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waggy 44

35xj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
asheville nc
I wiil be pulling the hp 30 and 231 out of my xj this winter and replacing it with a 300 and a waggy 44. here's the thing..I found a passenger drop 44. Why could I not run the 300 upright(not flipped) with the passenger drop 44? gotta move the exhaust. no problem. What else? Any thoughts would be appreciated. TIA DAve
 
well first of all... If I where you I would keep your HP30 instead of going with a low pinion 44, Why are you replacing your 30? is it cuz its broke or cuz you wanna say you have a 44 up front? Ill tell you stright out, whatever size tire you running that LP44 will break sooner than your HP30, but it seams like you already have your mind set...

about the D300 I did this conversion on my cherokee. there are 2 ways you can stick the D300 in the cherokee. First the a flip kit that rotates the Tcase to Driverside drop (this is what I did), or you have to hack away at your floorboard and reform it to get the D300 to fit standard pass side drop this is not recommended if your a shade tree machanic only body shop can do this. if you look carefully at your floorboard youll see that the where the tcase goes your driver side has a big bulge but the pass side does not.

for the peeps that are going to jump on and say, "get some sheet metal and hammer away its that easy". No it is not. its a pain and when your done its going to look like a hack job.
 
"Ill tell you stright out, whatever size tire you running that LP44 will break sooner than your HP30"

Want to support that with some facts?
 
44

umm...yeah...OK. Maybe you got a bad 44? Reasons for a 44. better steering. bigger R&P, lockout hubs, etc Beezil. I know you have some thoughts on this swap. Anybody else?
 
Well it sure looks like it'd be a lot of work (floor pan) fitting that 300 without flipping it. Also if you look at stock applications of the 300 (Talking CJ here) you'll notice it really hangs low. Yes, you can clock it up, but if you have an auto tranny, then you have to worry about clearing the tranning pan.
If it were me, I'd find a driver's side drop 44 (which is what I have), if you still want the 300, I'd get the flip kit.
 
that statment prolly was a bitt to strong
guess your right with d44 having better steering options and hub option? i didnt know you are going to go with different steering setups. as far as the lockout hubs. its pretty good thing to have... my dads Xj has been in the family for over 16 years, never had any problems with the front being connected all the time.


Beezil, with steering aside, you would ditch your 30 for a lp44 for manual hubs?

oh ya i forgot, $400 for brackets, considering you need a jig to weld on brackets and most people cant weld even people that can they need a jig in most cases. lets throw in 100-200 for labor. your talking at 600 dollars just to line up with your XJ, seprate from the cost of the d44. would it be worth it? i dont know replacing a HP for LP is tough. if you where talking about a HP44 thats a whole different story
 
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I'd ditch a dana 30 just to go to an axle without large amounts of carrier flex, priority number 1....

I've worked on a number of dana turdies, and man alive, those suckers open up! I think the dana 30 housing stretch is the leading cause of r&P failures, which seems to be misdiagnosed as "small pinion" on the jeep boards.......whatever

being able to RELIABLY run numerically higher R&P set-ups is reason #2 to go to 44's......gotta have 5.13's with 35's. Can't do that on a dana turdie.

Flattop knuckle options for true high-steer is reason #3 for me......

BIG FAT ford disc brakes almost shares the #3 spot, can't really decide if I had to choose between bigger brakes, or better draglink angles.....

Hubs is next....sure its nice to have, but Its down on my personal list for reasons to go to a 44......

bigger balljoints is a nice thing! I'm on my third set of balljoints for the 44, can't imagine how I'd make anything last on a 30.

I've been ragged on a couple times on threads like this, when i'm reminded that not everyone can just whip DIY brackets on a naked axle tube and bolt'er on up to the jeep.....yes, I know it can get expensive using "professional shops", and if I could NOT fab my own stuff, going to a 44 would be overwhelming..........but that's exactly the reason, once you get to that point of your jeppin' hobby, one should serious;ly consider setting some money aside for fab tools and a good 220 welder.......consider it an investment! the money you spend at the point you are at right now, is a LOAD of money you save as you progress!!!!!

A good welder and a few power tools here and there makes decision-making such as the 44 EASY!.........and economical!

otherwise, you are right......a "bolt-up" 44 becomes too expensive.......
 
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I believe the issue was your statement about the 44 breaking first, which you did not addressed in your followup post. The original poster was not asking how to do the 44 or about brackets or anything like that.
 
44

Yeah, the brackets etc on the 44 are really the least of my problems! Welding them on is not a big deal. Any other thoughts on the 300?
 
So, Beezil -- if the biggest problem with the "turdie" is carrier stretch, then you'd probably agree that using a TJ Rubicon front D44 would be a worthwhile swap, correct?

:spin1:
 
WOW! Talk about missing the point. I say go for it. I have thought about going for the pass. side drop. It is alot of work, don't get me wrong ALOT OF WORK. But it can be done. It is just a matter of how much trouble you want to go through. Also are you kidding???? The d44 eats a d30 for strength even in the low pinion style, if you can get 760 u-joints for a d30 what can you get for a d44? Just my 2 cents.
 
eagle, yes, I believe that would be a worthwhile swap........

as long as the rubi 44 was being sold for CHEAP!

I'm talkin low,low junkyard prices......

people pay way too much for "bolt on".......
 
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