Looking at a used Dana 44 to swap into my 1998 TJ. The 44 is from a 2004 and was equipped with disc brakes. However it doesn't look like any of the brake parts come with the axle. My question is will the drum brakes from my current Dana 35C fit on the disc brake 44. I have found info that indicates that the drum brake parts are the same on the 35 and the 44. So I guess the question is, is the flange that the brake parts bolt to on the axle the same for the drum and disc brake options?
All TJ rear brakes will bolt up to all TJ rear axles since they all share the same housing end bolt pattern. Obviously there are some differences in flex hose, hard line, axle bearings, retainers, and parking brake cables but they all bolt up interchangeably.
Thanks for the info on the brakes. Now I just need to decide if I should get this or do a re-gear. Dana 44 comes with a matching front Dana 30. Both are 3.73 and the Dana 44 has a Tracloc. My 98 has the 4.0 with 5 speed with 3.07 gears currently. I am running 31x10.5x15 right now with no plans to change. If I spend the money on the Dana 44 and Dana 30 I won't be able to re-gear them to the 4.10 I really need with the 31's. Re-gear of my existing axles will be a good bit more money than the seller is asking for the used axles. However the Dana 44 is a pretty good upgrade from the Dana 35 strength wise. I can do the axle swap myself. My thought is that getting the Dana 44 gets me about 80% of what I need gear wise and should be a vast improvement over the 3.07. Or do I just wait and save to re-gear what I have and get 4.10. Lets hear your thoughts?
3.73, 4.0 and 5 speed should be livable. I have an SE with 31's and it's OK on the street with 4.10's and a 5 speed. Your 4.0 should push a set of 31's around with not much drama with a 3.73 ratio. The Dana 44 with the Tracloc is a step in the right direction. Get'm, plug'm in and drive it until you get to the point of wanting / needing to regear and re-lock. (Tracloc's aren't forever). The change from 3.07 to 3.73 will be a noticeable improvement. Not ideal, but noticeable.
Edited to add: TJ's are seldom perfect. They always seem to be a work in progress. The Dana 44/Dana 30 setup sounds like a step in the right direction.
You should have no significant issue running 3.73's with your current combo. 4.10 would give you a bit more but hardly enough to notice. Buy em and if you decide you need more gear look into 4.56.
I ran 31's with this setup for years. Very doable. 4.0L, 5speed, Dana 44/Dana 30, 3.73's, Traclok. I run it and save a re-gear if you every decide to go up in tire size.