Broken rear axle: Should I stay with Dana 35 or upgrade to Dana 44?

The guy I

Thanks, I really appreciate all the knowledge. Any great deals of 44s? LOL!

Rare and when they pop up they're usually top dollar. Id drop down to 33s as mentioned or upgrade to the super35 from Revolution Gear and Axle.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeepin’
The guy I

Thanks, I really appreciate all the knowledge. Any great deals on 44s? LOL!

Ha, any "good deals" on Rubi 44's go in the blink of an eye. You can build the 35/30 combo to work with 35's but it isn't cheap. 33's would be better but you'd still need some upgrades.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeepin’
Here are two types of Dana 35 differentials, neither has a locker. Both are considered "open" which means without a locker. If yours looks like either of these there's no locker present.

Dana35openvs_traclokcarriers.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeepin’
Here are two types of Dana 35 differentials, neither has a locker. Both are considered "open" which means without a locker. If yours looks like either of these there's no locker present.

View attachment 72936
Here are two types of Dana 35 differentials, neither has a locker. Both are considered "open" which means without a locker. If yours looks like either of these there's no locker present.

View attachment 72936
Yep, that’s what it looks like. I can’t remember which one and I’m not with the Jeep at the moment. So I guess no, it doesn’t have lockers...
 
Howdy, and welcome to the madness! You've come to the right place for answers to your Dana 35 woes! I was in a similar situation a couple of years ago with a TJ I bought. Like your son's, it had 35's, 3.07's, and a Dana 35 under it. It also had too low a lift (3.5" IIRC) for that much tire. I thought on it a while and decided to go back down to factory ride height until I did the proper work beforehand to make sure the Jeep could handle what I have in mind. Right now, I'm currently saving up for the Super35 kit, and plan to move to 4.56 gears with an ARB locker, and a max tire size of 33. If my calculations are reasonable, just a used Dana 44 is going to run around the same cost, but will be open diff and still need the regear for the tires more than likely. If nothing else, use this as an opportunity to wrench with your son to learn the finer points of how it all works together. There's no shortage of good people and info here to keep y'all moving along.

Oh, and if he balks at losing the 35's, just tell him 35's are cool, a TJ capable of handling them is even cooler!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeepin’
That would be great, but you'll need to regear the front axle at that point to match the 3.73 rear end that Dana 44 has. Figure another 6-8 hundred bucks for that, or remove the front driveshaft and not allow it to go in 4wd.
Thanks! I’ll see what I can get the 44 for.
 
I

I didn't see what type of Jeep it was...TJ for JK? JK is a no go without a bunch of welding
It’s a TJ, I believe a 2000 or 2002 Sport. It’s a guy on the forum parting it out.

@Jeepin’ that Dana 44 will work. What I would do is get it and just regear both axles to the final ratio you want with your transmission and tire size. If you could get it for $600-$1000 it would be worth it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeepin’
It’s a TJ, I believe a 2000 or 2002 Sport. It’s a guy on the forum parting it out.

@Jeepin’ that Dana 44 will work. What I would do is get it and just regear both axles to the final ratio you want with your transmission and tire size. If you could get it for $600-$1000 it would be worth it.
That’s great! I’m on it. I’m about an hour and a half away from the seller, so that’s a bonus. Thanks guys!
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMT
simply can't imagine 35" tires with 3.07 gears. I'm currently running 30.5" tires with 3.07 gears, 5 speed manual and 6 cylinder and it's horrible. Getting 14.5 mpg which isn't bad, but 5th gear is useless, and reverse is way too fast.

My setup will be 4.56 gears, 32x11.50-15 tires. Anyone care to speculate on the mileage?
 
  • Like
Reactions: XISophos
simply can't imagine 35" tires with 3.07 gears. I'm currently running 30.5" tires with 3.07 gears, 5 speed manual and 6 cylinder and it's horrible. Getting 14.5 mpg which isn't bad, but 5th gear is useless, and reverse is way too fast.

It's rediculous. I just can't imagine what the PO was thinking. It took off terrible. Had effectively 3 gears, and heaven help your clutch taking off on a hill. Once I get everything sorted out right, I ought to take it to him to drive and see how much he regrets selling it.
 
2001 Sport. That’s a TJ right?
Yes, I missed that part. IMHO, you will need to regear both axles to keep the 35's...but if you're trying to keep your costs down, sell the 35's (if they are worth anything) get 33's and just regear the front. It won't be ideal (3.73 is a bit high even for 33's) but it will at least go down the road without needing a mile to get up to speed.
 
A few months ago I bought a TJ with your same setup (Dana 35, 35" tires, 3.07). First time off road resulted in me breaking stuff. I went with a Dana 44 Swap and re-geared the front, so now have 4.88. It's like a different rig, Jerry is spot on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeepin’