Couple of axle questions

[Paddletrucker]

I have a chance to buy a Chrysler 8.25 pretty cheap. I definitely plan to upgrade my axles. I'm told spending any money to put lockers on a Dana 35 is idiocy. I don't really know why, though. If I'm going to really upgrade, though, I'd like to do disc brakes on the rear.

So, why do I really need to trash the D35? Is just going to the Chrysler 8.25 worth doing? Is it really THAT much better? Also, what about the front D30 axle? Does that need upgraded, too? I'm willing to do it, but I'm trying to plan it all out.

I'm not planning on ever doing any hard core rock crawling. I like to play in the mud, mostly. Some trails, mostly for the scenery and to access more remote camping and fishing spots.

I want the selectable lockers mostly because fully locking the axle on the front of my wife's pickup was the ONLY reason we went anywhere this past winter. My 4WD fArm trucks that didn't have that capability were pretty much useless in the heavier snow this year. I want to re gear, too. With my 5-spd manual and 31" tires, I'm thinking 4.10's, but more likely 3.73's. I'll use the XJ to pull trailers quite a bit, too, so the re gear should be nice there. Using trailers is just a reality around here and I plan on the XJ earning it's keep and using it primarily. It will be expected to do all it's capable of.

I want my XJ to be able to go whenever I want, mud and snow, on my place here and also fishing and camping.

I'm not wanting a serious crawling buggy here, just a reliable go any where daily driver 4X4 that will get me to my livestock in the winter and allow me to do some playing, too. I don't want to tear up my axles, and I only want to do this once, but I'm not going to need something that will scale vertical cliffs, either. Just trying to decide here and searching and research seems to just be bringing up more questions and all the informatio seems a little bit overwhelming after opinions are added.

[bigjim350]

The D35 has very weak axle shafts that tend to break, even more so when locked. The 8.25 is for sure worth the swap. However try and find a 96 and newer one with the 29 spline axles. The older 27 spline 8.25 is only marginally better than the D35. There are axle upgrades you can do to your front D30 but you shouldnt need them for the kind of wheeling you plan on doing.

[Metlic53]

so you want selectable lockers? i dont think there is a selectable locker for the 8.25 IIRC. i swapped my 8.25 out for a dana 44. lots of options for the 44. or you could get an 8.8 out of an explorer already equipped with disc brakes.

[Showtime3492]

I still run an 8.25 in my xj and will continue to do so untill the internals explode and then i may just put another one in or i may do an 8.8 swap. The front dana 30 as long as it is the high pinion flavor will definetly be suitable for you i also still runa high pinion 30 because they are a suprisingly strong axle for the size and parts are plentiful. THe 30 hp can be turned into what equals about a dana 44 if you sleeve the inside and or truss it and upgrade shafts.. But i have friends that run 35s on a hp 30 and the only thing they have done is blow u joints but thats what cv shafts are for lol

[Metlic53]

I still run an 8.25 in my xj and will continue to do so untill the internals explode and then i may just put another one in or i may do an 8.8 swap. The front dana 30 as long as it is the high pinion flavor will definetly be suitable for you i also still runa high pinion 30 because they are a suprisingly strong axle for the size and parts are plentiful. THe 30 hp can be turned into what equals about a dana 44 if you sleeve the inside and or truss it and upgrade shafts.. But i have friends that run 35s on a hp 30 and the only thing they have done is blow u joints but thats what cv shafts are for lol

i had the 8.25 in my 97 and it was a good axle, but i had 2 pinion bearings blow up within 4k miles of replacing them, after spending 600 on it to replace pinion bearings i went ahead and bought a 44 from matt on here and threw the 8.25 out.

[4.3LXJ]

D35 is a good axle for what it was designed for. But it won't handle 33" tires and a locker. But it will handle 31s with some hard wheeling. What they don't like is lockers and big rocks, but that is the case with the small axle 8.25 as well. I have run my 35 on 31s for a long time, done some heavy towing with it and except for replacing two axle bearings, had no trouble with it. It is just a matter of knowing its limitations. Same with a D44. Go over 35" with a locker on big rocks and you will get the same trouble.

[KH96XJ]

The D35 has very weak axle shafts that tend to break, even more so when locked. The 8.25 is for sure worth the swap. However try and find a 96 and newer one with the 29 spline axles. The older 27 spline 8.25 is only marginally better than the D35. There are axle upgrades you can do to your front D30 but you shouldnt need them for the kind of wheeling you plan on doing.

'97 and newer for 29 spline.

[bigjim350]

'97 and newer for 29 spline.

Yep 97+ is guaranteed 29 spline, 96 was a transition year, so its hit and miss.

[Paddletrucker]

Thanks, guys.

So, is it acceptable to plan on leaving the D30 alone? Will it take the lockers and 3.73 or 4.10 gears? If that's the case, maybe I can look at doing the lockers on the front soon and wait to find an axle for the rear that has the disc brakes.

