Hello all,
Long time lurker, recently found a dream Jeep of mine and picked up a 2005 Jeep TJ Unlimited for a way less then a deserved!
The previous owner installed a 5.5” Rock Krawler long arm lift (triangulated), 4.88 gears, a Detroit rear locker, a ton of Fish bone armor (to be replaced with Gen Right stuff), and 37” tires on stock axles.
Currently my biggest concern is the fact I have 37” tires on a stock Dana 30 up front and a not so great Dana 44 in the rear. I would like to continue running the 37” tires, and maybe several years (or whenever my wife decides she’s had enough of my hobbies and divorces me) to jump up to 40’s
I am not a fabricator, I have never dealt with axles, and I have little to no desire to learn how to weld at this point in my life. With that being said, I have searched and read to the point my head feels like it is going to explode. I know my first priority is to replace the front Dana 30. I would like to go with a Currie 44, or a “bolt in” Dana 60 up front.
I understand the Dana 30 and Dana 44 utilize the same ball joints and it would be unwise to continue to run 37’s due to having to consistently replace the not up to par ball joints. As I was searching for Dana 60’s, it appears no manufacturer makes a “Bolt in” front Dana 60 with the stock TJ 60.5” WMS.
I have found a front Dana 60 that is “Bolt in” and has a WMS of 63”.
My question is can I run a Dana 60 upfront that is wider then my rear axle without any negative side affects? I would eventually be replacing the rear axle, but it’d likely be 2-years or so after the front is done.
I feel like I am overthinking this, but I don’t want to spend this amount of money, install everything, and have to put all the stock parts back on.
This build is used as a daily driver and weekended warrior. I intend to rock crawl out here in South Dakota and eventually make a run at Moab when I feel like the Jeep is capable of keeping up with my friends.
Very sorry for the long post.
Long time lurker, recently found a dream Jeep of mine and picked up a 2005 Jeep TJ Unlimited for a way less then a deserved!
The previous owner installed a 5.5” Rock Krawler long arm lift (triangulated), 4.88 gears, a Detroit rear locker, a ton of Fish bone armor (to be replaced with Gen Right stuff), and 37” tires on stock axles.
Currently my biggest concern is the fact I have 37” tires on a stock Dana 30 up front and a not so great Dana 44 in the rear. I would like to continue running the 37” tires, and maybe several years (or whenever my wife decides she’s had enough of my hobbies and divorces me) to jump up to 40’s
I am not a fabricator, I have never dealt with axles, and I have little to no desire to learn how to weld at this point in my life. With that being said, I have searched and read to the point my head feels like it is going to explode. I know my first priority is to replace the front Dana 30. I would like to go with a Currie 44, or a “bolt in” Dana 60 up front.
I understand the Dana 30 and Dana 44 utilize the same ball joints and it would be unwise to continue to run 37’s due to having to consistently replace the not up to par ball joints. As I was searching for Dana 60’s, it appears no manufacturer makes a “Bolt in” front Dana 60 with the stock TJ 60.5” WMS.
I have found a front Dana 60 that is “Bolt in” and has a WMS of 63”.
My question is can I run a Dana 60 upfront that is wider then my rear axle without any negative side affects? I would eventually be replacing the rear axle, but it’d likely be 2-years or so after the front is done.
I feel like I am overthinking this, but I don’t want to spend this amount of money, install everything, and have to put all the stock parts back on.
This build is used as a daily driver and weekended warrior. I intend to rock crawl out here in South Dakota and eventually make a run at Moab when I feel like the Jeep is capable of keeping up with my friends.
Very sorry for the long post.