I have a 1987 YJ. Since ive owned it i have put in a NV4500, and NP241 with a SYE kit. It has cv's front and rear, 4.10 gears with limited slip in the rear. Front axle vaccum lock converted to manual cable. The 258 is stock other than the bypassed ignition. This spring im swithing to SOA, i had thought about the Procomp coil conversion but have heard to many horror stories, plus money is a issue. The 258 will stay for now but will someday be replaced with a Chevy 350, or 5.9L cummins. I want to run either 33 or 35 inch tires. If i go with the 35's i will swap in a high pinion dana 44 in the front and a Ford 9" in the rear. Would this be a good idea to do even if i put on 33's. My jeep sees only ocassional 4wheelin. But when it does i use it hard. My main concern is when i do the engine swap i will have to much power for the stock dana 30/35. Lockers may also be installed down the road.

thanks for the help

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That is a mighty heavy powerful too big to fit engine for a yj frame and drive train. Heck they run d70s at the smallest behind a cummins, a 9" is a weak joke behind that much engine.
33" tires? dinky, in the great picture of upgrades.
HP of a 350 will pop a m35 like so much popcorn.

High pinion 44 front is good.


LP 9" has to be turned up a bunch in the back of a yj that is not stretched, HP 9" is better but not as strong.
If budget is an issue, HP 9" is pricey $3k+ for a custom 9" hp.

The above are mods to handle 37" tires, a nice pair of d44s will handle 350 power and 33" tires. as long as you are not a throttle jockey.

SD

The 5.9L Cummins is much too big and heavy for a YJ frame. Hell, it's too heavy for pickup frames unless they're reinforced and have heavier springs. Also, it has way too much power (torque) for even a D44 and Ford 9-inch. My 1-ton Dodge truck handles the torque of it's Cummins, but it has a Dana 70 rear diff and a Dana 60 front diff. It also has an NP205 T-case.

Okay so forget the diesel bad idea. I would go with 33's if i kept my stock axles and engine, and just did the SOA. Otherwise 35 would be the smallest i would go. Sorry i didnt clarify that. Anyway so Dana 44's front and rear are the way to go then. Any specific ones to watch out for? Also how big of tires are too big for a daily driver?

48s are a tad big for a dd

It isn't so much that any tire size is "too" big for a dd, rather it depends on the goals.
If the trail riding or rock crawling you want to do requires a 35" tire for reasonable performance, then that is a good dd tire size and build the rig to work with that.

Also it isn't the size so much (oh god where am I going) it is the type and brand that determines a good or bad dd tire.
(whew)

A swamper bias ply tire is almost always a crappy dd tire.
On the other hand a Parelli may not work so well on the trail.

A good street trail tire that runs quiet, lasts, looks good and is a proven trail performer anywhere in the US (mud, rocks, and gravel is the BFG MT. OR Goodyear MTR.
They both stink on soft beach sand. A wider less agressive tire is best for the beach.

Axles, d44 from a 88-91 grand wag that has the d side drop diff, the rear from the same can work provided it is a d44 not the m20. They came with both.
Watch out for the the funky vac disco front 44 that came in those years. Most were the good ones.

Both need some mods for bolt up, spring perch relocation and on the front a massaging of the spring pad on the diff side. yj is 31" frame center, the wag is 32. So both sides need to be moved in 1/2".

If you wish contact me through PM or email if you want me to build and ship complete axles to you.

SD

If you are going to drive it around town every day you will need to think about STOPPING those huge meats too. A daily driver needs to STOP better than it needs to GO! You may need to think about installing the complete braking system from a one ton truck to keep it safe on the street. Remember all of us are out there too!
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

toyota axles are driver's side drop and may be easier(and cheaper) to get ahold of than dana 44's. 33's-35's are good for a dd. remeber, you will have to climb into it everyday. i have 33's on my daily driven xj and i definitly have to put more effort into getting in and out than i used to. at stock height, i could just fall into the driver's seat with no effort. it's not a big deal but if i had to enter a vehicle on 40's everyday(to go to work, still tired, coffee in hand), i'm sure it would get old.

My jeep is mostly a dd. It wont see anything but some mud and snow, nothing to extreme. I dont mind jumping into it. When i got my jeep it had a 3" body lift and a 3-4 inch suspension lift, until i snaped a rear spring. Sure the 35's will add some height, but im going to remove most if not all of the body lift when i go SOA. But the higher i jump the more ground clearance so good trade right. Anyway thanks for the help ill start looking for axles off an wagoneer.