1968 vs. 1969 D44 differences

What is the difference between a 1968 and 1969 D44 rear axle?
The reason I ask is because I have a 1968 CJ5. I ordered a Rough Country 2.5 inch lift and the rear U bolts were not long enough. After talking with Rough Country, we determined that the U bolts for a 1969 were longer.

 

I believe the difference comes in the Flanged vs non-flanged axles...but i do not know the specifics...i know the D44 in my 69 is non-flanged....

 

Mine are tapered as well. Are the housings a larger diameter?
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I'm pretty sure the housing never changed in diameter.

 

Were your springs changed to aftermarket maybe?
Originals were 1 3/4" I believe.

 

yes

 

yes, larger for the flanged.

I was assuming the original poster was talking length.....
length can very, obviously
maybe it was width

 

I had the same problem ,I just assumed they forgot to include the drive shaft angle shims in the measurement for the u-bolts... mine is a 68 with tapered axles and yes it's length in my case.

 

Yes I was talking about length. So 1. why would the housings be a larger diameter but still use the same tapered axles? 2. Why are these larger housings showing up on 68's?
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Learn something new every day.

 

Flanged axle housings I know for a fact are 2 3/4" diameter. I m pretty sure the tapered axle housings are 2 1/2" diameter and are all the same including 44's and 41's. Depending on year, hard top/soft top, heavy duty vs. light duty there were different thicknesses of spring packs which would account for the different lengths of U-bolts. Best thing to do is measure for your own needs.

 

I ran into the same problem. I have two 1970 CJ-5's, one had flanged and one had tapered...there's a difference!