Dana 35 to Dana 44 Axle Swap

[Jay P]

I believe I’m finally ready to do my swap. For some reason I can’t get my self to go out and do it. I’m afraid of issues. I know I’ll be driving around in 4 hi with the rear drive shaft removed(been there before) I know the driveshaft may be too long, I hear I may need an adapter to bolt it back on??? I also hear that these are non issues. I know I have to find out when it’s done but please leave your tips below. It seems pretty straightforward but I can’t find much with detail anywhere (probably because it’s so easy for normals) but I seriously need a push. The E brake cables and rear brakes are all fresh and new. Chromoly shafts, adj track bar as well.

Let me add: 44 has 4.56 gears
I have the front 30 with the same gearing.
Front pinion seems loose on the free axle.
Debating- pull the gears from the 30 and put in the 30 that’s already under the Jeep or clean up the free 30 throughout and swap it in?



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[Jerry Bransford]

If you have much of a suspension lift the original rear driveshaft can be used as-is. I converted from the original Dana 35 to Dana 44 with a 3-4" lift and reused the OE driveshaft without problem.

The Dana 35 to Dana 44 conversion is easy-peasy, nothing tricky about it. It's a complete bolt-in operation. Even the brakes on your Dana 35 can be bolted onto the Dana 44 without any modifications needed.

 

[Jay P]

If you have much of a suspension lift the original rear driveshaft can be used as-is. I converted from the original Dana 35 to Dana 44 with a 3-4" lift and reused the OE driveshaft without problem.

The Dana 35 to Dana 44 conversion is easy-peasy, nothing tricky about it. It's a complete bolt-in operation. Even the brakes on your Dana 35 can be bolted onto the Dana 44 without any modifications needed.

3” BDS which sits a bit high so we will see. Maybe tomorrow or next weekend with 4 off. Probably only need half a day but I’m one if those that can make it longer than it needs somehow.


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[TJDaveX]

I swapped in a built Rubicon Dana 44 years ago. The PO had swapped out the yoke to fit 1310 shaft joint. It has disk brakes, so I simply swapped in some Rubicon parking brake cables. The hard lines fit right up to the Dana 35 block, so I kept that. I did a SYE at the same time, and ordered a shaft after it was all done, so no help there. All in all, it went pretty smooth. I had to re-gear the Dana 30 up front to match the new to me Rubi 44's 4.88 gears.
I never broke the Dana 35, open with 33" tires, but it was always on my mind every time I took it wheeling. Piece of mind alone was worth the effort of swapping axles!!

 

[Jay P]

I swapped in a built Rubicon Dana 44 years ago. The PO had swapped out the yoke to fit 1310 shaft joint. It has disk brakes, so I simply swapped in some Rubicon parking brake cables. The hard lines fit right up to the Dana 35 block, so I kept that. I did a SYE at the same time, and ordered a shaft after it was all done, so no help there. All in all, it went pretty smooth. I had to re-gear the Dana 30 up front to match the new to me Rubi 44's 4.88 gears.
I never broke the Dana 35, open with 33" tires, but it was always on my mind every time I took it wheeling. Piece of mind alone was worth the effort of swapping axles!!

That’s what I’m looking for. Peace of mind. One less thing to worry about! Thanks for sharing


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[c_anthony27]

its a straight up swap
i just did one 2 months ago

i ended up making new brake lines and took the opportunity to do the rear brakes over while it was apart
and also repainted and coated the underside of the jeep and the frame rails while i had everything

its a pretty straight forward swap

you dont need anything special

 

[Fouledplugs]

If you have much of a suspension lift the original rear driveshaft can be used as-is. I converted from the original Dana 35 to Dana 44 with a 3-4" lift and reused the OE driveshaft without problem.

The Dana 35 to Dana 44 conversion is easy-peasy, nothing tricky about it. It's a complete bolt-in operation. Even the brakes on your Dana 35 can be bolted onto the Dana 44 without any modifications needed.

What was the reason(s) behind the swap from a Dana 35 to a Dana 44? @Jerry Bransford

 

[Jerry Bransford]

[QUOTE="Fouledplugs]What was the reason(s) behind the swap from a Dana 35 to a Dana 44? @Jerry Bransford[/QUOTE]Aside from the obvious, the used TJ Dana 44 was only $800 plus it included free installation of the gears & Detroit Locker I provided.

 

[Jay P]

For $1000 I bought this-
Dana 44 with 4.56
Dana 30 with 4.56
5 wheels and tires (sold for $500)
I feel it was a lucky find and did what I had to do to pick up on same day.
New brakes
Read track bar
New shafts
So still about $1500 total
I feel like I got a great deal



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[Tim04Willys]

I recently did the same. Went from stock to 3” Zone (BDS) lift and while I was in there swapped the perfectly fine Dana 35 for a used tj 44.

