JK to TJ Rear Axle Swap: Slow Build

It's a good idea to learn all types of welding. There are things you can do with stick that you can not do with any other. The rod selection is huge allowing for enormous welding potential. Yes it is more difficult to learn but when you have it in your pocket, it is a skill you will not regret spending the time to learn. Learn how to Oxy acet Braze too! I have Stick, Mig, Tig and OA in my shop, I heavily use Mig then Tig but will never get rid of my stick welder and would actually like to find a gas/diesel powered unit for off site away from power work/repairs. I have welded with quite a few different stick welders of differing capabilities but never the battery method(unless you mean that one time I was taking a side terminal off and burned a pot hole in my snap on wrench, new at the time, very not happy moment). I need to try the batteries so I know I can. I would also like to build a welder from a Delco alternator when I have time.
Back to the main topic, I put an 8.8 in my TJ with a Barnes truss and plan on an OX locker very soon with a re-gear. I am also learning as I get a little older, many times we are money and definitly time ahead just buying the after market fab parts vs making our own. I have found lots of sources for tabs, gussets, mounts etc for general fab work that save endless hours and usually make me look like a super hero fabricator LOL. (BTW The Barnes TJ truss is bad ass, stupid easy to get on the axle RIGHT and looks good!)
 
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Thank you all for critiquing my welds, but back on topic, I'll be working on the brake/parking lines this week and hopefully get the paint/POR15 on the axle as well. Currie has a universal cable kit, but at $192, it seems a bit pricey.
*I'm debating taking the axle to have it re-geared while it is out of the Jeep, but it would result in 2 trips to the shop. I'll put in the stock stuff and drive straight to the shop for re-gear/new seals etc. No reason replace the seals myself when the shop will have to break the axle down and do it anyway.
*I was going to keep the 5x4.5 bolt pattern, but it seems cost effective to use the JK bolt pattern. Good news is there are a million JK rubi wheels for sale, although the JL Sahara gray/silver wheels are pretty nice. It may push me to go to a 35" tire at some point to make up for the loss of 2" wheel. Not worried about that though.; I think the 33/17 combo will still work just fine.
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That is the update for now, once I get everything together and installed, I'll clean the thread up in a manageable fashion.
 
S.McArthur said:
I'm debating taking the axle to have it re-geared while it is out of the Jeep, but it would result in 2 trips to the shop. I'll put in the stock stuff and drive straight to the shop for re-gear/new seals etc. No reason replace the seals myself when the shop will have to break the axle down and do it anyway.
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Check with the shop if they'll do it while you wait. Many shops I talked to want to add it to their queue and will get to it within a week. You might end up having 2 trips anyway...
 
Update: I believe I have a solid plan to run the brake lines and I picked up some JL wheels for $40. Now to find some rubber to test fit them. I should have measured the backspacing (6.2") prior to purchasing them. I think I'll be fine, we shall see when I get the axle under the Jeep.
First coat of paint is on, I may put another coat on for fun. The axle should at least be mocked up under the Jeep this weekend. I had to buy a new 1310 pinion flange to use match my drive shaft. I'm already planning on buying a new shaft after I get the axle settled in. I called Adams DS and that was the recommendation for that issue.

Update to the update: I called the guy I was going to use and he said he wouldn't touch the aftermarket parts, said only OEM type work. So, now I need to find a new shop.

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1) Why does everyone look at me like I’m nuts when I tell them I’m gearing to 5.13?
I’ve used the calculator, read every damn gear thread, got advice from Allen at Allen’s off-road, I’m fairly sure I made the right choice.
42rle, 33” wheels.
2) Why is it so hard to give people money.
 
