How soon are you going to get the tires.  It might be worth buying an 8.8 with the gears in it that you want.  You will then have to re-gear the front though, unless you can find a new front the same gears... I am not sure if the bolt pattern will be the same on an 8.8 either.

This has been taken from a previous post...

I've already taken some heat on a few of the other forums as the "8.8 hater", but I simply want to discuss it as everyone seems to be jumping on the 8.8 bandwagon and stating that it's the better axle. I just want to discuss facts, not so and so said this or that...

So that being said, here is my take on it...

First off I'm going to start with the facts on each axle. I'll compare them STOCK vs. STOCK as it's the only fair way to do it.

	Ford 8.8	Dana 44
Shaft Size	1.31"	1.31"
Shaft Spline	31	30
Shaft Type	C-Clip	Non C-Clip
Axle Tube	3.25" *	2.75"
Ring Gear	8.8"	8.5"
Brakes	Disc	Drum
Width	59.25"	60.25"
* Does neck down to 2.75" at brakes

Ford 8.8"

The Ford 8.8" has 1.31" 31 spline axle shafts. It however is a C-Clip shaft. which means that the axle shaft is held in place by c-clips at the differential, not by an outer axle flange. If your axle shaft breaks, your wheel will come off.

It does have a larger 3.25" tube, however it does neck down to 2.75" just before they enter the brake housings. Rather than welding the tubes on the 8.8 into the diff housing, the tubes are just held in with pressed-in plugs. These plugs tend to stop doing their job under severe stress.

The ring gear is larger in the 8.8", however the carrier is known to be a piece of crap and fail.

The biggest advantage the 8.8" has is that it has disc brakes from the factory.

The width of the 8.8" is 1" shorter, so to be the correct WMS you'll need to run 1/2" spacers on each side in the rear.

The diff cover on the 8.8" is about as thick as tin foil. So if you do any amount of wheeling you  NEED to go with a heavy duty diff cover to protect your investment.

Also, the 8.8" is NOT a bolt in application for the XJ/MJ, so you will need to purchase a 8.8" install kit that consist of new spring perches that need to be welded onto the tubes. Also you will need the spicer flange so you can bolt your driveshaft upto it.

Dana 44

The Dana 44 (D44) has a very similar axle shaft. It's 1.31", 30 spline (1 spline less than the 8.8") non C-Clip. The biggest advantage with the shafts on the D44 is that they are not a C-Clip, so you're not completely stuck by a broken axle shaft. A semi-floating axle, like the D44, can be driven a little way if broken, but not far (enough to get you off the trail and back to camp).

The D44 does have smaller axle tubes, but as stated above the 8.8" does neck down to the same diameter as the D44. The tubes on the D44 are welded, and not pressed with plugs. So with a D44 your much less likely to spin a tube like on the 8.8".

The D44 ring gear is just a tad smaller at 8.5", however the carrier is known to be well built and not fail.

The biggest drawback of the D44 is the drum brakes compared to the 8.8" disc brakes. Kits are available to convert them, and several DIY setups are available.

The biggest advantage over the 8.8" that the D44 has is that it is a direct bolt in for any model XJ. They also made a specific MJ D44 that is bolt in for those. You can put a XJ D44 into a MJ (and vise-versa) but you will need to relocated the spring perches as the XJ is spring over and the MJ is spring under. Also the spring width is different among the XJ and MJ.

So in my opinion comparing a STOCK 8.8" and a STOCK D44 the Dana 44 is a better option.

UPGRADES

All of the "downfalls" of each axle above can be fixed.

8.8"

A c-clip eliminator kit can be purchased. It's call the Super 88 kit. It's quite expensive at around $525. It includes 2 new chromoly axle shafts, housings and adapters, and all the needed hardware.

The tube problem can be fixed by welding the tubes to the housing. A lot of people also truss the axle to help eliminate the problem. A 8.8" truss can be purchased from T&T for around $150.

Even though that 8.8" has the disc brakes, expect to have to refurb them prior to installing it in your Jeep. The majority of the 8.8" axles found/purchased are from a salvage yard so it's always recommended to refurb them. Expect around $200 in doing this.

Also we need to get the axle under the Jeep. MORE sells an 8.8" install kit for $180. If you want to use your e-brakes expect to pay another $120 for that kit.

The 8.8" diff cover is about as thick as aluminum foil. So a good (and in my opinion needed) upgrade is a new heavy duty diff cover. Expect to pay around $125 for a quality one.

Wheel spacers? I'll let you decide if they are needed. I won't factory that into the cost of "upgrades".

So now we're looking at a total of around $1300 not including shipping to have a quality axle WITHOUT a locker in it. And that's not including what you originally paid for the axle itself...

I can build a pritty sick D44 WITH a locker, WITH chromo shafts, and WITH disc brakes for that kind of money.

Ok so yeah a lot of people do not go with the Super 88 kit, but I am still going to say that the cost to make the 8.8 superior to a D44 and the work involved to get it into the back of a XJ/MJ is not worth the price if you can find a stock XJ/MJ D44.

Some argue that since the 8.8" is a semi-floating axle that the c-clips make a big difference. Some argue that they don't.

A semi-floating rear axle is one in which the axle shaft does bear some of the vehicle's weight. So in addition to torsional loads, it is required to stand up to shear loads as well.

My opinion is that C-clips do make a difference in axle strength. If the axle isn't a full floater, then the stress is spread out across the axle shaft. The axle shaft rides on the outter bearings at the axle tube end and the side gears. The axle shafts neck down at the c-clip and those can break.

The other side of the argument is that the c-clips are located inboard of the splines the c-clip portion of the shaft is not exposed to much (if any) torsional or shear loads.

Who's right? I don't know, but I like to think I know what I'm talking about...

Anyway I see it, the Dana 44 is a better option and that is why I just built one and put in my wife's XJ. However as stated from the beginning, this is just my opinion and take it for what it's worth...

I know that the Dana35 is thought of as a lost cause by most, but if you were to sink 1000bucks into one would you come out with anything worth wheeling?

What about the Chrysler 8.25?

90XJkid wrote:

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I know that the Dana35 is thought of as a lost cause by most, but if you were to sink 1000bucks into one would you come out with anything worth wheeling?

What about the Chrysler 8.25?

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Honestly I don't feel that the Dana 35 is worth sinking any money into. I've wheeled the Dana 35 (non c-clip version) with 35's quite hard and it held up to my abuse. My thought was wheel it till I break it, than upgrade. I walked into an AMC-20 axle for cheap so I just went ahead and upgraded.

The Chrysler 8.25" came in 2 versions; a 27 spline and a 29 spline. The 27 spline once again I wouldn't put much money into. The 29 spline on the other hand with some money can be made to be a pretty stout axle.

We trashed Rebecca's 27 spline 8.25" and I was actually looking for a 29 spline to replace it with for the simple fact that I thought I could get a complete axle ready to bolt-in for less than I'd have in a D44 that I'd have to put work into. I ended up walking into a built D44 that we put a bit of money into though so I never went that route.

D44's are out there, you just have to keep your eyes open and be ready to buy when the deal happens. I've been picking them up over the past few years without Jeep's to even put them into cause I know will want them later...