87 XJ axles - hpD30 & D44

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u2slow

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I found a '87 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer (L6, auto) that's going for cheap and/or parts.

If I was going to harvest the axles and suspension for future Liberty mods, whats a decent price to pay?

btw, whats a common XJ axle ratio with the D44? (can't find any tags)
 
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J-Thompson

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Ratio will not matter with 33's on a KJ you will
want 4.56's and as far as I know only H3's with the
I-5 came stock with that ratio

Now some will say that the HP30 is not strong enough
I say nay to that as the HP30 holds 35's all day long
You better check and make 100% that it has a 44 and
not a 35
Besides that I would pay $500-$600 max for those axles
and all you need are the axles the suspension is useless
to you
 

J-Thompson

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Yeah under a light TJ.It would bent like a twig under my KJ that weighs at least 2500lbs or more then your TJ.No sleeving or gusseting required on my 1/2" walled HP44(HP30 is 1/4" walled).

Then why don't they bend under a V8 Grands?
And the 1 I know of ran 33's for years
 

J-Thompson

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I'm still over 2000lbs heavier then a V8 grand.


I am calling you out
1 of 2 things
You don't realize how heavy a grand is
Or
You don't know how heavy you KJ is
Either way you do not out weigh a 5.7 grand
at least the 1 I wheeled with ,Hansen bumper
Winch ,skids ,sliders ,Clayton long arms
2 batteries 2 AC compressors ,1 for AC and 1 for OBA
Not to mention the "extra stuff"
 

tjkj2002

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I am calling you out
1 of 2 things
You don't realize how heavy a grand is
Or
You don't know how heavy you KJ is
Either way you do not out weigh a 5.7 grand
at least the 1 I wheeled with ,Hansen bumper
Winch ,skids ,sliders ,Clayton long arms
2 batteries 2 AC compressors ,1 for AC and 1 for OBA
Not to mention the "extra stuff"
5.7 grand huh? No D30 in a grand with the 5.7,ever.I know how much my KJ weighs,it's been weighed and I also know how much a ZJ and WJ both weigh with both the 4slow and V8's.
 

J-Thompson

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I stand corrected
He has a 4.7 not 5.7 ,it is an '02
And the base curb weight is 4300#
I know he is over 5700 because he had to get a new
trailer due to axle and tire issues
He had a trailer with dual 3500# axles
His only issue was with the quadra drive t-case
corrected with a 231
But I am sure the KJ is heavier and would bend the
HP30 ;-)
He put the HP30 due to CV issues
Not real sure what that was about
 
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J-Thompson

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I'm still over 2000lbs heavier then a V8 grand.

I love how your KJ gains weight to support your
arguement
You said a while back your KJ was 5500#
Now it is 2000# over a 4300# Grand
That puts you at 6300#
I know what 6300# worth of truck is and I can tell
you that the 3.7 will not pull that geared at 5.xx or
not
 

u2slow

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My only preference for ratio was to possibly match the current 3.55 and get the axles in one at a time. The 6-speed manual is very forgiving. 1st gear was too 'short' with stock tires. Its usable now with 30" meats.

I'll re-check the D44. It was an angular cover. The casting looked small for a D44, but I guess I'm used to looking at heavier ones i.e. 3/4-ton 4x4.

My plan isn't to build an extreme ride - my wife drives it more than I do. Just want to have good stuff underneath that performs well for the odd offroad jaunt. I can't see going beyond 33" tires.
 

tjkj2002

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I love how your KJ gains weight to support your
arguement
You said a while back your KJ was 5500#
Now it is 2000# over a 4300# Grand
That puts you at 6300#
I know what 6300# worth of truck is and I can tell
you that the 3.7 will not pull that geared at 5.xx or
not
By weight ticket was just over 6000lbs without the spare tire or hilift on,so closer to 6200lbs.My KJ was 5500lbs before the SFA swap when it still had IFS.
 

tommudd

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My only preference for ratio was to possibly match the current 3.55 and get the axles in one at a time. The 6-speed manual is very forgiving. 1st gear was too 'short' with stock tires. Its usable now with 30" meats.

I'll re-check the D44. It was an angular cover. The casting looked small for a D44, but I guess I'm used to looking at heavier ones i.e. 3/4-ton 4x4.

My plan isn't to build an extreme ride - my wife drives it more than I do. Just want to have good stuff underneath that performs well for the odd offroad jaunt. I can't see going beyond 33" tires.

If you even think of going to 33s even 32s you'll want 4.10s at least.
The 6 speed may be a little forgiving but not that much . Bet 6th gear is only used on down hill runs if you run larger tires. yes I know of quite a few who have run 32s /6 speeds and switched and loved it afterwards
 

Ry' N Jen

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Just to be Devils advocate here...
We wheel with two friends that run Cherokees.
Ones on 33's with 3:73 gears.
The other (Heep) on 35's with 4:10's
There's another fellow with a Heavy half, Big block, 44"s and he runs 4:10's as well!

They all do really well off road!

I find 4:10's with 31's too high still!
 

DJSKJ

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To the Op, remember that here in Canada; especially B.C (Bring Cash)
everything is more expensive that anything U.S. State side.
Hell, Alberta is even less costly the British Columbia. ***** but it's true.

Yeah but the area is beautiful. Not sure if it is more expensive than California though.

DJ
 

Heep

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old thread but most xj came stock with:
D30, D35
standards - 307
auto - 355
some came with 373 but its rare to see or i cant seem to find them

D44 came 373 - 410 gears, regardless just check them. jack up the rear axle an spin the tire 1 rotation then count how many times the driveshaft spins an devide it together. if your gonna do axle swap then do D44, dont bother with the dirty 30 an 35, i was running 34' tires on mine an went through 3 D30 an 2 35s

and with the 2 guys that are bickering about weight, my xj is 2200kg and Ry&Jen kj is heavier then mine which explains why your gas milage blows!!
 

u2slow

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If you even think of going to 33s even 32s you'll want 4.10s at least.
The 6 speed may be a little forgiving but not that much . Bet 6th gear is only used on down hill runs if you run larger tires. yes I know of quite a few who have run 32s /6 speeds and switched and loved it afterwards

3.55 is a perfect gear with these 30" tires. 6th is always used on the highway. 120km/h (says the speedo) @2500rpm. I do have to downshift for most hills, but that's pretty normal for a gas engine. I wouldn't want to lose top speed and economy with a lower axle ratio. Plus there's the carrier break to work around.

This rig may get a diesel engine when the V6 packs it in.... at which point 3.55 is pretty ideal.

old thread but most xj came stock with:
D30, D35

...if your gonna do axle swap then do D44, dont bother with the dirty 30 an 35, i was running 34' tires on mine an went through 3 D30 an 2 35s

The '87 XJ I looked at had the D44 rear... but I waited too long, and its now sold. Another option I've stumbled on is a small pattern 9.25" with 3.90 ratio. :D

In light of the wife not wanting serious mods in the near future, I may just rebuild the front with a Tru-trac, and/or maybe take a stab at chopping up a spare 8.25" for a bigger IFS diff. (ala JBA style)
 

tommudd

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3.55 is a perfect gear with these 30" tires. 6th is always used on the highway. 120km/h (says the speedo) @2500rpm. I do have to downshift for most hills, but that's pretty normal for a gas engine. I wouldn't want to lose top speed and economy with a lower axle ratio. Plus there's the carrier break to work around.

This rig may get a diesel engine when the V6 packs it in.... at which point 3.55 is pretty ideal.
Need to rethink , but its your ride :icon_rolleyes:
 

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