Can I upgrade my Dana 35 & re gear to 4.56 without getting lockers?

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I'm looking to upgrade my dana 35, looking at the 27-spline Yukon "bolt-on" (if anyone knows the difference between bolt on and C clip I would love to know! and whether or not the "bolt-on" version is a direct fit or requires more add ons) and regear my dana 30/35 to 4.56.

Can I get this done without installing lockers?
 
Can you provide a link to the Yukon kit you're looking at? Bolt-on means no modifications are required and usually fairly easy to accomplish.

C-clip refers to the design of the rear Dana 35 axle. C-clips are small steel C-shaped clips used to keep the axle in place. Remove those c-clips and the axle shafts the wheels are bolted to can slide out of the axle housing.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
Can you provide a link to the Yukon kit you're looking at? Bolt-on means no modifications are required and usually fairly easy to accomplish.

C-clip refers to the design of the rear Dana 35 axle. C-clips are small steel C-shaped clips used to keep the axle in place. Remove those c-clips and the axle shafts the wheels are bolted to can slide out of the axle housing.
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Let me rephrase:

I'm looking to re gear front and rear, and upgrade the 35. From what I've been reading the 30 spline kits require lockers... or is it the 4.56 compatible carrier that requires lockers?

The regear, upgraded 35, and E-locker was quoted to me at almost $10k which is cost prohibitive.

I want to re gear and upgrade my 35 because I am currently running 3.07 on 33's... however, I only do light wheeling and do not need/want lockers.

So... long story short... the manufacturer of the kit doesn't matter per say, only that I can achieve a stronger 35 and proper gear/tire ratio.
 
As has been mentioned, not sure what the bolt on is referring to. But yes, you CAN regear your Dana 35 to 4.56 without a locker. You will have to install a new carrier unless you had 3.73s from the factory. Instead of a new carrier, I used a Detroit Truetrac mechanical limited slip when I had my Dana 35 regeared to 4.56s.

However, you CANNOT upgrade your axles to 30 spline axles without a locker. There are no open carrier or limited slip differentials currently available on the market that work with them.
 
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deadbeat son said:
As has been mentioned, not sure what the bolt on is referring to. But yes, you CAN regear your Dana 35 to 4.56 without a locker. You will have to install a new carrier unless you had 3.73s from the factory. Instead of a new carrier, I used a Detroit Truetrac mechanical limited slip when I had my Dana 35 regeared to 4.56s.

However, you CANNOT upgrade your axles to 30 spline axles without a locker. There are no open carrier or limited slip differentials currently available on the market that work with them.
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Did you upgrade the axle shafts?
 
deadbeat son said:
As has been mentioned, not sure what the bolt on is referring to. But yes, you CAN regear your Dana 35 to 4.56 without a locker. You will have to install a new carrier unless you had 3.73s from the factory. Instead of a new carrier, I used a Detroit Truetrac mechanical limited slip when I had my Dana 35 regeared to 4.56s.

However, you CANNOT upgrade your axles to 30 spline axles without a locker. There are no open carrier or limited slip differentials currently available on the market that work with them
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What about a truetrac regear, and a 27 spline chromoly shaft
 
I have 4.56 gears and the Detroit Truetrac in my Dana 35.

I upgraded my axles to the 1541H alloy axles when I did the install, still 27 spline.

You don't want to use Chromoly axles in the Dana 35 as the axle itself is used as the bearing race. You want 1541H alloy which has the proper hardening.

I'm running 33's (285/70/17) and the gears and Truetrac work great.
 
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RangerTJ said:
I have 4.56 gears and the Detroit Truetrac in my Dana 35.

I upgraded my axles to the 1541H alloy axles when I did the install, still 27 spline.

You don't want to use Chromoly axles in the Dana 35 as the axle itself is used as the bearing race. You want 1541H alloy which has the proper hardening.

I'm running 33's (285/70/17) and the gears and Truetrac work great.
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Exactly what i was looking for thank you for the help!
 
4.0L I-6 said:
Did you upgrade the axle shafts?
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No, I did not upgrade the shafts with the Truetrac, 4.56s, and 31s.
4.0L I-6 said:
What about a truetrac regear, and a 27 spline chromoly shaft
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Yes, you could absolutely do that. Although you'll probably hear some people on here complain about the Truetrac and call it worthless, it worked great for me in the rear axle (but I don't wheel in Johnson Valley). I ran an Eaton E-locker in the front, with the Truetrac in the rear, and that setup worked well for my needs.

From what I understand, the problem with the 35 is exacerbated when the rear axle is locked. With something that can break free under stress such as an open diff or LSD, it's not as big of an issue. With that said, there is nothing wrong with upgrading the axle shafts at the same time. Just make sure you get 1541H shafts and not 4340.
 
