Is there any way for me to get a 4.88 to fit in the 44 in a WJ? After googln' and searching ebay i can find heaps for the standard 44 rear but they only seem to offer as low as 4.56 for the HD. Has someone tackled this in here or am I looking at a axle swap?

4.56 is the steepest gears available for that axle.
I would not waste much if any cash on that axle. The aluminum center section eats bearings. Pretty much every 70k miles.

Little if any locker options, aussie is the only one.

SD

Thanks for the info SD. Are there any specific donors I should be looking for as a quick swap or should I just shut up and start working on making discbrakes fit on a Ford 8.8 with drums which is at my grasp. One other thing since you are the axle-master around, do you know if the knuckles from my 30HD fit on a XJ D30 reverse cut?

I seem to recall an ad from Solid in a magazine. For the specific axle in question. The ad read that the tallest gear that they offer is 4.88. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />
I am not going to scan the page from the mag. but I have it right here. I don't want to push any buttons on the topic. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />
If SD said it, it is what it is. But the ad also says there is something aftermarket for the 44HD.
The ad came from the second from the last page out of 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Mag., with the blue 51' Flattie called the Bullfrog. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />
I also don't know if they have done something to the diff. to reconfigure for the new gears. They have it in one of there own, so maybe there is something to look into.

Steve the only applications for the D44 "HD" is Grand Cherokees and Corvettes. There are no interchanges to regular d44s which can go all the way to 5.89 gears.

The HD is an aluminum center section (puke)and has little if any aftermarket support. I service them when they scream for new bearings. A I've set up a few Corvette drop outs too.

Solid may build a replacment axle D44 for the HD. If the front end (TJ style D30) could take steeper than 4.88 gears (they don't)is the reason why 4.88 Max was mentioned.

The stock HD can only go to 4.56.

SD

SD, that's why what was said, was said. I was just relaying what I saw in the ad.
It states they can provide a D44 HD with a 4.88 gear. How or what they are doing to it, it does not explain. But they do explain it is a drop in replacement for the TJ.
Not trying to stir up sh!t, just furthering along info.
I tried to scan the page but don't know how to get it onto computer just paper. Scan looks great and readable.
From the ad I can't tell if the center section is aluminum or what for that fact. It does have a strange six sided setup to connect the center section to the axle tubes. Still look pretty beefy.

Solid MFG does not make an aluminum housing, Jeep OEM is.

SD

Man would my credidcard have a stroke when I'd have to pay for shiping on a comlete axle overseas. I can just imagine the phonecall "Yes mister foreigner, we have shipped you the product. And to save you money we put it on a donkey carriage from Utah to Florida that will take 76 weeks and you will be billed seperatly for what the donkey eats, and then to save you even more money we put it on a cuban raft and kicked it in your general direction, somewhat north east-ish. And S&H will be around $5000 US, have a nice day." I just pay'd $135 for shipping 4 shocks to me in a USPS flatrate box <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> , that's $20 more than I pay'd for the shocks.
So I'm going to throw the ol' 8.8 into sandblasting and start tinkerin' on that this fall. Got me some donor brakes from a ZJ to weld on it and thinking full floater since I'm getting the tools warmed up. Are WARN the only ones who offer a kit for the 8.8 ?

So what you are saying is that there is help, or aftermarket support for the HD Dana 44. Not the one Party has but the one Solid makes. And the fact that the R/P can get steeper than 4.56. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />


Hey Party, any way for you to throw some picks our way? I too have a WJ. Not planning on making it a off road vehicle it will remain my sleeper.
01' Larado, 4.7 liter, V8, K+M intake, 5.9 liter, 70mm throttle body. Didn't want to modify, but cirtain circumstances have lead me do so. I love it!!!!!

How much of a lift do you have on yours? How big are the tires? And do have the V8?
The WJ would make for a great lux. 4X4 and has alot of factory power.

It's still in preparation-mode and no cutting has been done yet but I plan on trying to document this one from A-Z, not like the Mitsu project that took 3 years and alot of painstaking decicions between offroading or spending some time on it to finish. Decisionmaking allmost allways went in the favor of offroading <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />
The plans are to have around 5" of lift and some axle shift to make room, and the trusty 38" mudders on 12" or 14" wide wheels. And I'm doing this one in one go, not taking my endless lazy time on it and ending up with a half- <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" /> car with alot of useless onroad miles on it. (like the poor mitsu)

It's going to look a lot like this one just a little big fatter, wider and gray.