Dana 35 ???
- Thread starter greg_arty
- Start date
steady.foot
New member
Some chromoly axles and a truss will help.
jfrabat
New member
What do you want the D35 to do? I run 33's with ARB lockers, and so far so good. But I also run alloy axles with 30 (or was it 31?) splines...
In my opinion, if you are running 33's or smaller, the best mods are:
1. Think before slamming the skinny pedal
2. Carry some spare axle shafts (D35's tend to be cheap, as a lot of people get rid of them)
3. Wait for them to grenade before spending money on the axle upgrade...
Felipe
jfrabat
New member
I dont know... I think the D35 has a worse rep than it deserves. While it IS true that it is not the strongest axle, it is also not as frail as some people will lead you to believe.
I know people that have broken one on unlocked 31's, but I also know people that have ran them locked with 35's for 15 years and have yet to break it. I know here in Costa Rica, the Land Rover people actually "upgrade" their axles to D35's.
So yeah, I agree: not larger than 33 and preferably not locked, but it's not like it's going to blow up on the first speed bump you hit.
greg_arty
New member
I have 32's right now and dot plan on anything bigger I'm on the gas too, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I know also that anything will last if u dnt abuse it. I've heard people putting lockers like detritus or limited slips in them and have no problems. Thanks for all the input guys a I'll keep y'all posted as far as my choices for upgrading it. I do on the other hand plan on locking my Dana 30 but that's a ways down the road.
superj
Well-known member
if it is such a bad axle, why did jeep use it since 87? its on comanches, cherokees, grand cherokees, wranglers, and who knows what else?
i think the numbers are skewed because millions of vehicles are running the d35 and only a few thousand (maybe) have gone bad. its sounds like maybe 1% or less have had problems, when you really look at the big picture. then you start looking at what the people were doing and you see that 1% is for more then just normal stuff so its actually like .5% were bad, an acceptable percentage
i think the numbers are skewed because millions of vehicles are running the d35 and only a few thousand (maybe) have gone bad. its sounds like maybe 1% or less have had problems, when you really look at the big picture. then you start looking at what the people were doing and you see that 1% is for more then just normal stuff so its actually like .5% were bad, an acceptable percentage
Very simple reply; The axle was used because of Price point, same reason why GM stopped putting disc brakes on the rear of pickups after 2006, it's cheaper to build an axle with drum brakes so it a method to keep the assembly price down, which translate to a lower cost to the consumer.
D35 failure is not subject to percentages, it is simply design flaws. The D35 was originally known as the m15 or amc 15,
7.5" ring gear and around 1" dia shaft, 26 spline pinion with very thin outer bearing race and 27 spline shafts. to add, the tubes are considerably thin and are highly prone to tube flex which will cause binding in just about any moving part in the axle which will net broken parts.
I've sheered a D35 pinion with stock tires, maybe we wheel a little harder than other, but I do not know any person who ran a D35 with a locker and tires over 33" and it lasted more than a year or two with stock shafts.
jfrabat
New member
Here I agree with JPS as for the reason WHY it was put into Jeeps since 87. As I said, the D35 is certainly NOT the strongest axle. But mine has survived 3 years now with ARB and 33's (albeit, with alloy axles). Another buddy of mine has ran his with a Detroit and Maxxis 35's, and so far, it is still alive (he did bent a tube once, though).
Again, take care of it, and you should be OK. Push it to the limits, and you WILL find the limit. But it is not like it will blow up on you just because you have 32's and you are driving on the road...
for a budget axle I would consider the following
explorer 8.8, I would search for a pre 95 model since they had drums and are generally cheaper, also 95-01 will work, will have the same wideth and 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern
any passanger car 9" axle, it probably won't be a nodular third, but way stronger than most 1/2 axles and will have the same wideth and 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern
D44, most people look for xj/mj D44, fact is, they only made them for 3 years and are getting harder to find. the TJ D44 is catching a premium due to the bracketry and bolt-in ability in the TJ platform. If it were me, I would look for a Waggy/j truck D44 rear, I would purchase some chomo shafts but driller to 5 on 4.5 bolt battern and just find a aftermarket XJ drums shoes and hardware kit, should fit the FSJ backing plate. or for the disc brake method, simply run a ZJ rear rotor and piece together the brakes with rear eldorado or front camaro calipers. (ebrake vs no ebrake)
you can also do this with a Rodeo D44 rear.
you could go to a larger axle like a D60 or 14 bolt, but with any tire under 36" you will be dragging your diff over everything.
