Difficulty of a D44 swap..

Macdaddy4738

Macdaddy4738

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2005
On a 98 TJ (D30 front, D35 rear)

Just wondering what all is necessary in doing this type of work. Is it possible for an average Joe to do? Cost wise, how much am I looking at to do this? Im assuming its not a simple swap..

Nothing is particularly WRONG with my axles currently. I was told that the outer seals are leaking, and some wack job quoted me 900 dollars to fix them :shaking:. I just figure before I sink money in a Jeep with 30 and 35's I should think about putting some bigger axles on it first.
 
How are your Welding and fab skills?

I assume you are going to build the axle instead of buying one all ready built.

it is not going to be cheap

Figure 250-400 for a Waggy front
250 for a waggy rear
250-450 Locker x2
new gears and install

plus rebuilding all of the used 44 stuf
I would say ~3000 done

But from you post
I was told that the outer seals are leaking, and some wack job quoted me 900 dollars to fix them :shaking:
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I would say if you can't fix your seals then you are not going to be able to do this yourself
 
Depending on what tire size you want to run...the easiest thing for you to do is get a D44 rear from another TJ and it is a direct swap for your D35. You should be good up to about a 35" tire with that setup. This is the easiest and cheapest route.

I agree that if you can't replace your axle seals, you should not attempt anything more complicated that what I have outlined above. I would consider letting someone else do the swap. Heck, I'll swap in a TJ D44 rear for you for less that your were quoted on axle seals. :rolleyes:
 
X3
I just did a D44 and 9" swap in an XJ, add another $400 for the bracket kit on the front. Me and my dad did all the work except for setting up the gears(hind sight I would have done that myself too). LOTS OF WORK!! I've got about $2000 in just the front axle alone.
Find an axle from aTJ and take it to FrontPorch.
 
well when I mentioned the 900$ quote, I was just saying that getting someone else to do it should be well under 900 bucks.

How hard is it to find a wrecked TJ around here anyways?
 
I just did a 44 9 swap into my YJ... needless to say, alot less work then what you're gonna have to do to put it in a TJ. It took us a good weekend and I had a full shop and will@rockbottom4x4's (and his certificate that says he's a badass :flipoff2: ) help. If you aren't a good welder I'd recommend lettin some one else do it and you can't really do this in a driveway. If frontporch is too far and you wanna have it done up at school pm Will and see if he's got the time.

And if you're goin all out, i got a 60 rear with 4.10's on the cheapness :burnout:
 
Macdaddy4738 said:
How hard is it to find a wrecked TJ around here anyways?
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Check with J and T in Marion. They usually have a few.

x2 on the find a tj44 and bolt it in. Just make sure it matches your front, gear ratio wise, before you pull that little lever beside the shifter.
 
It all comes down to time and money. For less than $1000 and a few hours worth of labor you can swap in a TJ D44 and be setup to handle 35's. For abour 4x as much money and 10x as much labor (or more), you can swap in full widths and run larger tires. Not to mention the effects on streetablity (assuming this is your DD), etc. FWIW, if you change your mind down the road and go to full width, I don't think you would have any problem selling a TJ D44. :driver:
 
Swapping is the best for your buget in the long run only if you decide how your going to use it. DD or hardcore your axle choice should match. Done right you'll reap huge benifits done wrong you'll have a mess like the current project I'm straightening out for someone. You litterally couldn't get over 15mp without the vehicle darting all over the place. He payed big money on a DD that couldn't make it out of the neighborhood.
 
braxton357 said:
Hell, for less than $1000 you can swap in a fullwidth 9" and 44 and have real axles rather than 1/4ton jeep bullshit.
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Not if you can't weld. Having someone make/buy/weld on the brackets, and changing your wheels (different bolt pattern) and making up new driveshafts is going to run a good bit of $$$.
Not to mention a DD being down for a week or more.
 
True, unless he has a friend with a welder. 5x5.5 wheels can be had for nothing so that's negotiable. Conversion joints for the driveshafts are what, $30? Or SYE it and have the correct shaft made...
It all depends on how much you want to do yourself for sure.
And I don't really think he's at the point of needed a 44/9, but then...there's no point in polishing turd(s). That, and I would never pay anyone to replace axleshaft seals--especially not $900 for $10 in parts.
 
Oh, I agree. I would fix what he has an run it until it is a problem.
 
i think that you'd be better off putting in new axle seals. it isgoing to be the best bet. if your not looking for 35's then don't worry about any axle swap
 
BigBody79 said:
i think that you'd be better off putting in new axle seals. it isgoing to be the best bet. if your not looking for 35's then don't worry about any axle swap
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I agree and disagree with this statement. (note: I was under the impression that he already had 35's) Regardless, you are just delaying the inevitable by replacing the axle seals. I would be willing to bet that the reason your seals went bad is because of the flexing of the housing/axle tubes. On the YJ I had (w/33's) you could actually SEE the tubes flexing on the trail. Over time, they ground deep grooves into my axle shafts and it was just a matter of time before the shafts went. If you need a cheap fix that will get you by for a while, then replace the seals (and build a truss). If you plan to wheel it and have the $$$, then swap in the D44.
 
I agree. I just replaced my d35 with a tj44. It took me a case of Blue Moon and 4 hours (that's me working alone). No welding, fabricating, worrying. Sad part is I bought it over ebay ($1400); mint condition (51K miles) but hurt my wallet...still it was worth the convience of having my DD. You may even get the optional disc brakes with a tj44 (:rolleyes:)
 
if your interested in gettin better axles im thinkin about selling mine that are in my jeep now. ford 8.8 and a dana 30 with 4.56 gears already in it. you would just have to give me your stock ones and some cash...would bolt right up
 
jp78712 said:
if your interested in gettin better axles im thinkin about selling mine that are in my jeep now. ford 8.8 and a dana 30 with 4.56 gears already in it. you would just have to give me your stock ones and some cash...would bolt right up
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How much cash?

How many miles on the 30, and since I know little about gear ratios, how will the TJ run on 4.56 with 32's?
 
Macdaddy4738 said:
How much cash?
How many miles on the 30, and since I know little about gear ratios, how will the TJ run on 4.56 with 32's?
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30 has less than maybe 350 miles, the 8.8 less than maybe 1000 miles. the 8.8 was near a grand new so for both id take about a grand, plus you get four wheel disks. i run mine with 33s and like it. but i like it geared low but you could easily run 35s if you wanted. 8.8s stronger than a 44 too

just thought i would offer another option:beer:
 
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