differential swap ?

[DannyDisposable]

Dose any one have an opion on Dana 44 differentials ? I have a 84 CJ8 scrambler with a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l motor and AMC20 and Dana 30 diffs in it and was thinking on swaping out the diffs for Dana 44 6lug waggies is this worth my time and money or keep looking fordifferent stronger drive train ? (this is a daily driver / traiil truck )

 

[Old Dog]

IMO it depends on how big a tire you want to run and what kind of off roading you will be doing.
for 33's or smaller tires what you have is fine if you put one piece axles in the 20.
for up to 36's the 44's would be better.
for 37's and up, start thinking D60's.

 

[BajaEdition]

Do the swap

although a Dana 30 /c20 combo has served well to this day

but a Dana 44 /Dana 44 swap is a nice swap

Just how heave do you need to go, D44s are 3/4 ton rated axles. a CJ is a 1/4 ton truck

 

[Saddle Tramp]

I see a lot of money to spend on cutting down axle tubes and shafts, relocating spring perches, and perhaps having to outboard front spring hangers due to the extra width of the Dana 44 differential housing. If the dollars were coming from my piggy the options would be: Front Axle- Upgrade the Dana 30 with a stronger upgrade kit. (readily available) Rear Axle- Look hard for a Dana 44 out of a 1986 CJ. Only if I came up short on the rear CJ Dana 44 would I consider the expense of the Waggy axle work. Just my 2 cents.

 

[DannyDisposable]

was planning on doing some trail riding but nothing too heavy ; she's my daily driver . i was told that what i had was not gonna cut it on a trail ride . so last time i went to a scrap yard i found a set of Dana 44 ( Ithink ) 6 lug on a 70s wagoneer . . i also was told that what i had was fine if i gusset or half pipe it , because the diff tubes are the weak points on my diffs. . I am running with 31 " tires and a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l motor i am planning on a 2.5 " lift and maybe 33"tires

Thank you all for your advise !

 

[CJim7]

was planning on doing some trail riding but nothing too heavy ; she's my daily driver . i was told that what i had was not gonna cut it on a trail ride . so last time i went to a scrap yard i found a set of Dana 44 ( Ithink ) 6 lug on a 70s wagoneer . . i also was told that what i had was fine if i gusset or half pipe it , because the diff tubes are the weak points on my diffs. . I am running with 31 " tires and a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l motor i am planning on a 2.5 " lift and maybe 33"tires

Thank you all for your advise !

Trail rides? It sounds to me like who ever gave you that advice is running their junk at full throttle and trying to launch themselves over stuff they shouldnt be Given your tire size selection, the axles you have now are well within the limits.

The corp20/Dana 30 combo is fine for 31-33" tires...even on the harder stuff, they will hold up. Just do a 1pc kit in the rear, maybe weld the dif tubes, and make sure your front axle ujoints are in good shape.

Hell, Im running (and I mean hard) 36" swampers with the 30/20 combo, locked up, and with a lot of horsepower and gearing....and my only problem is breaking the front 30 all the time.

 

[Old Dog]

I'm with Jim but than I craw around when wheel'n. If you do high speed stuff well than you might need some truss's on the axles.
What kind of trail riding do you do?

 

[Saddle Tramp]

I’m with CJim7 & Old Dog. An AMC20 from a CJ with 1 piece axles and 33” or smaller tires will hold up. The axle tubes are rather thin walled allowing them to bend and the differential housing is prone to crack where the tubes are pressed in; just don’t “jump” or “pound” the jeep on the trail and you should be fine for a lot less money than a Dana 44 . With a 2-1/2” lift and 33” tires you may find a little rubbing at full articulation but not too bad.