4.0L I-6 said:
I'm looking to upgrade my dana 35, looking at the 27-spline Yukon "bolt-on" (if anyone knows the difference between bolt on and C clip I would love to know! and whether or not the "bolt-on" version is a direct fit or requires more add ons) and regear my dana 30/35 to 4.56.

Can I get this done without installing lockers?
Click to expand...

Bolt in refers to non C-clip axles used in the earlier YJ and XJ and will not work in the TJ.
 
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Murf926 said:
Wow. I had that exact work done about 3 years ago now and it cost me a little less than half that here in Colorado. Did you try checking other shops?
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Holy cripes, I missed that part. OP - the 27 spline 1541H axles and Truetrac should only be about $600 less than an E-locker and 30 spline axles, give or take. So the ridiculous $10k quote should still be over $9k with the changes you mention.
 
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Murf926 said:
Wow. I had that exact work done about 3 years ago now and it cost me a little less than half that here in Colorado. Did you try checking other shops?
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Tell them to Fuck off. You can order a built dana 44 with all this for less than 5-6K delivered to your door.
I bought TJ Dana 44 with E locker and 4.56 gears for 1.5K$, installed it myself in my garage into my TJ, then upgraded to Disk Brakes (used backing plate from LJ bought for 200$), added Rear Black Magic Brake Pads (new for 200$) and then got 4130 Alloy USA shafts (used for 200$).

Search on Facebook Marketplace for used TJ dana 44 with 4.56 and locker, they go between 1K$ to 2K$.
 
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TexasTJ2004 said:
Tell them to Fuck off. You can order a built dana 44 with all this for less than 5-6K delivered to your door.
I bought TJ Dana 44 with E locker and 4.56 gears for 1.5K$, installed it myself in my garage into my TJ, then upgraded to Disk Brakes (used backing plate from LJ bought for 200$), added Rear Black Magic Brake Pads (new for 200$) and then got 4130 Alloy USA shafts (used for 200$).

Search on Facebook Marketplace for used TJ dana 44 with 4.56 and locker, they go between 1K$ to 2K$.
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Do you already have 4.56 gears before you installed the Dana 44?
 
Murf926 said:
Do you already have 4.56 gears before you installed the Dana 44?
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Yes, I bought the axle with elocker and 4.56 gears. It was with trashed drum brakes and seals on the shafts we not in good shape, and shafts were not chromoly but stock, but still it was a good deal. 4.56 gears are popular with TJs, so you can find on marketplace somebody selling something with 4.56.
I actually wanted 5.13 gears, but didn’t find anything for sale with this gear ratio.
 
TexasTJ2004 said:
Yes, I bought the axle with elocker and 4.56 gears. It was with trashed drum brakes and seals on the shafts we not in good shape, and shafts were not chromoly but stock, but still it was a good deal. 4.56 gears are popular with TJs, so you can find on marketplace somebody selling something with 4.56.
I actually wanted 5.13 gears, but didn’t find anything for sale with this gear ratio.
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Well, the OP doesn't (he has 3.07s like I did), so he can't simply be lucky enough to find a loaded Dana 44 with everything he wants on it to get him where he wants to be.

The quote you replied to of mine mentions that I got my stuff upgraded for a little less than half the $10k he was quoted (mine was actually $4600 and change). This included 30 spline 1541h shafts with rolled splines, and Eaton e-locker (your profile says you have an ected. I assume that is the e-locker you are referring to), 4.56 ring and pinion front and rear, new front carrier to accept 4.56 gears since the stock 3.07 carrier could not, all new bearings, and installation of all. It sounded like all this is exactly what the OP was looking to do.

I could have saved some money by doing the work myself, but I was not willing to do the R&P setup myself so I had the shop do it all.

It sounds like you found a great axle at a great price to build upon, but even if the OP were to find exactly what you did and build it the same, he'd still need to come up with a solution for a 4.56 front axle.
 
Murf926 said:
The quote you replied to of mine mentions that I got my stuff upgraded for a little less than half the $10k he was quoted (mine was actually $4600 and change). This included 30 spline 1541h shafts with rolled splines, and Eaton e-locker (your profile says you have an ected. I assume that is the e-locker you are referring to), 4.56 ring and pinion front and rear, new front carrier to accept 4.56 gears since the stock 3.07 carrier could not, all new bearings, and installation of all. It sounded like all this is exactly what the OP was looking to do.
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4K$/5K$ is a reasonable price for for the rear and front end work. But he got 10K$!!! That is a robbery.
 
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