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Jeep Wrangler Axle Swap - JP Magazine

Jeep Wrangler Axle Swap - StealJ Part VIII

Christian Hazel Brand Manager, Four Wheeler jeep Wrangler Axle Swap jay Miller Photo 9010562

We've received several e-mails from interested TJ owners begging to know which axles we're installing in Project Steal-J. If you checked the last two installments, we ran down a ton of front and rear axle upgrades-ranging from building the stock Dana 30 and Dana 35, to totally gonzo Dana 60 and hybrid Ford 9-inch stuff.

Since this TJ will spend the majority of its time cruising the highways at 80 mph, with only the occasional off-road adventure to trails like the Rubicon and Colorado ghost towns, we didn't really see the need to step up to 1-ton or larger stuff. What we were after was worry-free components that could not only stand up to the 32-inch tires we're going to run on this Jeep but that will survive any upgrades we may make in the future. Right now, we don't plan on getting silly, but if a V-8 swap and 35s are in this Jeep's future, we don't want to go buying axles twice.

We found a happy medium in Drivetrain Warehouse's TJ Dana 44 axle assemblies. For us, these axles make good swap sense all day long. As we ordered them, our Dana 44s should prove bulletproof even with a mild V-8 and 35s, so our 190 hp and 32s shouldn't prove to be any concern. They come with all the stock TJ brackets and tabs ready to go. All you need to do is swap over your steering knuckles, brakes, and vent lines and bolt 'em in. And both axle assemblies came ready to run for less than $5,000! Since our TJ was already at TAG Motorsports in Escondido, California, getting a tranny swap, we got greasy and helped shop foreman Jay Miller make it happen.

jeep Wrangler Axle Swap pallet Of Axles Photo 9010565

The items on this pallet run just under $5,010. For dual Dana 44s nearly ready to run in a TJ, that's a smokin' deal. You reuse your existing knuckles, brakes, and steering linkage, which really helps knock down the price. After all, why buy stuff that's already on your Jeep and that works?

A Lot For a Little
Here's what our axles contained and what the price as of press time was. In our book, we got a whole lot of axle for a little coin.Front TJ Dana 44 axle assembly:
* 4.56 G2 Genuine Gear ring-and-pinion
* ARB Air Locker
* 30-spline Alloy USA shafts, outer alloy stub shafts
* Alloy USA axletube seals
* Optional Riddler diff cover$2,524.99

Rear TJ Dana 44 axle assembly:
* 4.56 G2 Genuine Gear ring-and-pinion
* ARB Air Locker
* 33-spline G2 Genuine Gear alloy shafts
* Riddler diff cover$2,324.99
ARB compact compressor: $159.99
Grand total: $5,009.97

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It may seem slightly overkill, but for only a little more money over the 30-spline TJ D44 assembly we upgraded to 33-spline G2 shafts that will handle V-8 power with ease if we ever pull the trigger on that engine swap. The G2 is part of Genuine Gear's upper-echelon product line and is super-nice stuff. The alloy G2 shafts come with an anti-corrosion coating and feature rolled splines and induction hardening for strength and longevity.

Up front, our Dana 44 housed Alloy USA alloy shafts loaded with Spicer 760X U-joints and axletube seals to keep the muck out. New ball joints and upper control arm bushings make swapping components a breeze. It took less than 30 minutes to swap our knuckles and brake components from our Dana 30 to the Dana 44.

Another optional item on our axles are the Riddler Manufacturing diff covers that will ensure any accidental rock hit will be a non-issue for the G2 Genuine Gear ring-and-pinions. The solid steel covers won't peel back or dent and feature higher fill plugs for rotated rear axles in high-lift applications.

TAG Motorsport's Jay Miller is probably a little sick of working on our Jeep by now, but at least the axle swap couldn't have been easier. After removing the brakes and backing plates from the Dana 35 rear, we transferred the components to the Dana 44. We were even able to reuse the hard brake lines that run along the axletubes.

With the brakes and backing plates installed, we transferred the plastic spring isolators into the Dana 44 coil buckets and heaved the axle into place. The G2 TJ Dana 44 shafts came with wheel studs in the TJ's 5x4.5-inch bolt pattern, but they're also drilled for a 5x5.5 pattern for those running a 5x5.5 Warn front hub conversion or custom disc brake setups.

Like a glove (well, maybe not O.J.'s glove), the Dana 44 slid right into place. While the factory Mopar housing lets the sway bar, suspension links, coils, and shocks drop right in place, the longer pinion will require the front and rear driveshafts to be shortened by roughly 2 inches. Since we did the axle swap the same time as a tranny swap, we only ordered new driveshafts once.

Since our TJ has the goofy factory ABS manifold (which we've long since disabled) tucked into the space beneath the master cylinder, Miller mounted the ARB mini compressor right on the front fender. The compressor takes up very little space, and you can rotate the body away to angle the lines in a different direction from any interference you may find. For a street-driven Wrangler, ARBs are a must for us, allowing a stock-like ride on the road and tractor-like traction in the dirt and rocks.

Up front, the factory Rubicon housing keeps all the stock suspension and sway bar mounting locations. If it worked with your Dana 30, it will work with this axle. Like the front, the shaft will need to be shortened for the longer pinion. All we needed to do after bolting in the housings was connect the vent lines and run our plastic ARB locker lines.

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Jeep Wrangler Axle Swap - JP Magazine

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