yj axle options?

[bails85]

mine has a 35 in it now. did yjs come with a 44 option. also what years or packages came with 4.10 gears? i know i could put an 8.8 or 8.25 in but i dont really feel like fabbing one in. another question is how necessary is keeping the rear trac bar and sway bar. i dont have them on any of my other vehicles so not sure why the yj has them. anyone care to elaborate.

[Tumbleweed13]

With out fabbing one in, you really don't have any options. An 88", YJ, D35 is a non-C clip axle. They are supposed to be a bit stronger. But, it's still a D35. I would say your easiest option, is get a TJ D44, and fab that in. Probably your cheapest and easiest option.

I ran my YJ for 8 years, as a DD, and weekend crawler, with no rear track bar, and never had a prob. I left the sway bar on.

[Roger]

If you upgrade the D-35 axles to chrome molly, it's a pretty good upgrade with a relatively low cost. I have no problems with mine, Leaf springs don't need track or sway bars. I think Jeep put them on to quell the hysteria of Jeeps rolling over, Thank you Ralph Nader....

[RAT]

I agree with Roger (did I just admit to that)? His rig wheels nicely. But if you are gonna go hard on the skinny pedal in the dirt you may want a D44. Easy to install one on a leafspring jeep. Personal preference and driving style dictate your choices. And money. And the wife. And...f

[6spdYJ]

If it's a DD, keep the panhard bar on the front. It will keep the front from loading up in turns and wandering. On straightaways you'd never know if it was there or not. When I pulled the rear one out and had 31's, it was fine. As soon as I had 33's it would wander all over - and I mean scary at anything over 40 mph. I put poly bushings in the frame shackle holders and stiffeners in the shackles. I took the rear panhard back out and scrapped it.
The 44 did come in a few (and I mean few) YJ's only sold in Canada. Good luck finding one. The XJ 44 is still able to be found but the sellers tend to think there's a brand new vehicle still attached to them and price them that way.
The Exploder 8.8 is a great option. After 95 they had 31 splines and disc brakes were common.
Again, if it's a DD the TJ 44 is a good way to go as well. I have read that the TJ 44 tubes narrow down to 2.55" at the housing, making the tubes effectively no stronger than a D35. Don't have one, don't know for sure but it's worth looking into.
The International ScoutII rear 44 is an easy swap. There are lots of write ups. The strongest reasons for it though are that the pinion yoke lines up dead-on with the D35 except 1" forward. If you don't have a SYE yet, it will buy you a bit of slip yoke length to live with your t-case drop with the 4" lift. The tubes don't taper at the housing. They are 2.75" OD out to the bearings and have a 1/4" thick tube. Best of all, the axle shafts are the same length from driver to passenger side. If you snap one, all you have to do is find an old Scout 44 (be sure it has flanged axles) pull a shaft and you're back in business. Yeah, the bolt pattern is different, but a set of adapter spacers cures that and brings the width out to match the D35.
If I had to do it over I'd probably go 8.8, but the 44 has so much support there's no way to go wrong with it.

[RAT]

Actually it's the 8.8 tubes that taper. The 44 is same size all the way. Some D60s are tapered too. The 8.8 is cool because you usually find them with disc brakes attached. Rear discs are nice on a YJ/TJ.

[HookandLadder]

I will have a Currie Dana 44 rear end with an ARB air locker and rear disk brakes for sale with in the next week. Gearing is 48.

[bails85]

well it looks like the 35 is staying for a bit. my wife drives like a grandma so im not worried about it all that much. i would really like to do a rear disk conversion.