Guidance on my axle swap

Ok I have a few question on axle swaps for my cj5 I've already done quite a bit if research and it seams the best axles for the swap are the waggy and the scout dana 44s but before I take the plunge on buying axles im curiuos wich axles would be best and easiest for my goals. I have found multiple sets of Chevy, scout and the waggy 44s locally that can be had for 150 bucks a set and I will be leaving them full width and I know ill have to outboard them my jeep actually already has the brackets welded to outboard the springs from the previous owner
Now my goals are front and rear dana 44s obviously but also I want to run 35in tires, soa, and ill be moving my shackles out to the bumpers to get a lil more wheel base
What I have now is a sbf 289 v8 the narrow tapered dana 44 rear and a dana 25 front, t90 3 spd trans and the dana 18 transfer case. if possible ill be keeping the trans and tcase. My budget at the moment is right at 3000$ so what do you guys think

 

How are you gonna use the Jeep? If plan to use the Dana 18 you need an offset rear axle. You can keep your existing axle and put a full floater conversion on it. If you swap a Dana 30 in the front you'll be set for most normal driving and wheeling. If you're gonna be using it harder then some waggy 44s might be a good start.

 

The jeep will mainly be a trail rig out here in ft bliss El Paso tx where we mainly have sand and rocks but I would like to be able to keep it somewhat streetable as far as cruising back roads at 35mph and I'm assuming if I want to keep the d18 neither of those 44s would work then right? I do have a completely rebuilt d30 in the garage that I was gonna use but I wanted to go wider for stability

 

Try and find some waggy 44s from a quadra trac? Model.... they have an offset like the stock 44. They have 6 lug pattern though. The tan CJ -2a in the JP magazine is running a set. Verne or lowslowtj on here is the owner I believe... maybe he can post some pics so you can see

 

Ok so after a lot of research and time trying to find the quadratac 44s I found they are quite expensive compared to the 100 dollars pair of centered waggy 44s I can get locally. I think I will drop the t90 and dana 18 in favor of a 4spd np435 and possibly a dana 300? I found a np435 locally they want 60 bucks for but it needs a complete rebuild due to it setting for a while favor found a tc yet but hiw does that setup sound waggy 44s sbf289 np435 and the d300 how would my driveshaft be with that combo

 

Don't be so quick to move to a centered T-case set up.The offset has trail advantages and the driveshaft angles are not as severe because the output of an 18 is lower.

I went through EVERYTHING you are going through. Simplest solution for me was a Dana 60 from a 73' F250 and 3/4 T hubs for my front 79' waggy 44. The full floating D60 rear is very easy to narrow. I removed 6" from the passengerside and order 1 custom length shaft from Moser for around $175. This offset the diff to work with the D18. I found the 3/4 Ton front 44 hubs online for $100 bucks.

My axle expense;

Front
79’ waggy 44 $150
Narrow (DIY) Free
Shorten 1 axle $75 (Moser)
3/4T hubs $100

Rear
73’ F250 Dana 60 $100
Narrow(DIY) Free
1 custom axle $175 (Moser)

Total $600

Cost doesn't include various new bearings, new Warn hubs, 1310 D60 yoke, newbrakes, etc. These cost depend on the condition of all the bits and pieces youend up with.

I decided on 60" WMS-WMS, but you may find you only need to narrow the D60to match you front 44 if you are mounting outboard the frame, depending onwhich axles you end up with. My waggy 44 was 64 3/4" wide and my D60 was66" wide.


I had to find a 4:10 gear set for the front 44 to match the D60 4.10. Thatwas another $100 bucks used on line. Add a used spool for the front at another$100 bucks.

End of the day I have around $1000 bucks total for D44 & D60 with lotsof new stuff in them. For my project I couldn't be happier with the setup. Oneof these days I will finish it up and actually drive it!
Good luck, it can be frustrating deciding on an axle setup, there are just too many options lol.

So this is what a 60" wide, offset D60 looks like in a 59" wide body cj

 

If your looking for offset FSJ axles, look on IFSJA.org, there are a few folks on there down in TX that should what your looking for.

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/

Look for Bill Moore, Red Mistress, rread , suttonlive, texasJ10, jsinajeep

 

I found my front 44 on IFSJA.org. It's a great resource. The late 70s 44s have the thickest axle tubes. Also found an offset rear 44 on the same site. The rear end turned out to be bad, due to spun bearing damage. I think I paid $50 bucks for the rear end. But it was intact and appeared good, I really don't think the guy knew it was bad.

I think the offset 44s are fairly common, there were several around when I was looking. There are several different widths out there, narrow and wide track, J truck and waggy.

It really doesn't matter what lug pattern you end up with, 5-6-8 just as long as the front and rear are the same!

 

Why spring-over?

You have to put in all new steering to do that.

And new brake lines to the axles.

 

I've already got all new brake lines ready to go in and I'm not fully decided on the soa but considering I'm mainly gonna be out in the rocks soa just seams like the best idea considering ground clearance
And i found a dana 60 out of a 1980 dodge power wagon how would that work

 

I prefer spring under because there is no axle wrap. Have owned at least 6 4wd chevies and the axles fly all over the place under tire spinning loads. On my 3rd jeep (spring under) and the power transfer is smooth without the hop-hop-hop, they just spin and grip. JP mag has also finally realized this as well lol. Took them a few years to figure it out, they are slow learners!

With a grinder and new spring pads.

 

With a grinder and new spring pads.[/QUOTE]

Is that what was required to do on your ford d60 along with the shortening also did you do a write up or take pics of shortening of your axles