Hey guys! I bought my stock TJ, Sahara 4.0 with the 5 speed manual. Dana 30 LP front, Dana 44 rear. Since getting it, I've put a 3 inch lift on it, AntiRock bar, TruTrack rear locker and Spartan Helical LSD in the front. The Dana 30 has done well for me, but I was wanting to regear and get bigger tires. My buddy had a spare Waggy Dana 44 laying around he gave me (ended up going Dana 60's). It came out of a 1986 Jeep Wagoner, photos attatched.
I have seen a 1-2 threads on doing the Waggy Dana 44 switch, but has anybody done detailed writeups putting this under their TJ? The one or two forums I've checked out have some basic info, and I understand some of the basics things (getting new brackets to weld on, using the Wagoneer calipers for better breaking, etc). but they start talking about DIY steering, GM flat top knuckles for the steering, using different rotors, machining a new bolt patterns, all this stuff that I don't super get. Just wondereing if people have done write-ups on doing this for their TJ - I'm learning a ton, have some great help, and just want to learn more about this. Part of this isn't just to have the beefier Dana 44 axle, but also learning and having fun with the build as it goes on. I know a lot of people say to just upgrade the Dana 30 and it can do some serious stuff, but I have a free Dana 44 and want to regear and stuff anyways.
I'm trying to do this on a budget, I've got a kiddo coming in October (first one!) and while I know this isn't just a quick couple hundred bucks and a night's work, I want to budget now (i.e. a TORQ or Spartan locker, with selectable front and rears down the line).
Thanks in advance - this is such a great group to be apart of!
I have seen a 1-2 threads on doing the Waggy Dana 44 switch, but has anybody done detailed writeups putting this under their TJ? The one or two forums I've checked out have some basic info, and I understand some of the basics things (getting new brackets to weld on, using the Wagoneer calipers for better breaking, etc). but they start talking about DIY steering, GM flat top knuckles for the steering, using different rotors, machining a new bolt patterns, all this stuff that I don't super get. Just wondereing if people have done write-ups on doing this for their TJ - I'm learning a ton, have some great help, and just want to learn more about this. Part of this isn't just to have the beefier Dana 44 axle, but also learning and having fun with the build as it goes on. I know a lot of people say to just upgrade the Dana 30 and it can do some serious stuff, but I have a free Dana 44 and want to regear and stuff anyways.
I'm trying to do this on a budget, I've got a kiddo coming in October (first one!) and while I know this isn't just a quick couple hundred bucks and a night's work, I want to budget now (i.e. a TORQ or Spartan locker, with selectable front and rears down the line).
Thanks in advance - this is such a great group to be apart of!
