Dana 35 to Dana 44 swap
- Thread starter Craig Dickinson
- Start date
OFFRD TJ
Member
Good point. In fact, I was planning on using a mechanic to install the new gears, but not sure if any mechanic can do this job?
It is a 6-speed NSG370 manual transmission with a 4.0L engine.
It is a 6-speed NSG370 manual transmission with a 4.0L engine.
42 is a little high for the set but I would almost try and get that front 44 as well. I would def get a 44 rear over putting money in the 35. But I would probably stick with a 27 spline chromoly if you keep the Dana 30 over going to a 30 spline.
OFFRD TJ
Member
Yes, I thought about it too. Keeping the front Dana 30 with a 30 (on the tube side)/27 (Hub side so I don't have to replace my hub)
Spline and re-gear. I can add the E-Locker later to contain the cost, although it makes sense to do it together.
And swap the Dana 35 with a Dana 44, re-gear it to 4.56. Approx Cost $2000 including labor. I am hoping I can sell my Dana 35 on e-bay and get a few $100 bucks.
Note: The Dana 44 is coming off a 2003 TJ Rubicon with a 4.10 gear ratio with a Tru-Lock locker.
What do you think is a good bargain for the set?
They make full 27 spline chromos, a 30 spline stub won’t give you a whole lot of extra strength, and if you stay 27, you can find stock replacement shafts easy for backups. That’s my logic behind it.
There are plenty of TJ Dana 44s around, I wouldn’t necessarily be caught up on this one if you aren’t planning on buying the matching front. The rubi TJ lockers from what I understand weren’t very strong, and I have zero experience with a “tru lock”
I’d see if he’d take somewhere around 3k for the set of them.
That price is about what they typically go for here. If I was still on a Dana 35 though I'd opt for the super35 from Revolution gear and Axle and not think twice.
Get a set of their Dana 30 axle shafts with the 1350 ujoint, CA skids, and currie steering and you'll be starting off with a pretty solid build front and rear
Get a set of their Dana 30 axle shafts with the 1350 ujoint, CA skids, and currie steering and you'll be starting off with a pretty solid build front and rear
Having installed several Rubicon 44s, if I were doing another build, I'd do a Super 35 without hesitation. The 44 is significantly heavier and costs you ground clearance. Strength wise, there is no major difference between the 44 and Super 35. Plus, I've already had one Rubicon 44 rear locker explode, and parts are almost impossible to find, so I'd want to take that out of the equation. Lastly you'd also need a Rubicon pump to operate the stock locker. These are simple, but have gotten ridiculously expensive, for what they are.
Given you're going to regear, why not keep what you have and build on that? At least it's a known, versus a Junkyard 44. You can install a Eaton E-Locker or ARB, along with the Super 35 kit, and ride with confidence!
Given you're going to regear, why not keep what you have and build on that? At least it's a known, versus a Junkyard 44. You can install a Eaton E-Locker or ARB, along with the Super 35 kit, and ride with confidence!
OFFRD TJ
Member
Thank you all for the great suggestions. It looks like upgrading my current axles to a Super 30/35 kit would be a better option compared to Dana 44 swap. I spoke to a sales rep at Revolution Gear and Axle to get a quote and availability for their gear and axle kits. He said they also make Dana 44 axles for TJs and would provide me with a quote for that as well.
I will keep you posted on my final decision once I receive the quotes from Revolution Gear and Axle.
Yeah, I wouldn't be worried about the Dana 35 once you take it to an S35. It's as strong as a Dana 44 with chromo shafts. Save you quite a bit of coin too. I did the swap and about all I have with a Dana 44 is a few bragging rights with people who don't know better.
Dana 30 - 27 spline chromo's
Dana 44 - 30 spline stock shafts
35" tires, 456 gears, 6-speed
OFFRD TJ
Member
I did some research on what gear size would be needed to match the stock RPM @ 3.07 GR (Gear Ratio) and 30.5" stock Tires. Here is what I found.
In order to match to stock RPM @ 70MPH, the SPICER Engine RPM Calculator shows that I should go with a 3.55 gear ratio for the bigger 35-inch tires, but I was thinking of going with a 4.56 ratio which would put the RPM in the 2500 range in 5th/6th gear, which is almost 600 RPM over compared to 3.55 GR at a similar speed of 70MPH. Would this be overkill for non-off-road driving and kill my gas mileage? And what is the real benefit of going with a 4.56 GR? Does it provide added benefit when off-roading to clear difficult obstacles?
