Dana 44, Super 35, or Ford 8.8?

MellowYellow

MellowYellow

TJ Enthusiast
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Location
Boones Creek TN
Ok, short answers please. If you had an 04TJ, 4" lift, 4.0 5speed, 33 in tires and the ever popular Dana 30/35 combo, which rear end would you go to; 44, super 35, or 8.8 Ford? It's a daily driver and 98% of the time it will have pavement under the tires. Probably have either 4.10 or 4.56 with at least a TruTrac. Maybe, MAYBE, go to 35 in tires someday. Also have to upgrade front with gears and maybe stronger axles. Oh, fergot to mention, money is a definite factor!! I'm not exactly a mechanic so all labor will increase cost. I know it's a big question with lots of variables, so don't 'overthink' it. Thanks.
 
I'm in the same boat. Just received a Black Friday package yesterday from Revolution Gear the 4.55 gear upgrade kit! All I need now are the replacement front & rear carriers and the time to do the swap.

My drive habits are similar to yours, and unless I can find a Dana 44 at a bargain, I'll probably go the Super 35 route once funds are available. At least this is how I'm leaning at the moment...

Looking forward to reading the expert opinions here, and best of luck to you.
 
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MellowYellow said:
Ok, short answers please. If you had an 04TJ, 4" lift, 4.0 5speed, 33 in tires and the ever popular Dana 30/35 combo, which rear end would you go to; 44, super 35, or 8.8 Ford? It's a daily driver and 98% of the time it will have pavement under the tires. Probably have either 4.10 or 4.56 with at least a TruTrac. Maybe, MAYBE, go to 35 in tires someday. Also have to upgrade front with gears and maybe stronger axles. Oh, fergot to mention, money is a definite factor!! I'm not exactly a mechanic so all labor will increase cost. I know it's a big question with lots of variables, so don't 'overthink' it. Thanks.
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I had a 1998 TJ 5 Speed with 3.07 gears Dana 30/35 combo on 33” MT tires. I upgraded my rear axle to a Dana 44 and my front axle to a HP30. I went with RG&A 4.88 gearing as 35’s are a possibility in my future. I had my gears professionally done my Motobilt local here to Alabama for $600.00 to buy the gears and $800.00 for labor, expect more if an axle seal needs to be replaced/wheel bearings are shot/ujoints are shot/ball joints are shot. Pricing may vary across the states, this is what it costs in the SE. I installed the Dana 44/30 myself (4 day job for a novice like me), labor goes way up if a shop swaps the axles. Numbers laid out:
  • Purchased Dana 44 - $800.00
  • Purchased HP Dana 30 - $45.00
  • Re-Gear - $1500.00 (Tax gonna get ya)
Edit: This is how I went and would do it again. Don’t rule out a Super 35 though, its a great setup and cheaper. If you don’t want to swap axles yourself, my reccomendation is a S35 with a selectable rear locker.
 
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1999tj said:
I'm in the same boat. Just received a Black Friday package yesterday from Revolution Gear the 4.55 gear upgrade kit.
Click to expand...

Ulgrade from what? Nothing in your profile, and from your username, I assume you have a 1999 TJ, but that's all we know...
 
MellowYellow said:
Ok, short answers please. If you had an 04TJ, 4" lift, 4.0 5speed, 33 in tires and the ever popular Dana 30/35 combo, which rear end would you go to; 44, super 35, or 8.8 Ford? It's a daily driver and 98% of the time it will have pavement under the tires. Probably have either 4.10 or 4.56 with at least a TruTrac. Maybe, MAYBE, go to 35 in tires someday. Also have to upgrade front with gears and maybe stronger axles. Oh, fergot to mention, money is a definite factor!! I'm not exactly a mechanic so all labor will increase cost. I know it's a big question with lots of variables, so don't 'overthink' it. Thanks.
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Don't upgrade the front shafts until you break at least one set of stock ones.
Lots of folks will recommend the rare as hen's teeth Dana 44 but you have to really look at what you are paying for when you go that route.
If you are going to re-gear, install a locker, and upgrade the rear shafts, all you are buying is an empty housing with brakes and they typically will need some work if the axle has been sitting. So, value what you are getting accordingly. Unless the axle is pretty much ready to bolt in and go, they are generally overpriced for what you get.
The 8.8 is an expensive pig of an axle that does NOT belong under a TJ especially on 33's.
That leaves the Super 35 with your locker of choice which is the best option for what you are doing.
 
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I agree with Blaine. If you're planning on ripping out all the inners of the axle, at that point all you're using from the axle is the housing. Unless you already have a Dana 44 to begin with, I'd stick with the Dana 35 and go the Super 35 route.

In addition to that, I've done a lot of reading about the Ford 8.8 and it's an option I wouldn't even consider.
 
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I agree with above, stay away from the 8.8.

