rear axle swap with 235 gears?

[Softbuster]

So the rear axle in my wagon is making noise at the carrier bearing, it may run for a little while but will eventually need fixed.
So what are my options?  I have the 235 gear ratios, so I'm not interested in messing with the front axle.
Is it a possibility to put 235 gears in a dana 35 rear from a cherokee?
Or are there other axles with the possibility of 235 gears?

bottom line is i want a better rear axle but dont want to take apart the front axle.

Ideas/ comments?

[Nightpath]

I think that the Eagle was kind of unique with those gears. It might pay off to pop the lid and take a look to see what's making the noise, make sure you know what it is. Doing it now and not down the road when even more inside needs repair might pay off in dividends.

Check older Jeeps, some of those may have used 235

[carnuck]

The 2.35 (or 2.37, depending on your math) will fit the Jeep D35 housing, BUT I have discovered that aside from 2 different style axles (C clip '91 up XJ and others) Up to '90 XJs, MJs and YJs have non-C clip D35s, which are the same as our Eagles (only the XJ D35 bolts in without new spring perches)

The inner axle end comes in 2 different diameters and spline counts. I "think" the bigger one is for posi units. When I pull apart the D35 in my parts '93 Grand Cherokee I'll try to find out. (ALL Grnd CHerokee diffs are C clip D35 or Chrysler 8.25s unless you find a rare-ish Dana 44 but they came in 3.07 or 3.55 only. Later ones with the bigger 5 on 5" pattern had 3.73 as an option.

[amcfool1]

bottom line, not really! Try to fix your axle or source a good used one. Should't be that hard, a lot of guys are trying their darnest to get rid of their 2:35s! good luck, gz

[txjeeptx]

Note that the Grand Cherokee, ZJ or WJ, "Dana 44" has an aluminum center section. Yes, that's right, it is not a true Dana 44, and the gears are not true Dana 44 gears, so there is practically no aftermarket for these Dana 44 imposters! Just a warning to anyone who happens upon this thread. If you are wandering the salvage yard or a parking lot and happen across a ZJ or WJ with a V8 engine, have a look at the imposter D44 underneath (or possibly a Chrysler 8.25). If you happen to see one with a 4.0 I-6, it will most likely have a c-clip Dana 35 with disk brakes.

Otherwise, on the subject of the 2.35 gears from an AMC Model 15 (Eagle) rear axle (which became the Dana 35), they should fit in a Jeep Dana 35 housings, although I have yet to try that swap, and no desire to, either. It is true that the pre '90 Dana 35 is non c-clip, and aslo true that the XJ Dana 35 (or even the rare XJ D44) have the spring perches already in the correct place for swapping into an Eagle. The catch is the shock mounting bracket on one side, I can't recall which side, is on the wrong side of the axle for a direct swap, and must be carefully ground, torched, or death-wheeled off and re-welded to the other side of the housing, front to back, to match the shock absorber setup of an Eagle. Also note that, its true, after '90 the D35 has c-clip axle retention.

Finally, the 2.35 gears from a Model 15 should fit in a Dana 35 housing, especially if you use the carrier from the Model 15, which is designed to carry the 2.35 ring gear in the proper place inside the housing.

[carnuck]

WJ wheel Bolt pattern is also different (bigger)

[Nightpath]

Might be easier to find a SX4 front axle with 3.55, then couple it with a D35 or Chrysler 8.25 rear. You'll lose MPG on the highway, but at least you'll have something common.