A few thoughts/observations:
I hope the 1310 pinion flange gives me a little more room from TC to axle; as of now, it would look like I need a short drive shaft.
The Artec Truss added 1.5" to the height of the axle housing (pumpkin), no issue with clearance in that regard.
The diff cover was touching the fuel tank, but after getting the lower control arms set, I have ~1+" of clearance; I see no clearance issues.
The JKS rear trackbar I am swapping in place of the pos RC one is perfect. RC TB is a [deleted], the JKS TB has just the right amount of curves to fit perfectly; Artec truss with pinion angle is perfect.
The JK Dana 44 compared to the Dana 35 just looks super beefy, no clearance issues though. My track bar mount hits the tub before anything else touches. I see no issue there; especially after bump stops are installed.
My shocks bottom out long before the trackbar mount hits the tub, no issue as the tires would be hitting long before then. I will need to measure the travel length, I believe the shock mounts are higher than what was on the Dana 35.
I mocked up one of the wheels to see how far past my stock flares the wheels would be, and quite frankly, it does not look any worse than a 1.5" wheel spacer (shown on the front wheel). Obviously, the tire is going to add another 1/2"-1" to the width, but it's not bad.
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It’s in, all loose just to check everything, but it’s going good.
Bent my own brake lines, I’ll have to fix the short side, made way to many “fix” bends to trust the line. I have a template though.
Picked up 07 rubicon wheels with damn near new 33” tires for $350. So far, so good.
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Preview of the setup, most of the things I need to finish can be done with the wheels on, and really it will make some of it easier.
I’m not sold on 17” wheels, they might look better once I get everything finished and in the light.
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Sorry for the lack of updates, it's little stuff here and there holding me up.
Everything minus the upper control arms are set, I'm waiting on my drive shaft to arrive to make sure my pinion angle is good.
Brake lines are good to go minus the parking brake cables; quite frankly, they are low priority right now.
Somehow, I magically got my axle center within 1/16", may not sound cool, but I'm proud of it.

I ordered 2" wheel spacers to close the difference between the 65" JK axle and the 60.5" TJ Dana 30; I do not like the setup, but I do not see an easy solution until the front axle is swapped.

At some point, I'll start to clean up the thread and post more pictures. I have learned I would be a terrible youtuber.
 
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Brakes are finished and bled, small PSA...change out your brake fluid...I won't mention any names, but I know a guy that just did it and it was disgusting. I've read to (here) to purge the brake system but never did it until I saw what was coming out of my lines. Absolutely disgusting, so I kept pumping until the fluid looked like it came right out of the bottle.
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As of now, I am waiting on a driveshaft then to the re-gear guy. The finish line is in sight and I cannot wait to get this thing out of the garage. It's fun working on things, but at some point, I'm ready for the next project...which is more honey-do housework.
And my helper making sure my tire stack is acceptable.
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Parts/Build Cost: I'm not really proud of this. There are places I could have saved, but the cost is way over what I expected.
Rubicon JK Dana 44 $ 800.00
JKS Trackbar $ 194.75
PowerStop Brake Kit $ 70.78
Adams 1310 Dana 44 Yoke $ 68.99
Adams DriveShaft $ 328.83
2" Wheel Spacers $ 125.95
Artec Truss $ 407.95
RG&A Axle Shafts $ 564.29
RG&A Ring/Pinion/Overhaul Kit $ 685.77
Misc. Nuts/Bolts/Cleaners etc. $ 75.00
17"/33" JK Rubicon Wheels $ 350.00
Re-Gear Service ***Pending*** $ 750.00
Total $ 4,422.31

Areas I could have saved:
Used stock axle shafts
Re-gear front Dana 30 to 4.10 and lived with it
Truss: Although it was easy, you could probably get away a lot cheaper by buying individual mounts. I'd go with the Artec truss again though.
Wheels: Kind of hard to say; you either modify the JK rotors/swap axle shafts to 5x4.5, or got to the JK 5x5. For $350, I saved myself about $700 not having to buy tires.
Trackbar: I didn't really need it, but the rough country one was such a POS, I had to remove it and mount it to my receiver hitch to adjust, and that was straight out of the box.

Would I do it again? Maybe, depends on the axle setup. I kind of saved $200 by using the stock Rubicon locker as opposed to ARB/Eaton etc.
I gained experience but didn't really save any trouble. It was fun, I can say I did it myself.
 
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/370890560062690/?ref=share
Here’s a link to a Facebook Group where some specifically make JK Axles work on their Jeep. Many of them being TJ Owners. Probably a good guide so you can return to this thread and give your updates.

I do understand one of the harder parts of the build is having the custom steering properly done.

Cheers and good luck 🍺
 
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