Axle Swap?? J10 to XJ

[jeepforever_05]

Hi I am new to the site, actually not really, its been a while and I forgot my username and password here's my question:

I have a 1982 cherokee with, what i beleive, are amc axles. the gear ratio is 3:31:1 (43-13)

can i switch these axles with one's from a 1978 j10 pickup with what i think are dana 44's ? the ratio on them are 3:54:1 (43-13) (maybe dana 30 front and dana 44 rear)

both have same engine (amc 360 V8) but i am also using the four speed transmission from the j10 along with its transfer case on my cherokee.

Does anyone know if those axels will fit before I start taking things apart????

If you have an '82 Cherokee they should bolt in BUT:

You might notice that the front diff on the '82 is on the driver's & that the rear diff is centered.

The front diff on the '78 is on the pass side & rear is off-set to the pass. side, as well.

While you can use the rear from one to the other, the front would only work if you did go ahead and change transmissions, t-cases, & driveshafts.

Also, not all Cherokees are wide-track while the J-10's are. If your have a narrow-track Cherokee (no factory fender flares is the easiest way to tell ) the wider J-10 axles may cause issues in the rear if you are not lifted. I am not sure when they stopped the N/T Chero's.


BTW: '82 has a D44 front & and AMC Model 23 ( HD M20 ) in the rear while the '78 has D44's front & rear. The Model 23 is arguably stronger than a D44 rear, so that is a pretty minor gear ratio change for this much work if that is why you are doing it.

Your title says "XJ" : the XJ's did not start until the '84 model year. If you do have an XJ Cherokee, all of this info is wrong and you things will not swap without fabrication. If you have an '82 Cherokee you have what is sometimes called an "SJ" but is also known as a "FSJ." I went with the year of '82 being correct as the XJ's never came with a V8.

[jeepforever_05]

That is great news, yes i am planning on using the transfer case and tranny out of the 78, also would the floorpan where the shifter comes through be interchangeable for the transfer case shifter? mine was on left of transmission and this is on the right.

so when you say gear ratio change, does that mean i can change the ratio of my amc rear axle to match the dana 44 front?

[goldhammer]

Probably going to have to do some fab work on the trans hump around the transfer case area. Might also have to deal with some rear driveline length issues.

[Casey]

Originally Posted by goldhammer

Probably going to have to do some fab work on the trans hump around the transfer case area. Might also have to deal with some rear driveline length issues.

And the J-10 axle perches are wider than the ones on a Wag/Cher, you'll need to move those. The J-10 rear is wider than the n/t rear by many inches, you'll need to trim your fenders and or have a LOT of lift.