In order to match to stock RPM @ 70MPH, the SPICER Engine RPM Calculator shows that I should go with a 3.55 gear ratio for the bigger 35-inch tires, but I was thinking of going with a 4.56 ratio which would put the RPM in the 2500 range in 5th/6th gear, which is almost 600 RPM over compared to 3.55 GR at a similar speed of 70MPH. Would this be overkill for non-off-road driving and kill my gas mileage? And what is the real benefit of going with a 4.56 GR? Does it provide added benefit when off-roading to clear difficult obstacles?
OFFRD TJ
Member
Hello Folks - I did find a pair of used Dana 44 Rubicon axles from a 2006 Rubicon with 147K miles on it. The seller is asking $2400 for the pair. He said he tested all the components before the axles were removed from the vehicle and everything including lockers worked as expected. The only issue is that the front axle spring perch (both sides) is rotted and needs to be replaced with an aftermarket kit such as Artec or Teraflex. Also, the locker pumps are not included in the sale. Is this a good deal? I am not sure how much it would cost me to weld the new spring perch.
I have attached a few pictures for your review.
Please let me know your thoughts.
OFFRD TJ
Member
I am in a situation where I need some advice. My mechanic swapped the dana 30/35 with Dana 44 front and rear. Everything went smooth except the rear driveshaft which he thinks is too long for off-roading as in full droop/compression the driveshaft could cause some damage to the t-case. Is this true? He wanted to shorten my driveshaft but it is going to cost me a lot of money like over $400.
He also suggested that I should get the front driveshaft swapped with a Rubicon driveshaft which is an additional cost.
Any thoughts?
He also suggested that I should get the front driveshaft swapped with a Rubicon driveshaft which is an additional cost.
Any thoughts?
Measure the distance from yoke to yoke to determine the proper length driveshaft. Here is how.
A Dana 44 rear pinion is slightly longer than a Dana 35. If you have any suspension lift it likely offsets the difference and should be fine. See above though and measure.
If you have more than 2.5-3" of suspension lift you should buy a Double Cardan rear driveshaft to avoid vibes (it will also require rear upper and lower control arms to adjust the pinion angle).
Also, before you go changing driveshafts, what else do you plan to do to your Jeep? If you're planning to lift it more or do a tummy tuck you will just be buying driveshafts again or having them altered.
I don't know why you would need to swap the front driveshaft unless something at the yoke's and ujoints don't fit.
A Dana 44 rear pinion is slightly longer than a Dana 35. If you have any suspension lift it likely offsets the difference and should be fine. See above though and measure.
If you have more than 2.5-3" of suspension lift you should buy a Double Cardan rear driveshaft to avoid vibes (it will also require rear upper and lower control arms to adjust the pinion angle).
Also, before you go changing driveshafts, what else do you plan to do to your Jeep? If you're planning to lift it more or do a tummy tuck you will just be buying driveshafts again or having them altered.
I don't know why you would need to swap the front driveshaft unless something at the yoke's and ujoints don't fit.
OFFRD TJ
Member
Do you have a DC rear driveshaft?
Do you have a Transfer Case drop?
Do you have driveline vibes?
One thing to add as an answer
But, it is not a big deal to shorten a driveshaft - $400 seems a bit steep. That’s more like the cost of a new shaft.
One thing to add to answer your question - if the driveshaft is in fact too long it can definitely damage the tcase. Your mechanic is correct about that, so it is important to get it resolved.
But, it is not a big deal to shorten a driveshaft - $400 seems a bit steep. That’s more like the cost of a new shaft.
OFFRD TJ
Member
Axle swap shouldn’t change anything vibe-wise.
Measure your rear driveshaft (collapsed and off the Jeep) and from pinion to pinion and you should know if your driveshaft is too long. If it is you can have it shortened for about $75.
If you’re want to get rid of the TCase drop, you can get an SYE and DC. I highly advise this at 4” lift. You are not using all your lift with that drop.
OFFRD TJ
Member
I am finally done with swapping my Dana 30/35 axles with Dana 44s from a used Rubicon TJ, but I am not sure how to connect/hook up the lockers. Does anyone know how to do the electric/compressor hose connections? Is there a wiring diagram somewhere for the lockers and compressors?