jason,
i am assuming you mean weld up spring perches/control arm mounts/steering stuff/coil buckets/ and not the spiders right?
anyway, the underlying assumption with building full widths is that it cost the same to actually build an axle eitherway, roughly, so if youre gonna throw 1500 at an axle(gears,locekrs,shafts, etc) , and you can get a full width 44 for 200, whats the difference between 1700 and 1500(assuming you are able to do the front control arm mounts, steering setup, and coil buckets etc for really cheap so therefore its a negligable cost.)
jason i think what youre saying is that the strength of a say stock 9" shaft and a stock 44 shaft both with bigger housings and ring gear better? yes, but it could possibly cost alot more if the axles themselves need to be built up and modified to fit under an xj.
cost to pay a shop to gear 8.25 and the 30, about 1250 labor and parts.
thats why i choose to buy all my axles geared locked and used for as cheap as possible.
cost of detroit rear, 500,
cost of arb front, 400-500(used)+shops charge extra to install+ air compressor.
those costs are the same for a full width or not.
here is an idea,
now if those full widths end up costing you 800 to get them xj ready without gears lockers shafts etc then maybe for the type of wheeling you are doing you would be better off with the arb front and the detroit rear.
here is one option that might be cheaper, is find a 8.8 with the lsd and 4.11's and find a 4.11 dana 30 outta a 4cyl cherokee. then just roll with the lsd and pay to have the arb installed up front and youre done for cheap.
the other option is finding geared and locked axles used and just wait patiently for that guy who sells his geared and locked axles with arb front and rear for cheap and then swoop in like a hawk.
you might even find a 44/30 combo geared and locked for under or around a 1200$. then you can just pay to have the arb put up front...
