Another Dana 35 thread: conflicting advise about axle shafts and a gearing question

Interested in general in how one would go about upgrading to Dana 35's - take the vehicle to a shop/order online? Is it a complete swap out of differentials or do you use the same housing and change out the components?
 
Interested in general in how one would go about upgrading to Dana 35's - take the vehicle to a shop/order online? Is it a complete swap out of differentials or do you use the same housing and change out the components?
It really depends on what your current gear ratio is and what you're swapping to. A stock carrier can be used in some cases but plenty of folks upgrade to an aftermarket "traction adding" differential. Check into limited slip, lunchbox lockers and selectable lockers. The stock housing is usually adequate for the upgrades - again, depending on your end goals.