Liberty swap right now. Liberty rear brakes are smaller than the fronts and will easily clear. the key restriction to me is that 99% of KJs got 3.73 gears. a lot of guys like the 8.8 because they can be found with 4.10s fairly easily. but the ZJs and TJs got 3.73s a lot too, so if regearing is out of the budget, you can use them together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 My axles are 3.55. I think 3.55 should be fine for normal driving. I don't plan on going above 30in tires with this. I checked car-part and there seems to be a bunch of 3.55 KJ rear axles from 2005-2007. I'm going to check rotor sizes on orileys to see how comanche front / teraflex rear kit / liberty rotor sizes compare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 @Pete M is right. Just swapped an 8.25 from a KJ in. I have lots of pics in my build thread, page 8. Link is below. The rotors are 11 some inches. They easily clear all the 15” Jeep alloys. Double check the ratio when you get your 8.25. Mine was listed as a 3.55 and ended up being a 3.73. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 You sir are awesome. Thank you very much for the input. I plan on visiting local junk yards and doing a drive shaft spin test before I remove the rear axle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 the only KJs that don't have 3.73 are manual transmissions (3.55) and 4bangers (4.10). both are rare as hell. checking is always good, but you're going to find a 3.73. car-part.com might be able to find you one of the rare ones though. definitely double check an axle claimed to be a 4.10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 I’ll be regearing my 8.25 to 3.55. Not pleased with that but because of the carrier break on the D30, V8 swap and running 31’s, 3.73’s just aren’t the right gears for me. Also touch to find a set of HP d30 3.73 gears. Easy to find a 3.55 set for the 8.25 though. Plus it will be nice to have all fresh bearings and seals on the pinion as well. Many KJ axles also use a driveshaft flange. Grab the adaptor from the donor driveshaft if possible. It’s an off the shelf spicer part as well. I’ll take a pic of the box if anyone needs it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motownXJdad Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 5 hours ago, commissioneranthony said: Curious, is the XJ dana 44 axle the same overall length as the MJ dana 44? I want to be able to run the stock 10 spoke or pizza pie rims, and it doesnt seem that any other axle will allow for this without a lot of modification. -ford 8.8 rear axle will need perches, wrong length, wrong wheel hubs (5.5x5), to large discs for stock rims. -chrysler 8.25 axle not much better than dana 35 non c clip, needs perches, spline count conflict -wagoneer Dana 44 axle has wrong wheel hubs (6 bolt), needs different perches etc... Not wheeling, just driving and occasionally hauling Thanks! Ford 8.8 explorer rear diffs are the same bolt pattern as the MJ\XJ 5x4.5 so you get to keep stock Jeep wheels, comes with disc brakes, either a 373 or 410 gear and usually a LSD, and much like an LS are cheap and plentiful, but all the swap parts and labor will nickle and dime you to death but they are tough as nails. the later 8.25 have 29 spline axles and are plenty strong too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 3 minutes ago, motownXJdad said: Ford 8.8 explorer rear diffs are the same bolt pattern as the MJ\XJ 5x4.5 so you get to keep stock Jeep wheels, comes with disc brakes, either a 373 or 410 gear... Thank you for the clarification. I corrected my above post. Sorry been looking back and forth at axles, I had to resort to excel to sort possible combos I'm going to sift through the 1988 MJ service guide tomorrow and compare the rear axle length of MJ vs KJ vs 2000 explorer 8.8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 Stock MJ is 60.5” KJ is 63” Ford 8.8 is 58.5. Other thing to consider as well is the actual size of the center section. The 8.8 has the largest center section out of the 3 and therefore the least amount of clearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 11 hours ago, motownXJdad said: Ford 8.8 explorer rear diffs are the same bolt pattern as the MJ\XJ 5x4.5 so you get to keep stock Jeep wheels, comes with disc brakes, either a 373 or 410 gear and usually a LSD, and much like an LS are cheap and plentiful, but all the swap parts and labor will nickle and dime you to death but they are tough as nails. the later 8.25 have 29 spline axles and are plenty strong too. But the Ford axles are narrower than the stock MJ axle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 If your running 30” tires and have a non c clip Dana 35, I’d just keep it. It’s the best clearance you’ll have out of the above axle swap options not to mention the lightest in weight which does directly translate to handling. If you want a wider track, you can always invest on some small, quality wheel spacers. As for disk brakes, you could just do the ZJ brake swap but well adjusted drums have better stopping power than the ZJ/KJ/8.8 disks. Plus a better parking brake. Disks for sure have advantages but the stopping power of a 10” drum is not bad at all for these trucks with oem or slightly larger tires Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 5 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: If your running 30” tires and have a non c clip Dana 35, I’d just keep it. It’s the best clearance you’ll have out of the above axle swap options not to mention the lightest in weight which does directly translate to handling. If you want a wider track, you can always invest on some small, quality wheel spacers. As for disk brakes, you could just do the ZJ brake swap but well adjusted drums have better stopping power than the ZJ/KJ/8.8 disks. Plus a better parking brake. Disks for sure have advantages but the stopping power of a 10” drum is not bad at all for these trucks with oem or slightly larger tires Exactly. I am going to keep my rear axle for now, replace the broken parking brake cable and pass inspection. Then I'm going to keep an eye out for a 3.55 KJ rear axle, have a correct length drive shaft made and do the swap then. Last thing, what is the spline count for the KJ rear axle? Will I be able to shorten my current driveshaft or will it not be able to mate with the KJ differential housing? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 chances are you'll need to adjust your driveshaft length with any axle swap. the dana 35 is a tiny axle and everything else has a longer pinion snout. spline count on all 8.25 axle shaft after 97 is 29. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Yeah! I goofed. I should be able to use the pinion yoke from the liberty rear setup and then just either buy a shorter driveshaft, have my current MJ rear driveshaft shortened or live with a few inches of lift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 The Dana 35 can be made to hold up well but there are specific mods that work and others that don’t. The nice thing about a Dana 35 is the low weight and the clearance you can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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