lift, lockers axles, what to do first

[jesseyj]

Hey every one i have a stock YJ, and i want to build it up. My question is, what do you think I should purchase first. The lift, lockers or axles. I have a dana 35 in rear and I want to put 35's on my jeep. Also if i change the axle completely, what kind do you guys think i should swap in. thank you for any replies. Ill talk to you guys later.

[PondScum]

Re: lift, lockers axles, what to do first

Originally posted by jesseyj
Hey every one i have a stock YJ, and i want to build it up. My question is, what do you think I should purchase first. The lift, lockers or axles. I have a dana 35 in rear and I want to put 35's on my jeep. Also if i change the axle completely, what kind do you guys think i should swap in. thank you for any replies. Ill talk to you guys later.

Well for 35's the rear axle "should" be replaced. Though i've heard stories of some people running the D35 on 35's i hear alot more stories of them breaking.

It's hard to recommend an axle if we don't know what your plans are for your jeep. Is it your daily driver? Is it going to be a trailor rig only? The cheapest and easiest swap for the D35 is the Ford 8.8 (97 or newer Ford Explorer axle). 97+ come with disc brakes so that's a popular choice. D44's are also a popular swap. 9", D60, 14 bolts are the axles of choice for the more extreme wheeling.

Do you plan on doing the axle swap and gears/lockers yourself? If not and money is no object companies like Currie, and Dynatrac are 2 of the more popular axle companies, but you are looking at $2000+ for an axle from them.

Lift: To fit 35's the Rubicon Express 4.5" XD lift is a good SUA option in addition to a body lift to clear 35's. SOA would be a great option as well, but requires some welding and more attention to the steering system to accomplish properly.

A SYE/CV Driveshaft for the rear will also be needed regardless of whether you go SUA or SOA so that's around another $500+ to factor into your costs. For SOA you will more then likely need to extend the front driveshaft as well.

You can't really purchase lockers without knowing what your rear axle is going to be, so your lift would be the logical place to start. I'd go something like this:

1) Suspension Lift (SUA or SOA)
2) Body Lift 2"+ (if SUA)
3) SYE/CV Driveshaft
4) Rims and Tires
5) Axle,gears,lockers

There is alot of info about everything i've mentioned on these forums and various others out there with alittle searching on your part you can find answers and more indepth discussions on all your questions.

[paulhead]

I did alot of thread and forum reading to find out first what I wanted then what it would entail, money, labor, difficulty. I learned enough to pretty much do it right the first time. In a year I went from stock to a 4" Rubicon Express standard, Tom Woods drive shaft and Advanced Adapters slip yoke eliminator combo, 32" BFG mudd terrains, new soft top, new seats, and some little things. Each mod requires a little more attention than just slapping it on so read up!

[kizer]

Yep, bounce around and do a bit of reading. You don't want to commit a lot of cash before you understand what your doing to your rig.

[blkTJ]

I personally think you can't go wrong getting the proper axle (rear) for your needs first. My 3 sugestions would be an 8.8, 44 or even a super 35. Igofshn runs a super 35 with 35s and has had no problems. Nailer 341 runs an 8.8 on 35s and has had no problems. Many run 44s. I suggest going with 3.73 or better gears so that you can regear with the same carriers at a later date.

as far as lift and lockers go, if your buying or building yourself an axle... it'll have a locker in it... or should. Lifts are meant to fit larger tires. If you don't have the money for the lift AND the new 35s, there's not much need to do it IMO. Truth is... with at least one locker and 31s you can do 75-80% of the trails here in socal. Well, with that and some rocker guards.

well, hope that helps. maybe Nailer will chime in on how he put his Jeep together. He's got one hell-of-a YJ.:yay:

[jmbrowning]

May I kindly suggest something not in the list, specifically a winch. The reason being everything you have mentioned is designed to get you INTO trouble and the winch is designed to get you OUT of trouble.

[Dukes69]

I agree with blkTJ, you really cant go wrong with an upgraded rear end, the only problem is that you might have to regear a couple times and the might prove costly. If you plan on running 35's then you'll probably want 4.56's or 4.88's. With stock rubber you wount be left with a lot on the freeway. Depending on what your YJ you have, you'll either have a c-clip or non c-clip D35. Non c-clip axles are stronger and might last a little longer with 35's. You might want to do the lift and tires first then save for axles. If you run 35's, be easy on the gas and the D35 might last til you have enough money to upgrade. So, pretty much what pondscum said

[blkTJ]

the reason i think an axle is a good idea is the fact that he wants to jump right to 35s. Not a bad idea imo, right there he's saving the added expense of buying 33s. If he gets the lift and tires and still has a stock 35 it'll be like walking on eggshells everytime he wheels it. he's got a 5 speed so if he goes with 4.56s it'll be pretty rough while he's got 31s but i think doable. anyway, that's what i think.

