Front Dana 44

[jloman77]

I have a 1980 Cherokee Cheif and I'm planning a SOA in the front and some form of lift in the back. My question is I have a Chevy Dana 44 with Warn lockout hubs and I was wondering if I could take the hubs off the Chevy axle and put them on the Jeep axle and make somewhat of a part-time in the jeep.

thanks, jeremy

[Ruptured Duck]

You sure can, but it will matter which transfer case you have. If it's the 219 or 229, you need to pay special attention with them to make sure you have the hubs locked in before putting it in 4 wheel drive. If you don't, you can mess up these t-case pretty quick. If you have a 208, then you don't need to worry as much. You can tell what kind of case you have by whether it is vacuum actuated or not. If you have a little switch on your dash that says 2WD and 4WD, then it's probably the 219 or 229 (I think 219 was what came in 1980). If you don't have the switch, then its probably a 208. You can also crawl under and locate the tag on your case and find the model number stamped into it. Hope this helps ya

[J4GRAND]

If you have a little switch on your dash that says 2WD and 4WD, then it's probably the 219 or 229
A 219 will NOT have a 2wd-4wd switch under the dash, only a flag shifter next to the driver's seat as it is a full time 4wd. Putting hubs on it and running them unlocked will toast the xfer case in short order. If you have the switch under the dash, then you have a 229 case and can run with the hubs unlocked in 2wd only. Running in 4wd with the hubs unlocked will again toast the case. If you are doing this to save wear and tear and raise gas mileage; forget it. The minuscule rise in mileage will take a long time to recoup the cost of the hubs.

[ricbee]

As was mentioned,if you have a 219,it;s a full time case,if you run with unlocked hubs you'll fry the case.If you are planning a SOA,why not just use the Chev axle?I understand it will pretty much bolt in!Then do a shackle flip in the rear.

[Ruptured Duck]

A 219 will NOT have a 2wd-4wd switch under the dash, only a flag shifter next to the driver's seat as it is a full time 4wd.

Oh, you're right. My dad's 1980 Wagoneer is that new quadratrac that they only used for a couple of years. Sorry if I confused anyone. The 219 doesn't have that switch. I have a 1980 Cherokee sitting outside right now that does have the switch though, and it's a 229. I have hubs on my rig and it's a 229, I haven't had any issues with it, and I actually gained about 2 miles per gallon! With the Chevrolet axle, it's a passenger side pumpkin and the 1980 Cherokee axle is a driver side pumpkin (I could be wrong though). In order for the Chevrolet axle to work, you'd have to change your case to something with a passenger side drop.

[Josh D]

If you are doing this to save wear and tear and raise gas mileage; forget it. The minuscule rise in mileage will take a long time to recoup the cost of the hubs.

I installed lockouts on my '88 primary to reduce the maintanence on the front double cardon driveshaft every six months or so which is a PIA (has to be removed). So, I believe from a wear and tear perspective, it's well worth it. From a mileage perspective, not so much.