Making rear passenger offset dana 44 work

[Built Not Bought]

Ok so I picked up my cherokee chief the other day and the rear axle is passenger side drop is there a way to make this work under my cj will outboarding the springs be enough in the rear or am I up a creak without a paddle

 

[BusaDave9]

You can use an offset diff with a TCase with a centered output. I've seen it done. Even sitting still the U Joints are at quite an angle. That adds more stress but as I said it's doable.

 

[Old Dog]

How far offset is it? You will have a compound angle which might be to great. If you are only talking an inch or two you should be ok.

 

[GARGOYLEJEEPER]

Built Not Bought,
You can also make a offset Dana 20 , if it is closer to that output, been there done that. And carry extra U-Joints (and or DL) just in case.

 

[tarry99]

Ok so I picked up my cherokee chief the other day and the rear axle is passenger side drop is there a way to make this work under my cj will outboarding the springs be enough in the rear or am I up a creak without a paddle

You can take your Dana 20 center output and offset that output by using all the gears and the output housing out of a Dana 18........essentially stripping the D18 and putting that package in the Dana 20 ........in doing so you will get a better angle down (vertical) & (Horizontal) to your rear yoke.........Plus the gear exchange will also convert your Dana 20 from a 2.0 gear box to a 2.43 gear box. Keep in mind they are both equally strong but the 18 will be a little more noisy due to the offset drive running all the time..........you will also have to use the twin sticks off of the 18 to shift it............no big deal been done hundreds of times.
You can outboard........I think the Cherokee axles are what about 60" WMS versus the CJ in your year which is about 50.5" WMS.........keep in mind putting a wider axle in the rear without doing so in the front which your Dana 30 is now 53" WMS will make your CJ not steer very well as the rear axle will have a harder time following the front around in a turn........scrubbing rubber off each time you turn left or right.

 

[Built Not Bought]

You can take your Dana 20 center output and offset that output by using all the gears and the output housing out of a Dana 18........essentially stripping the D18 and putting that package in the Dana 20 ........in doing so you will get a better angle down (vertical) & (Horizontal) to your rear yoke.........Plus the gear exchange will also convert your Dana 20 from a 2.0 gear box to a 2.43 gear box. Keep in mind they are both equally strong but the 18 will be a little more noisy due to the offset drive running all the time..........you will also have to use the twin sticks off of the 18 to shift it............no big deal been done hundreds of times.
You can outboard........I think the Cherokee axles are what about 60" WMS versus the CJ in your year which is about 50.5" WMS.........keep in mind putting a wider axle in the rear without doing so in the front which your Dana 30 is now 53" WMS will make your CJ not steer very well as the rear axle will have a harder time following the front around in a turn........scrubbing rubber off each time you turn left or right.

Thanks I have front and rear out of the cherokee i figured I could make front work pretty easy the rear just looks like a very big off set so you don't think there is a way to use my same Dana 20 with out modifications what about a double cardan drive shaft would the off set still be to great

 

[tarry99]

Thanks I have front and rear out of the cherokee i figured I could make front work pretty easy the rear just looks like a very big off set so you don't think there is a way to use my same Dana 20 with out modifications what about a double cardan drive shaft would the off set still be to great

Best thing to do is get it laid out or make a drawing and call your drive shaft guy.......compound angles on the rear are not good cause your running that one all the time at speed...........if it was the front that is only engaged at low speed it would not be as big a deal.

 

[duffer]

You can take your Dana 20 center output and offset that output by using all the gears and the output housing out of a Dana 18........essentially stripping the D18 and putting that package in the Dana 20 ........in doing so you will get a better angle down (vertical) & (Horizontal) to your rear yoke.........Plus the gear exchange will also convert your Dana 20 from a 2.0 gear box to a 2.43 gear box. Keep in mind they are both equally strong but the 18 will be a little more noisy due to the offset drive running all the time..........you will also have to use the twin sticks off of the 18 to shift it............no big deal been done hundreds of times.

Yep, and if you go this route, using the Advanced Adapters tapered roller bearing shaft for intermediate gear eliminates a lot of the D18 noise. One other potentially big benefit of this conversion would be that you could also use a Warn/Saturn Overdrive .

 

[NorthwestCJer]

It's not quite that easy.
Been down that route before. To use Spicer 18 gears and get 2:43 in a Dana 20 Transfer Case , you need a Bronco Dana 20 Bull gear that I searched and called all over the US for 2 years to find. Finally I found one for 250.00.
Also not ALL Spicer 18 's are the same.
Google it and take good notes from guys who have done it!

But, a Spicer 18 with a large center hole will bolt in place of your Dana 20 . Both are Texas bolt pattern and you will need the Spicer 18 Bull gear.
We have been swapping 20's in place of 18's and changing out the rear ends in jeeps for years to get rid of two piece axle 44's.

I put a offset 18 in a CJ5 with a centered 44. everyone said it wouldn't work! I wheeled it hard and NEVER had a problem. It can be done!

Good Luck

 

[gert]

this sounds pretty complicated, are you able to find another rear axle from a centered Cherokee? What about sending housing to Moser and have them center it for you and have sweet axle shafts to boot?