Hi Everybody,
I'm Chris and I'm new here. I have a 1988 YJ with a 4.2, Auto Trans, all stock except for a Motorcraft 2100 carb (works great) and 32s that barely fit. I have big plans for the YJ, but no money so it will probably stay stock for a while. When I close my eyes the jeep is sprung over with 35's on narrowed high pinion dana 60s and powered by a TBI 350 Chevy, SM420 and a Dana 300. Until I win the lottery, I need your help to figure out how to make it as capable as possible for as little money as possible.

The Problem:
I'd like to run a lunch box locker in the back. I know the stock axles are very very weak and I've seen people say that a locker will break the Dana 35.

Option number one is to get a Ford 8.8 and have my buddy weld some perches on it either sprung over (Which I like) or under (which is less work). Good things are that it's very very strong, I can use my same wheels (right?) and I get disk brakes if I find a 95 or newer. The bad things are that the gear ratios might not match, and I keep the stock front axle, which brings us to:

Option number two is to get a pair of dana 44s from a wagoneer. Good things are that the dana 44s are pretty strong, if I get 2 from the same vehicle the gear ratios will match, I don't have to worry about the stock front axle because I get a much stronger one with selectable hubs and no vacuum disconnect. The bad things are that I will have to buy new wheels, and the dana 44 rear is not as strong as the Ford 8.8 would have been.

My quandry is what's more important-- to have a bulletproof rear end (with a weak front end) or to have a pretty strong rear end and a pretty strong front end too? Will I break a rear dana 44? Will I break the front dana 30?

Also, I understand that the wagoneer axle perches are only 1 inch further apart than the YJ perches. Can I just re-drill the pilot holes half an inch inboard on each side and grind as needed for the U bolts? Or do I really really need to weld new perches on?

Finally, the local self serve wrecking yard here charges $150 for an axle, and the last time I was there I saw a wagoneer with d44s front and rear with a drivers side front drop, and I also saw an explorer with a 8.8 with drum brakes.

Thanks everybody, and sorry about the long first post.