How can I tell if my D30 on the front is the "high pinion" one?

I'm putting the XJ in the shop Tues. for a few things I can't really do in my yard and a few other little things I don't want to do because it's just too damn hot. After I get it back, it's LIFT TIME!!!

I can't wait to get the thing riding a little better. Those flat springs really ride bad on our crappy Oklahoma roads. Sometimes I really miss my native Texas!!:boohoo:

[bigjim350]

Yeah you can leave the D30 stock and use a locker. It should be a high pinion axel if its stock. They didnt use low pinion till 2000

[bigjim350]

Oh and you wont find a 8.25 out of an xj with stock disc brakes. But you can use the stock disc off a zj rear d35 on a 8.25. There is a write up for it somewhere.

[Mudderoy]

Yeah many many people refer to building up a D35 polishing a turd. Doesn't it make them right just the majority opinion.

http://youtu.be/zdDHQVreUmw

http://youtu.be/nRHwjCYMlbM

http://youtu.be/g2njiwAfVAc

http://youtu.be/GuMnuT7sdnI

See if you can find a video of a 8.25 breaking. I couldn't.

[jeepxj95]

u could also use the disks off of a liberty if u could find one or buy new. oh and the lsd works also if u upgrade to the 29 spline shafts. thats what i want to do. or use the tru trac by detroit.

[XJ4IV]

The D35 has very weak axle shafts that tend to break, even more so when locked. The 8.25 is for sure worth the swap. However try and find a 96 and newer one with the 29 spline axles. The older 27 spline 8.25 is only marginally better than the D35. There are axle upgrades you can do to your front D30 but you shouldnt need them for the kind of wheeling you plan on doing.

please heed this warning LOTS of folks find a great deal on an 8.25 but it turns out it is an old one which like jim said is only about as strong as the 35 with a piece of tape around the shaft for extra insurance!
I almost bought an old 8.25 for 75 bucks was going to be a direct swap but I researched it and found that it was a total waste of time... IF your going to do disc brakes you might opt for a ford 8.8 from an explorer whic again is a bit stronger than the 8.25 and already has disc brakes in most cases and everything else i THINK mounts up the same but somebody please lead this on correctly i think the leaf springs on the explorer are mounted under and I think that the yoke is different as well but still a better upgrade

[4.3LXJ]

please heed this warning LOTS of folks find a great deal on an 8.25 but it turns out it is an old one which like jim said is only about as strong as the 35 with a piece of tape around the shaft for extra insurance!
I almost bought an old 8.25 for 75 bucks was going to be a direct swap but I researched it and found that it was a total waste of time... IF your going to do disc brakes you might opt for a ford 8.8 from an explorer whic again is a bit stronger than the 8.25 and already has disc brakes in most cases and everything else i THINK mounts up the same but somebody please lead this on correctly i think the leaf springs on the explorer are mounted under and I think that the yoke is different as well but still a better upgrade

The 8.8 is a good swap. But there are four issues to address. First as mentioned is the spring pads which have to be relocated. No big deal. Second is gear ratio. Since you are going to run 31s, get the one with 4.10s and then pick up a complete XJ front from a 4 cyl which will match that ratio. The third is drive shafts. You will need an adapter, which is available at one of our vendors. Fourth is that you will need a couple of wheel spacers since the 8.8 from an Explorer is 3" narrower.

[XJ4IV]

that CJ driver was CLEARLY not an educated wheeler anyhow...LOL its VERY obvious he needed TAD bit of speed whil on flat ground to get his front wheels over that ledge on top... after the fronts are up then just crawl the rest!...
I have a d35 and run 36 inch swampers and I rock climb... heres a video of me three weeks ago NOT breaking but using common sense kinda like the same common sense to not talk trash to a WWF wrestler... anyhow
notice NO HOPPING thats when things go boom
(the pic is a link just click on the picture)
[IMG]http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m590/XJ4IV/th_MVI_1513.jpg[/IMG"]Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket
here is another of mine on a 4 diamond trail
[IMG]http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m590/XJ4IV/th_MVI_1502.jpg[/IMG"]Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

[honesT]

You gotta learn to walk before you can crawl! Great advise :morningcoffee:


I would not spend my money on a locker for what you want to do. I have done lots of research and 90 percent of my findings are dana30 HP and the Chrysler 8.25 can handle 35 inch tires no problem but Like already stated if you like to show boat and stomp on the gas stay with 31`s or parts will fly...

Jusy my 2cents from what I have gathered, I will be doing my lift soon after about a year of research I will no way spend that much on lockers unless I want just a bush rig that will climb better that a mountain goat. some guys say lockers take the fun out of wheeling...

I think RE 3.5 super ride is the one for me 31`s for DD and 35`s for play. I think the gearing should be ok as I would be in the 1/2nd gears for trails but I have hear some say they felt a huge loss in power with the 35`s so maybe I will have to try them 1st or size down to 33`s for the trails. Still on the ropes about the gearing.