Axles I would avoid;
ZJ D44
chrysler 8.25 (actually a decent axle but less aftermarket support)
ford pass car 8.8
10 bolt from anything GM
explorer 8.8, I would search for a pre 95 model since they had drums and are generally cheaper, also 95-01 will work, will have the same wideth and 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern
any passanger car 9" axle, it probably won't be a nodular third, but way stronger than most 1/2 axles and will have the same wideth and 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern
D44, most people look for xj/mj D44, fact is, they only made them for 3 years and are getting harder to find. the TJ D44 is catching a premium due to the bracketry and bolt-in ability in the TJ platform. If it were me, I would look for a Waggy/j truck D44 rear, I would purchase some chomo shafts but driller to 5 on 4.5 bolt battern and just find a aftermarket XJ drums shoes and hardware kit, should fit the FSJ backing plate. or for the disc brake method, simply run a ZJ rear rotor and piece together the brakes with rear eldorado or front camaro calipers. (ebrake vs no ebrake)
you can also do this with a Rodeo D44 rear.
you could go to a larger axle like a D60 or 14 bolt, but with any tire under 36" you will be dragging your diff over everything.
Axles I would avoid;
ZJ D44
chrysler 8.25 (actually a decent axle but less aftermarket support)
ford pass car 8.8
10 bolt from anything GM
BlackedOutYJ
New member
There is no such thing as upgrading a D35 cheaply. If you wanna make it good you'd have to spend a shit ton on a super 35 kit.
I myself just did a 8.8 swap and rebuilt everything in the axle from seals to rotors and everything else. I have around $500 in it, and I've parted out my D35 so far made $150 off it and still gotta sell my axle shafts. So I'll have around $200 in it all together. Don't get much cheaper than that for a bad ass axle
I myself just did a 8.8 swap and rebuilt everything in the axle from seals to rotors and everything else. I have around $500 in it, and I've parted out my D35 so far made $150 off it and still gotta sell my axle shafts. So I'll have around $200 in it all together. Don't get much cheaper than that for a bad ass axle
I'm interested in upgrading my rear axle eventually, and like the sound of an Explorer 8.8 with disc brakes (I've got drums now).
Is the more 8.8 kit a good deal / necessary for a TJ? I imagine it would be quite a bit easier to swap it into a non-coil vehicle.
M.O.R.E. - Mountain Off Road Enterprises 98700 - M.O.R.E. Ford 8.8 Axle Swap Kit for 97-06 Jeep® Wrangler TJ & Unlimited - Quadratec
Is the more 8.8 kit a good deal / necessary for a TJ? I imagine it would be quite a bit easier to swap it into a non-coil vehicle.
M.O.R.E. - Mountain Off Road Enterprises 98700 - M.O.R.E. Ford 8.8 Axle Swap Kit for 97-06 Jeep® Wrangler TJ & Unlimited - Quadratec
BlackedOutYJ
New member
TerryMason said:
All in all it's about the same. I'd check elsewhere before anybody buys m.o.r.e's kit. They're too expensive. I bought mine from ruffstuffspecialties.com much cheaper and a nice solid kit.
buy from Dan@ RuffStuff, fit and finish, quality and customer service will be better than anything you get from M.O.R.E. Plus there are discount codes out there for Ruff Stuff; PM and I will elaborate.
If Budget is a concern; forget the disc brakes, if you have drums now and they work; drums on an 8.8 will also work. If you were driving a race car then I would say upgrade to discs; but for a daily driver; weekend wheeler jeep, not critical.
If Budget is a concern; forget the disc brakes, if you have drums now and they work; drums on an 8.8 will also work. If you were driving a race car then I would say upgrade to discs; but for a daily driver; weekend wheeler jeep, not critical.
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