It really is simple, direct swap. I took the opportunity to instal new brakes instead of swapping the old worn out drums from the 35, but made no other changes.

The spider gears were blown in the 44, so I drove it in front wheel drive to the tire shop for 33’s and then to the gear shop for regear front & back plus a rear locker.

Anyways, do it it’s easy! Get a buddy and it’s a weekend job (or less if you have any idea what your doing) and don’t forget the PB blaster!

 

[Jay P]

I’m going to start on it this afternoon and hopefully finish soon after. I also have new brakes and axel shafts with 4.56 gears already in there. I’m scheduled for Jan 3rd to re gear the front and lock it. Can’t wait, I’m getting my tools out now. Have to pick up another set of jack stands and better wheel chocks this morning. Waiting to lock the rear until funds can go ARB back there. Thanks for the inspiration!!


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[Jay P]

So while I’m at it, my control arm bushings are shot and the Jeep has to be on the road by Wednesday. I can pick up some Rubicon Express adjustables but I think I’ve heard they aren’t worth the money? I have 3 options.

Option 1- purchase RE adjustables locally
Option 2-purchase performance brand OE style made in China for now from a local auto parts store.
Option 3- bolt the old ones back up for now until I can get some better ones ordered. I can’t wait for shipping right now.
So basically are the RE adjustables worth the purchase for upper and lower adjustable rear CA’s.
3”BDS lift. No SYE yet but I’d next on the list.



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[Jerry Bransford]

I'd go for option 3. No, RE adjustables are not worth installing.

 

[tworley]

X2. Run the old ones until you are ready to upgrade to adjustable

 

[Jay P]

That’s the way I was leaning. Just wanted some expert clarification. Glad I didn’t waste $500 on the RE ones. Thanks guys. I’d be wasting all kinds of $$$ if it weren’t for research and this forum. I wasted plenty of cash in my day on the wrong upgrades.


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[TJDaveX]

^^ X a billion! Like the guys said. Don't waste your money. Wait until you can get good arms with real Currie Johnny Joints. I have heard good things about Metalcloak arms too with Duraflex joints, but have no experience with them, or know anyone who has them.
I made the mistake of saving a few hundred dollars and buying cheap arms with fake "flex" joints on one end, and rubber bushings on the other. The front uppers being RE.
I ended up having to replace all 8 arms within a few years. They all fell apart. Complete waste of money.

 

[Jay P]

^^ X a billion! Like the guys said. Don't waste your money. Wait until you can get good arms with real Currie Johnny Joints. I have heard good things about Metalcloak arms too with Duraflex joints, but have no experience with them, or know anyone who has them.
I made the mistake of saving a few hundred dollars and buying cheap arms with fake "flex" joints on one end, and rubber bushings on the other. The front uppers being RE.
I ended up having to replace all 8 arms within a few years. They all fell apart. Complete waste of money.

Good to know. I think I’ll end up doing a complete new kit eventually.


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[Jay P]

All done. A few notes on my struggles with the swap, first of all I did it 100% solo which made it much longer then it could have been.
Issue #1- when removing brake lines, they broke off at the nut. They weren’t spinning freely. Luckily I happened to have a spare Dana 35 with some perfectly good brake lines attached to it.
Issue #2- with the driveshaft removed, the front of the diff is much heavier of course. Lifting this up properly to bolt everything back up definitely worked me over. I wrestled it for quite a while.

Issue #3- cheap ass e-brakes broke free from the nasty retainer cylinder thing on both sides. This really broke me for a minute but I slept it off and recovered well.

Issue #4- dammit my driveshaft is too long still!!! So I broke the brakes in with it in 4 HI and the axel didn’t fall out from underneath me (phobia)

Issue #5- easy to you guys is hard to this guy and I probably take 3X as long to do some of it but I did it. Here’s a couple pics below.

Scheduled next week to gear the front and get a shorter shaft.


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[Jay P]

All done! What a difference the lower gears make. From 3.07 to 4.56 is quite drastic! My Speedo is way off for the moment. Tested the Powertrax No slip and the factory limited slip. One worked all of the time and the other worked 5% of the time. Still loving it. Definitely need a SYE ASAP. Vibes are obvious and the TC drop has to go.


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[OFFRD TJ]

I am looking to upgrade my Dana 35 (rear) to a Dana 44 or should I upgrade from Dana 35 to Super 35. I have a 4" RC lift kit and currently running 35s on it, but no plans to go any bigger. I also plan to re-gear (from 3.07 to 4.56/4.88) and add a rear locker. Any suggestions on how I should proceed?