[bigjim350]

I know tons of people with open diffs and wish they had a locker. Havent met anybody with a locker that wished they only had open diffs. Just sayin'

[jeepxj95]

I know tons of people with open diffs and wish they had a locker. Havent met anybody with a locker that wished they only had open diffs. Just sayin'

true very true

[prerunner1982]

Paddle... I was surprised that I had no problems the last couple of winters even with the 12-14" of snow we received. (Doesn't the snow sound good right now?) I have open diffs and did not have any problems. A trick to gain a bit of traction is to partially set the parking brake. The idea is to create similar pressure on each side to keep only one wheel from spinning. I also pulled a full sized van out of the snow...and also pulled the same van out of a ditch and 3 miles back home.. This XJ has held its own... I also live in the country and have had no problems with the muddy back roads when it rains.

If you are going to open the diffs to regear you might as well put a locker in, though I think a rear locker would be fine, unless you have the $$$ to drop on a couple selectable lockers. If you do then why not.... it is the best of both worlds.

My XJ is a daily driver and have yet to need a locker or traction device.... but that is because I don't wheel... no place to... no $$ to spend on broke parts. But living in the country there are times I deal with mud, snow, and ice covered roads for days....

......just wanted to through a few more...... in there. :)

[Paddletrucker]

I know tons of people with open diffs and wish they had a locker. Havent met anybody with a locker that wished they only had open diffs. Just sayin'


This is my thinking. This past winter, if it wasn't for us being able to lock up the front axle on my wife's truck, we wouldn't have gone anywhere. Our other 4WD's were freaking useless. Of course, the Dodge usually is.:thumbdown:

I'd hate to get stuck and wish I had them trying to go check the horses and have to walk a mile home in all that snow. I may not need lockers, but then again, I don't really need the XJ, either. This is my toy that I will use around here.

My thinking is that I could go out and buy a new 4WD, get a loan:crazy:, still have to modify it to make it what I want, and I'll be into it for 30 grand. OR....I can do just about everything I want to the XJ, and in the end, spend way less than 10,000 and have a 4WD I'll like better than anything new I could get.:thumbsup: And there won't be any payments.:D

I just need to figure out what I need to do first, what I want to do first, and how I'll do it with the least amount of down time because I'm really enjoying driving the XJ.

Everybody seems to be telling me I should go with a 4.10 ratio. However, the manual comes with a 3.07 and the auto is a 3.55. Does that mean I should move down to the 3.73 for my 5-spd if I re-gear? I'm only doing 2000RPM at 65 mph, and I usually don't drive that fast. If I keep it below 2,000 RPM's for my trips back and forth to work, I get over 23mpg's. It seems to have plenty of power at that RPM and I'm really only thinking of re-gearing for towing.

I did a Google search and I don't think the 8.8 Ford would be too hard to find and they don't seem to be too expensive. I may go that route. More googling and research, I guess. WTH, it's only money.:smiley-laughing021:

I have narrowed my lift search, I think to the 3" Rough Country, 3.5" Rubicon Express, or the Old Man Emu. More Googling, more reading, :wink:MORE LOOKING AT PICS!! :wink:, and more research.

[4.3LXJ]

I know tons of people with open diffs and wish they had a locker. Havent met anybody with a locker that wished they only had open diffs. Just sayin'

Except that guy in the ditch while driving on ice?:rolleye0012:

[bigjim350]

I dont know any guys that drive on ice, lol. But i was talking about selectable lockers.

[4.3LXJ]

I dont know any guys that drive on ice, lol. But i was talking about selectable lockers.

I just had to throw that in :sign0181:

[bigjim350]

An 8.8 should be pretty cheap and easy to find a the junkyard. Its also easy to find em with 3.73 or 4.10 gears, with posi's. The posi in the 8.8 is a pretty good unit. Then you would just need to lock the front.

[bluedragon436]

Yeah that is one thing I like about the 8.8 is the fact of you can get one with 4:10 gears, posi and disc brakes all in one unit.. then just a matter of finding a shop to install all the mounts and such needed.. but I think that would be well worth it in the end.. Just my $.02

[Paddletrucker]

OK, one more question I can't find anywhere. If I do the disc brake swap, would I still have a parking brake? I'm not aware of a good parking brake system that works with disc brakes. I've looked around and really can't find anything on that topic.

I need the parking brake. Boat ramps and 5-speed transmissions aren't all that fun without a parking brake. I may end up being forced to keep the drums for that reason.

[bigjim350]

No matter which rear you use or which disc brake setup you use just hook your factory cables up to whatever factory ebrake is on the rear.

[honesT]

I`m far from a brake expert, I thought of the same swap but after reading some people had problems and also had to swap the brake booster I lost interest. Too much coin...

[bigjim350]

You shouldn't have to replace the booster. Just swap in a disc brake proportioning valve.