Dana 44!!!

ok so i'm the first to admit that running 35's when you arent really sure what axles youve got isnt the smartest... but hey, i always figured i could just replace em when they break...
so get this... i was working on getting my rear springs installed today... so i chop off the old u-bolts, remove the old springs, get the new springs in and lined up with the axle... and sure enough, the new u-bolts are too small. So anyway, to make a long story short... i decided that now would be a good time to figure out what my axles are... i did a little scraping and some wire brushing and discovered that the rear axle is a DANA 44!!!
Woohoo!! So anyway, now im trying to figure out if it was swapped in or if it came stock. Im inclined to think that its stock since it has the 9 inch brakes (yes i am converting to 11").
I know that the body on m jeep is from a DJ-3A, but ive never been able to figure out what my frame is from... so i've attached a few pics.. the 3rd pic is of the rear axle (you can see the 44 stamped on it) and the other three are of the front axle. Markings are as follows:

Rear axle still has the tag on the top bolt with a W and a 43/8 with a casting # of 18419 (the 9 might be a 0... not sure). then of course on the lower part theres the 44 stamp.

front axle actually says "front axle" at the top and then on the bottom right theres a stamp of an A in a circle and the # 17038. Left side is stamped 2018188

Anyone know what my front axle is? or how strong this D44 is? And last question is... does this help narrow down what the frame is?

 

Rear axle has relatively weak 2-piece 10-spline shafts unless somebody upgraded them to later 2-piece 19-spline '60s-era shafts. Either are pretty weak and will be stressed with 35s. The '70-1/2-'71s have the good 30-spline 1-piece shafts that'll deal with 35s and a locker. Or Warn makes a full float conversion for the axle that bumps it up to 30-spline alloy full floating shafts. Don't run a locker and you'll probalby be ok, even with 35s. The pinion is also a coarse spline design. Should be okay, but if you ever do a ring and pinion swap use later fine spline parts.

The front is most likely a Dana 25. Pretty much at its limit running 32s or 33s with a locker. I see them break all the time with stock L-head engines. They stand a much better chance lasting if you don't run a locker in the front. Still, a 35 is a big tire for that little axle. You can keep it alive, just be careful.

Judging from the rear D44 I'd guess the frame is from a CJ-3A. Could also be a later mid '48-newer CJ-2A. I doubt somebody dropped the body on a CJ-5 frame.

 

i agree, rear 44 and front 25. i thought about putting 35s on my 1955 m38a1 with stock axles, same as you have, but worried about breaking axles. im running a 350 chevy. sure looks good though. how does it handle with the 35s.

 

handles great hotrod, but its definitely not a highway jeep... i dont usually get it going much faster than 40-45 mph. I'll probably be able to take her a bit faster after my saginaw steering swap. I'm not really interested in speed though. I mostly drive her around town and on the trails. Thanks everyone for your help... I'll try to keep the axles alive as long as i can, but when they explode, i promise to post pics!! R)