Good Price on a Dana 44 Axle

[MontanaEagle]

The Billings C - List has a 78 Wagoneer for sale.  It says it has Dana 44 axles, a bunch of new stuff, and only $250 for the whole thing, plus they'll deliver free on Saturday.

I'm wondering if this axle will fit my wagon (someday when I get around to swapping the front axle) and if I should buy this thing.  It's cheap, and I'm sure I could strip some parts and sell them for more than $250, but on the other hand I really don't have anywhere to store it, the wife may or may not kill me, and if I could find somewhere to store it I'm pretty sure it would just sit for a LONG time before I got around to stripping it.

But if it's a good deal just for the axle maybe I'll just do it :/

[IowaEagle]

For some reason I am thinking they are wider.  Not 100% sure though.

[eaglefreek]

The axles will be about the same width as long as it's not a rare Widetrack Wagoneer. However the front axle is passenger drop, not driver like on the Eagles. You would need a Front axle from an 80+ Wagoneer to use the Eagle transfer case. Also, the rear axle is offset to the passenger side with the Quadratrack transfer case.

[MontanaEagle]

The axles will be about the same width as long as it's not a rare Widetrack Wagoneer. However the front axle is passenger drop, not driver like on the Eagles. You would need a Front axle from an 80+ Wagoneer to use the Eagle transfer case. Also, the rear axle is offset to the passenger side with the Quadratrack transfer case.

I was considering putting in a low range too.  I think if I picked up this Jeep I could swap everything out.  I don't know enough about these things to know if it is worth my time/money.

[eaglefreek]

I've got a 79 Cherokee I'm selling this weekend for $500. In my opinion it's not worth the trouble. If you really wanted to do axle swaps a 80+ Wagoneer is your best bet. However some years came with  a Model 20 rear instead of a 44. There's a 71 Wagoneer on Clist in Billings for $1500. Just hop in and turn the key, no axle swapping necessary.

[MontanaEagle]

I've got a 79 Cherokee I'm selling this weekend for $500. In my opinion it's not worth the trouble. If you really wanted to do axle swaps a 80+ Wagoneer is your best bet. However some years came with  a Model 20 rear instead of a 44. There's a 71 Wagoneer on Clist in Billings for $1500. Just hop in and turn the key, no axle swapping necessary.

I'll keep watching.  I'm looking for parts not another car.  Plus $1500 is a bit out of my price range at this point.  Thanks for your help though.

[rollguy]

I think I have Cherokee axles in my SX4.   A Dana 300 will bolt right up to your trans and give you the passenger side drop you need for the Dana 44's.  IMO it would be worth getting for that price just for the axles.

[MontanaEagle]

On c-list there is and 1989 red jeep cherokee 2.5 4 cyl engine for $625.  It says it runs fine other than it constantly overheats.  Would I be able to steal the front axle and low range transfer whatever thingy out of this and make it fit without too many problems?  I'm looking to take out the vacuum 4 wheel drive stuff and put a manual shifter thingy in with a low range.  I'm pretty sure I used the proper technical terms.

[shaggimo]

The 89 cherokee will still have a vacuum operated front axle, they didn't do away with them until 91 or 92. There is a way to convert the earlier axles to live, it just requires installing the inner seal and a solid axle shaft, no biggie. That 4cyl is likely to have deep gears though  maybe 4.10 or 4.56 if it's an auto tranny.....

[MontanaEagle]

The 89 cherokee will still have a vacuum operated front axle, they didn't do away with them until 91 or 92. There is a way to convert the earlier axles to live, it just requires installing the inner seal and a solid axle shaft, no biggie. That 4cyl is likely to have deep gears though  maybe 4.10 or 4.56 if it's an auto tranny.....

You're not speaking my language... is deep gears good or bad?

I remember back when I had an 86 cherokee, it had a lever that I'd pull to put it in 4h or 4L... that was still vacuum operated?

Basically what i'm looking for is, would I be able to buy this jeeper, steal the parts and make them work, or would I be better off looking for a 1992 ish model?

[mudkicker715]

Vac operated front axle shag? My big guy eagle has an 89 front axle no vac. It was a 4.0 however.

[shaggimo]

The 89 cherokee will still have a vacuum operated front axle, they didn't do away with them until 91 or 92. There is a way to convert the earlier axles to live, it just requires installing the inner seal and a solid axle shaft, no biggie. That 4cyl is likely to have deep gears though   maybe 4.10 or 4.56 if it's an auto tranny.....

You're not speaking my language... is deep gears good or bad?

I remember back when I had an 86 cherokee, it had a lever that I'd pull to put it in 4h or 4L... that was still vacuum operated?

Basically what i'm looking for is, would I be able to buy this jeeper, steal the parts and make them work, or would I be better off looking for a 1992 ish model?

Sorry, lol, yes (**edit** Some**) earlier xjs had a vacuum actuated axle, similar to the pre shift on the fly eagles. The difference with the xj, was that when you pulled the lever for 4wd, it activated a kind of a clutch like motor to speed up the front driveshaft. Once it matched the speed of the rear shaft it would put vacuum to the axle, to lock it in.

If you are building a wheeler with a bigger tire (say bigger than 33"), the deeper gear will benefit you, especially if you have an overdrive tranny. If not, and you are staying relitively small (31" for example), you'll be revving the heck out of it on the highway.

Vac operated front axle shag? My big guy eagle has an 89 front axle no vac. It was a 4.0 however.

Hmmm, that's odd, my friends 90 or 91 still had the vacuum set up (4.0, 5 speed), where as my 92 didn't. Maybe it was luck of the draw in the late 80's early 90's.
So to MontanaEagle I could be mistaken on my statement, best would be to check it out personally. On the passenser side of the axle tube is where it would be....Whether you should look to a different vehicle....It really depends on where you want you vehicle to end up (use wise).  The only way to be certain of what it has will be to look at it, many of these will have gear ratio tags attached to the diff cover too.

[MontanaEagle]

So to MontanaEagle I could be mistaken on my statement, best would be to check it out personally. On the passenser side of the axle tube is where it would be....Whether you should look to a different vehicle....It really depends on where you want you vehicle to end up (use wise).  The only way to be certain of what it has will be to look at it, many of these will have gear ratio tags attached to the diff cover too.

This makes my brain hurt.  In the end I want my Eagle to be a sweet mountain rig that won't get stuck in the 18 inch snowdrifts.  I don't use it for just around town much, but a little of that would be good too.

Maybe I'll have someone that knows about cars go look at it with me.  If I can't figure it out I'll drive her down to Mick in Casper and say "fix it so it's like yours"

[shaggimo]

Yeah jeeps can be a headache, lol, but once you've been around them for a while you know what to expect out of what, and then they throw you for a curve  . If you know a jeepaholic to bring with you to look at it, that would be a good idea, lol.

[rollguy]

Maybe I'll have someone that knows about cars go look at it with me.  If I can't figure it out I'll drive her down to Mick in Casper and say "fix it so it's like yours"

That would be the best thing to do.