Cherokee Goes Big... Maybe
I'm currently stationed in Afghanistan. When I get back to the States, I'm planning on making my '00 Jeep Cherokee a little more trail worthy. I will be swapping out my Rough Country 3-inch lift for its 6.5-inch X-series kit. I will also be installing a Rough Country slip-yoke eliminator kit and CV driveshaft. I will also install some BFG 33 All-Terrains on Mickey Thompson Classic Lock wheels. I was wondering what would be a good donor vehicle for a front Dana 44 and Dana 60 rearend for my '00 XJ. I would also appreciate any other information you could give me. I have many years of automotive experience, but nothing like this. I want to do the work myself, so once again, any help would be appreciated.
Sgt. Reed Roalf, 82nd ABN DIV, Afghanistan
Hey Reed,
We think you'll indeed like the lift, wheel, and tire package you've got in mind. As for the axles, you'll need a Dana 44 with a driver's side diff-erential, and preferably one with a high pinion for better gear strength and ground clearance. A good donor vehicle would be a '78-'79 full-sized Bronco or a mid-'70s to '79 F-150 4x4. This axle has a 5-on-5 and a half bolt pattern. The Dana 60 can be found on many one-ton pickups and vans. Although that is a stout axle combo, it's gonna be a tough one to pull off if you're trying to do the work yourself. Most of the Dana 60 rears you'll find will have an 8-lug bolt pattern. Both of these axles will be too wide for your XJ, so you'll need to narrow them, which we'd advise you to send to a pro-fessional to have done. In addition, you'll need to fabricate the bracketry for your front four-link suspension, and install it correctly on the front axle. There are some simpler options, and since you're not using massive tires or installing a dyno-killing V-8, these simpler options will probably suit you and your XJ just fine. Consider beefing the front Dana 30. Superior Axle and Gear offers a Super 30 kit which includes an ARB Air Locker, CrMo axles, Spicer U-joints, and Timken roller bearings. You can also go for Superior's Big Spline option which will upgrade the 27-spline axles to 30-spline. This will beef your stock front axle without the need for narrowing or fabricating bracketry, and the wheel bolt pattern doesn't change. Superior also offers a Super 35 kit, which can be used to upgrade your rear axle, again with an ARB Air Locker and a Big Spline option.
For the rear, we'd suggest finding a Ford 8.8-inch rearend out of an Explorer or 4.0-equipped Ranger pickup. The width is correct, and the bolt pattern is also correct for your XJ. Since many Explorers were factory-equipped with disc brakes, we'd opt for an Explorer rearend, and we'd install new axle perches on top of the axle.
Keep in mind that you'll most likely need to change ring and pinion gears in both axles -- the front and rear ratios absolutely must match. We'd suggest 4.56 or 4.88 gears with your 33-inch tires.
The ultimate (and priciest) way to go would be to get a pair of completely custom axles made by the likes of Dynatrac or Currie Enterprises. Although it's a larger initial outlay, in the end you'll have a pair of axles that feature long-term reliability and minimal installation hassle once they arrive shipped to your doorstep.
A good "in between" solution might be to get a custom Dana 44 front axle, and hunt down an 8.8-inch Explorer axle for the rear.