3/4 ton axle swap on '90 grand wagoneer

[Cosgrave]

So I am thinking about doing a spring over front/ shackle flip rear lift on my '90 grand wagoneer and I am thinking about upgrading to 3/4 ton axles at the same time. I am wondering if there are any 3/4 ton axles that bolt right in without moving the spring perches and/or what 3/4 ton axles are my overall best choice.

Thanks in advance.

[wickedwagon767]

Up front you will need an axle that has the differential on the drivers' side, which limits your options. A Dana44 front axle out of a '75-79 Ford F-250 will be as good a choice as you will have,but it may take some time to locate one. They have leaf spring pads on top of the axle,but you will have to put together a high-steer setup at the same time. Ford and Dodge both used Dana60 rear axles under their 3/4 and 1-ton trucks for much of the 70's,80's and into the 90's. I don't know the perch width on them,but you will likely need to weld new spring perches at the correct width to match up with your Wagoneer's leaf springs.

You could use the (Dana44 front/Dana60 rear) axles out of an '80-87 model J20 pickup ,but you will need to have spring perches welded on top of the axle tube of the Dana44 front because they come spring-under like your wagoneer.

I assume you have an NP229 vaccuum shifted transfer case under your '90 Wagoneer. I would strongly reccomend swapping it out in favor of something more durable. You could chose a part-time,lever-shifted NP208 found in many FSJ Cherokees and J10/20 trucks in the early 1980's which is a very reliable and relatively strong transfer case. If you wanted to open up your options on front axle selection and use a transfer case that is more versatile at the same time, a Dana300 transfer case from a 1980-86 model Jeep CJ7 and CJ8 will bolt-in relatively easily behind your transmission, and it will allow you to use a front axle with the differential on the passenger side. That will enable you to use a 3/4 ton Dana44 front axle out of a '73-76 chevy 3/4 ton truck, a 10-bolt front axle out of a '77-87 Chevy 3/4 ton truck or a Dana44 front axle out of an '81-84 Dodge 3/4 ton truck. Much more to choose from that way

[wickedwagon767]

You will find more than enough info on this site to get it done

Welcome

[jeeping1974]

A 3/4 ton dana 44 is really no stronger than a 1/2 ton dana 44. Same spline count inside the diffs the only different is that one is a 5 or 6 lug (depending on what it is under) and one is 8 lug.

[noflyzone]

The strength of a 30 spline rear 60 vs a 44 is negligable also. If you dont have the axles already you might as well do 1 ton. The cost difference between 3/4 > 1 ton might be a $1000 front axle but all the work will be the same.

[Stuka]

Well, a rear D60 is quite a bit stronger than a rear D44. The ring and pinion are much stronger, the tubes are thicker, and being a full floater, the shafts have no vehicle weight on them. Upgrading them to 35 spline shafts does increase strength quite a bit though.

[Chevelleguy]

78-79 Ford Dana 60 high pinion, drivers drop front (good luck), 7?-80's Dodge Dana 60 rears (old body style) are bolt in.

[J10Mike]

The best choice for bolt in axles without having to move the perches are axles from an 80 thru 85 Dodge W250 3/4 ton truck. This used the D60/HD44 combo with locking front hubs.
Or,
76 thru 93 Dodge W300 or W350 1 ton truck (except 89 thru 91 D61/D71 for CTD). This used the D60/D60 (and later D70) combo.
Both front axles are SOA. Both front axles are passenger side drop. So, a passenger side drop transfer case would have to be installed as well.
Another good thing about the Dodge axles are that the 72 thru 93 axles were the narrowest of all the light truck axles found on the big 3's trucks of that era. Meaning, it's a great fit width wise for the Wagoneer.

[Cosgrave]

Thanks for the info. On the '80 to '85 Dodge w250 axles do I need to swap out the transfer case for a passenger drop transfer case? My original plan was to bolt in an np208 (eventually). I am thinking I can't really afford the ford front axle right now with the driver side drop.

[J10Mike]

Thanks for the info. On the '80 to '85 Dodge w250 axles do I need to swap out the transfer case for a passenger drop transfer case? My original plan was to bolt in an np208 (eventually). I am thinking I can't really afford the ford front axle right now with the driver side drop.

Yes, you would need a passenger side drop transfer case. The Jeep D300 would bolt on and have the right height so there is no contact on the crossmember.
You may (and, I say may) be able to bolt in a Dodge NP208 which is passenger side drop. However, since the clocking will not be right, you may have to use a Dodge 208 transfer case adapter. even with that, the 208 may sit too low.
It's food for thought...

[Chevelleguy]

Wouldn't be a lot cheaper and less work to get a later model Ford front axle and move your springs to the outside of the frame rails?

[Cosgrave]

So for now i decided to gowith a set of 3/4 ton axles out of a 79 Ford F250 that I found for a decent price. They don't have the gearing I want (3.55), but they do have the upgraded rear axle, bigger brakes, and the wider axles that I want to go with the 8 or 9 inches of lift I'm putting in.

I think I will probably leave the gearing alone even though I would like to go with 4.10s. i am thinking a detroit in the back and a lunchbox in the front. Maybe get upgraded shafts for the front if I break the stock ones (or maybe I'll just leave the front open to save the axles). if I hit the lotto I'll run out and grab a ford high pinion 60

[wickedwagon767]

So for now i decided to gowith a set of 3/4 ton axles out of a 79 Ford F250 that I found for a decent price. They don't have the gearing I want (3.55), but they do have the upgraded rear axle, bigger brakes, and the wider axles that I want to go with the 8 or 9 inches of lift I'm putting in.

I think I will probably leave the gearing alone even though I would like to go with 4.10s. i am thinking a detroit in the back and a lunchbox in the front. Maybe get upgraded shafts for the front if I break the stock ones (or maybe I'll just leave the front open to save the axles). if I hit the lotto I'll run out and grab a ford high pinion 60

If you're going to go ahead and add lockers,you might as well re-gear. A Detroit is a full-case locker. When you re-gear to 4.10 or lower gears you will have to use a new carrier,as that is the breaking point. Wouldn't want to see you have to pay big $$ for a detroit, only to have to buy another one later when you re-gear

[El Jefe]

you can just swap the hubs and all from a dana44 8 lugger. thats what I did with my 14 bolt rear swap.

[Cosgrave]

I far as swapping out the hubs on the 8 lug d44, im gonna swap out the whole axle cause im hoping the spring perches will bolt in when doing the soa. Also the axle width will be same as d60 rear.

As far as re-gearing goes, I need to see if I can live with the 3.55s before I get any lockers. I completely agree about waiting to get lockers if I'm gonna eventually switch to gears higher than 3.91. I am hoping, though, that I'll be satisfied with the gears I have now. I just don't have the money to do everything.

I'm also wondering if I will be able to fit 35s with stock springs and the soa. I'm thinking i might need, say, 2 inch springs in addition.