If it were me and used it as you do, and were on a budget, I would look for an complete inexpensive 4.10 geared Dana 44. I would rebuild the LS in it, then I would put the $$ into the front Dana 30 by matching the 4.10 gears and installing a selectable. The 4.10 gears and 33's won't be ideal but won't be horrible either, especially for a DD.

If my budget were a little more, I would S35 it and re-gear and selectable both axles.
 
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Around this part of the country, finding a good used Dana 44 is like finding gold and if you find it it's priced about the same. I searched for 2 years when I had my Dana 30/35 combo. I was within hours of buying a Dana 44 equipped stock TJ, swapping the rear axle and then reselling the TJ when I came across my current Rubicon.
 
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JamesAndTheSahara said:
It took me 1 day to find a used tj dana 44. They are not rare on the east coast, at all. Nearly everyone here wants bigger axles and doesn’t care about the tj 44. Then again its just a bunch of mudding rednecks soooo. :D
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Wow! You should buy a few and bring them out West :) I couldn't find any for less that $2K when I was looking and for that I would have went S35 first.
 
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CodaMan said:
Wow! You should buy a few and bring them out West :) I couldn't find any for less that $2K when I was looking and for that I would have went S35 first.
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I could do better than this but you can buy one right now for $1300.00 with shipping included:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/222739282148

$800.00-$1000.00 is very realistic in the SE.

6B69EB77-A8D5-4584-B39B-470D6ED008A6.png
 
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MellowYellow said:
Ok, short answers please. If you had an 04TJ, 4" lift, 4.0 5speed, 33 in tires and the ever popular Dana 30/35 combo, which rear end would you go to; 44, super 35, or 8.8 Ford? It's a daily driver and 98% of the time it will have pavement under the tires. Probably have either 4.10 or 4.56 with at least a TruTrac. Maybe, MAYBE, go to 35 in tires someday. Also have to upgrade front with gears and maybe stronger axles. Oh, fergot to mention, money is a definite factor!! I'm not exactly a mechanic so all labor will increase cost. I know it's a big question with lots of variables, so don't 'overthink' it. Thanks.
Click to expand...

To start, the TT only comes in 27 spline so the true S35 is out being that it is 30 spline. So that leaves using a Detroit locker, ARB, or E locker. 98% on the road would eliminate the DL unless you want to deal with it's quirks on a daily basis. That leaves the ARB or E locker. I have installed a bunch of ARB's and they are a great locker. The E lockers didn't exist back then but @mrblaine has great things to say about them so I would take that as solid advice.
If you really only want a Truetrac, you can add 27 spline alloy axles to the 35 which are stronger but not as much as true S35 axles. Revolution makes those and they have a 10 year warranty so they have confidence in them. If money is tight, this would be the most cost effective.
 
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OK, looks like the 8.8 is out (didn't like that idea anyway) so I'll just wait til I have cash in hand and see if there's a recently totalled Rubicon anywhere close. If not, Super 35. Thanks for the input!
 
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MellowYellow said:
OK, looks like the 8.8 is out (didn't like that idea anyway) so I'll just wait til I have cash in hand and see if there's a recently totalled Rubicon anywhere close. If not, Super 35. Thanks for the input!
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A rubicon Dana 44 is going to be significantly more expensive than a regular Dana 44 out of a TJ since it has the factory lockers.
 
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I just (last summer) changed out diffs and regeared (from 3.73 to 4.10) the Explorer It cost me about $130 for a 4.10 Ford Explorer 31 spline 8.8 including the disk brakes (and a worn out limited slip).
In your position IF you have 4.10s or 4.11s I would just go that way...(don't know if you have antilock brakes or if the sensors are compatible).
I believe the ARB was around $950 before tax. (got a good sale price on the compressor).
Did the install myself so random parts like seals were about the only other expense, had the shims... would have to; cut off, make or buy axle brackets, spring mounts, shock mounts, etc. THEN locate/position them and weld them on. As well as verify the Ujoint and rear driveshaft size, angles etc. for a TJ install though.
...NOT a good first project but not rocket science either...

Enjoy!
 
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Happy Joe said:
I just (last summer) changed out diffs and regeared (from 3.73 to 4.10) the Explorer It cost me about $130 for a 4.10 Ford Explorer 31 spline 8.8 including the disk brakes (and a worn out limited slip).
In your position IF you have 4.10s or 4.11s I would just go that way...(don't know if you have antilock brakes or if the sensors are compatible).
I believe the ARB was around $950 before tax. (got a good sale price on the compressor).
Did the install myself so random parts like seals were about the only other expense, had the shims... would have to; cut off, make or buy axle brackets, spring mounts, shock mounts, etc. THEN locate/position them and weld them on. As well as verify the Ujoint and rear driveshaft size, angles etc. for a TJ install though.
...NOT a good first project but not rocket science either...

Enjoy!
Click to expand...
So how much do you have into the 8.8 altogether?
 
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