[NAILER341]

if you do the 4" lift and 8.8 at the same time you wont have to reweld the perches. that is the set up i have on mine. there is a lot of good info on this thread... you will need a lot of things to properly run 35" tires on your yj.
i have 4" lift, 2" body, and tj flares with a lot of sheet metal cut away.... i still rub at full flex.
the 8.8 is a piece of cake to swap in. it is basicly a bolt on deal if you have a 4" lift. a little bit of inginuity to make the e-brake work... but no big deal. also. the shock mounts need to be welded on. [piece of cake] DO IT! IT IS A VERY STRONG AXLE, AND PRETTY CHEAP, AND EASY TO INSTALL.
dont forget the sye, and new driveshaft. you "can" drive it for a while without this, but you will have HUGE shims to rotate the pinion angle to something respectable. [temporary fix] so you can save up another 500 bucks for the sye kit. i would NOT wheel your jeep too hard in this stage of the game.
THEN.... lets not forget gears. for the manual trans, i suggest 4.88 gears [i run those] AUTO... 4.10-4.56 WILL GET YOU THERE.
AND another $1000 bucks.
to get to 35's it is not cheap. good luck!

[jesseyj]

axle purchased

Hey every one thank you for your replies. I just wanted to let every body know that i purchased an ford 8.8 for my jeep. I decided t beef up the rear first, then probably lockers, and when i get more cash lift and tires.

[sarah]

congrats on your purchase and good luck!

[longtallsally]

Here is my $.02. I have told other new Jeepers to do it in this order: 1) Winch 2) Lockers 3) Lift and tires.

Here is my reasoning. The winch will get you out of anything. The lockers will help more than having big tires as far as traction and clearance. And by then, you will then be getting into trails difficult enough to need the clearancce of larger tires.

Here is another thing I am going to say causing great dissention: the Dana 35 is just fine as an axle. I have done Moab, the Rubicon, and some tough trails in CO not to mention a bunch of redneck thrashing shortly after I bought my YJ new, and I am running 33" tires with stock gears. I have broken one axle the almost 10 years and 100k miles I have owned my YJ. I desperately need lower gears, but unless you are a total knucklehead, save your cash spent on new stronger axles and buy the other cool stuff like a winch, lockers, on board air and welder and a bunch of spares and other toys that will make you more all around trail worthy first.

Like I said, my $.02.

Brice

[Dukes69]

Originally posted by longtallsally
Here is another thing I am going to say causing great dissention: the Dana 35 is just fine as an axle . . . I am running 33" tires with stock gears. I have broken one axle the almost 10 years and 100k miles I have owned my YJ. I desperately need lower gears

Brice, I will agree. BUT As soon as you add your number 2 to the mix, it screws alot stuff up. Dana 35's and lockers do not mix. and on top of that you add lower gears (which equal more torque) the inevitable will happen. So, the Ford 8.8 is money well spent. The D35 is "fine as an axle," but fine just doesnt cut it.

[jmbrowning]

My humble opinion

Well, I would humbly suggest upgrades in the following manner. My upgrade path generally followed this schedule.

I would suggest also the following in order of importance:[list=1][*]Tow points- of course, you will need a tow strap at the same time (without metal hooks AKA Donor Makers), you can get bumpers too if you have extra cash[*]Armor- engine skid, gas tank skid, rocker guards, consider tummy tucker if you have the cash[*]Recovery gear- hydraulic bottle jack, hi-lift jack, shovel, consider a winch if you have the deneiro[*]Lockers- Rear first and fronts later, selectable lockers are nice for the extra money[*]Lift/Tires- don't forget this also means a double cardan shaft, slip yoke eliminator and new gears. Go as tall as you want at once, you don't want to pony up for gears twice. I would suggest you put the Ford rear end at this late stage to allow you to save up your pennies and avoid the double gear problem.[/list=1]

As you can see, my first few suggestions don't cost too much dough. Furthermore, they will get you out of trouble in one piece. A nice Ford axle may have lots of potential for the future but it definitely won't make you feel better about your oil pan bleeding out on the trail

[longtallsally]

Yes, I would say you are correct. However, a careful throttle foot- or hand if so equipped- will go a long ways.

Don't get me wrong, I think the old 35 needs to be ditched. However, I think there are a whole slew of things more important to me to get first. Which would you rather do, buy a winch and a couple spare axle shafts for the 35 or just a new axle? I think the cost would be close to the same if not less if re- gearing needs to be done. So my logic is that the lame axle and winch can get you further than just a nice axle. Just make sure that you have the spares to back you up.

I guess in my years of playing with cars and bikes, I try and spread the wealth and put a lot of thought into creating a total package as opposed to concentrating on one aspect. Do I want 44s or a 9"? Dumb question. Would I rather have those and no winch or my lame axle and my XD900i, well the answer is on my Jeep.

Brice