Jeep Wrangler JK Dana 44 Axles - Cheap Rubi Axles

Given The State Of Our Economy, Most Of Us have been reduced to bargain shoppers, cutting our frivolous disposable-income spending to a minimum. these days its all about scrimping and saving just to afford a tank of gas. We feel the pain just like you, so when a really cool bargain comes along, we have to tell you about it. Mopar surprised us by selling its newest Dana 44 front or rear Wrangler Jk axle assembly, complete with lockers, at a wrecking-yard price of just over $1,400 and some change.

If you haven't already heard about this deal, then here's what you get for the price; a complete axle assembly with factory electric lockers, 4.10 gears, disc brakes with vented rotors, and ABs...and the front axle is high-pinion. some other cool features are the new axles now have a crossover steering design rather than the scissor type used on the Wrangler tJ. the sensor switch to activate the locker is just a positive/negative hookup, and there is now a drain plug so you don't have to pop your differential cover every time you want to change the fluid.

These axles fit under just about any Jeep, however you'll more than likely need to cut off the suspension mounting points and other assorted bracketry. this may include hacking off the lower shock mounts too. not to worry though, there are a few bracket kits available from aftermarket manufacturers. if these features don't convince you, then check out the axle specs below.

P5153826 (rear) The rear axle assembly is complete, but the mounts will definitely have to be removed and replaced to fit under your CJ, TJ, XJ, YJ, or ZJ. to help this deal sink in, think about adding a locker and gears, and converting your old drum brakes to disc brakes. the parts alone would run you almost $2,000 per axle, and that's not including labor if you had them installed.

P5153825 (front) The new front axle is minus steering components, but it's still one heck of a deal. The only drawback is you may have to run wheel adapters due to the new 5-on-5 wheel bolt pattern, or get new wheels. the driveshaft flanges will also have to be swapped out.

High-pinion axles are all the rage and that's what you get with the axle. the high-pinion axles give your rig more clearance and help keep your driveshaft yokes from spinning on the rocks and being damaged.

This is a comparison between the rear JK pinion on the left and the rear pinion from a TJ rubicon 44 axle on the right. the JK pinions are similar in size to Dana 60 pinions, and definitely have more meat on them than the TJ pinions. the inner bearing surface (race) on the Jk pinion measures 1.625 inches, and the outer bearing surface is 1.310 inches. the TJ inner bearing race measures 1.375 inches, and the outer bearing surface is 1.125 inches.	The front JK pinion at the inner bearing surface is 1.630 inches, and the outer surface measures 1.375 inches. the TJ front pinion measures 1.380 inches at the inner bearing surface and 1.185 inches at the outer bearing surface.	Locker hookup is relatively easy on the Jk axles. the electrical connection is a positive/ negative 12-volt hookup. so all you need to complete the connection is some wire and a common toggle switch.
There really aren't any noticeable tolerance differences in the front axleshaft assemblies. Axles sometimes have a tendency to break at their thinnest points. the thinnest point on both the Jk and TJ front axleshafts is 1.20 inches on the outer axleshaft and 1.240 inches on the inner axleshaft. the JK inner axle (top) is 30-spline and the outer shaft is 32-spline.	The rear JK (top) is slightly larger in diameter than the rear tJ axleshaft and longer. the selling point here is that the JK shafts are 32-spline as opposed to the TJ rubicon shafts, which are 30-spline.	The JK axles are set up for crossover steering, meaning there is no more scissorlike tie rod/drag-link setup like the one used on the TJ. the only issue we have with this steering system is that the steering stabilizer bracket at the tie rod is weak. it can bend backwards reducing the Jk's turning radius when the bracket hits the differential cover on a hard left turn.