Front waggy 44 is done.

[jeepmj_tj]

Well i drove the truck for the first time in over a month. I swaped in a front waggy d44 with leaf springs. Took me a little longer than expected, but between school starting back with career fairs and senior design projects, and trying to work inbetween, i guess i can't complain on how long it took. I still have a few bugs to tweak out, but its driveable.

 

Ill see if i can get some pictures up over the weekend.

 

specs.

 

91 HO 4.0L Pioneer LB.

 

86 mj amc 20 rear end, 4.56 gears detriot

80's waggy d44 4.56 gears open.

YJ 2.5" lift front springs with another 2.5 lift main leaf for an addaleaf.

 

sitting on 33" mall terrains. hopefully in the process of getting 35" truxxs MT's.

 

Havent decided what to do about the different bolt patterns yet. either find a waggy amc20 and swap the guts, or put Ford Hubs on the front and get 5x5.5 adapters for the rear.

 

pics in the progess..

 

 

joe m.

[DirtyComanche]

Nice work. I wanted to do that swap, but talked myself out of it.

 

If I was you, I'd ditch the AMC20 now... I don't know how good the MJ ones were, but the waggy ones I've got nothing good to say about.

 

BrettM over at pirate went with a 'yota 8" which matches the waggy bolt pattern. Even the local junkyard owner approves of those axles, and he's hard to please.

[Pete M]

Between the 2 piece shafts on the CJs and the heavy weight of an SJ on the relatively thin tubes, the AMC 20 have gotten a very bad wrap. Under an MJ, it is a fine axle. We have neither the stupid CJ shafts, nor the weight of the SJ. The tubes have been known to spin in the housing too, but a stock MJ engine probably doesn't have the torque necessary to do it.

Jeep on!

--Pete

[square]

on the topic of the Corp20, here is the AMC upgrade.

right out of the Performance American manual

[Bounty Hunter]

Isuzu D44 rear also matches the Waggy D44 front 6-lug pattern, WITH disc brakes :D

[DirtyComanche]

I'd forgotten that. I only learned about the Isuzu rear after I did my 8.8. No matter, there is NO isuzus near here. Although, I guess that would be a viable option for others.

[warf90]

I have similar plans for my MJ. I am installing a waggy front Dana 44 with leaf springs and a Isuzu rear Dana 44. Did you go spring over in the front with the YJ springs? Did you go sring over in the back. How close did the height match up? I would like to see pics of the front conversion. That would be helpful.

 

Thanks

Tim

[jeepmj_tj]

I'd went spring over in the front. It was kind of a pain to grind the cast on the center section for the drivers side spring perch and ubolts.

 

the rear was already spring over to match my old coil sprung lift.

 

I went with a pair of YJ 2.5" lift springs but (soa). It say level, but i knew that they would probably settle. So i put in an Addaleaf. It sits about an Inch high in the front now after a few mild wheeling trips.

 

for the adda leaf, I had an older set of 2.5" lift springs that my buddy robbed some of the leafs out of, so I just cut the eyes off each main leaf and used them as the addaleafs.

 

Ill see if can get a few pictures loaded up this evening.

 

let me know if need anymore information.

[jeepmj_tj]

here's a few pics that were taken a couple weekends ago.

 

Ill try and get some close ups of the spring perch on the cast section.

 

Shocks are limiting my drop up front.

 

and yeah i know i have a gimp head light :lol: