Rubicon Dana 44 JK Axle Swap into a YJ

JK Rubicon Frontend

Posted May 21 2008 08:01 AM by Phil Howell_4Wheel Drive Magazine Editor-in-Chief
Filed under: Editorials, Used 4x4 Parts, Tech Talk

We completed a feature you'll be seeing soon in the magazine about installing new Rubicon Dana 44 JK front and rearends in a YJ Wrangler. The swap was straightforward, but we didn’t talk about what you need to do to make the frontend strong enough for backcountry use.

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Once the Rubicon frontends hit the dirt, some problems became evident. The inner knuckle Cs need to be gusseted, as they might bend under hard use. There have been cases of the axle tube bending or actually breaking apart. DOM tubing pressed into both long and short tubes cures this problem and strengthens the frontend tremendously. Hardened axles are available from Alloy USA now and are coming (we hear) from other companies. These would be a smart investment, too. Gussets, tubing, and hardened axles – not much is required to make the inexpensive JK Rubicon Dana 44 frontend become as strong as it should be when used off-road.

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Reader Comments:

1. I actually just received my new front and rear Rubicon Dana 44's for my YJ. This article will be very helpful for me when installing these. If you have any recommendations, PLEASE give them. Thanks!

When you say to "press" DOM tubing into the axle housing's, you mean to press the tubing that will just barely fit into the housing in between the inner and outer bearings to help keep it from bending?

I have questions that I hope are covered in the article about the brakes.

Last but not least, which issue is this article going to be in?

Thanks!

Yukondubs - Posted June 3 2008 07:23 AM

2. This will be in the August '08 issue.

The DOM tubing Mount Logan Off-Road is using has an OD that's just about the ID of the Rubicon tubes. I guess, instead of "press", I should have said "pound". And yes, you're correct on the length of the tubing.

The feature won't be helpful to you on brakes, as the YJ in the article has a hydroboost system. Others doing this swap have reported no brake issues with the stock master cylinder/booster, though. The Rubicon calipers were used. You need to run the JK brake lines and adapt them to the YJ.

Phil Howell_4Wheel Drive Magazine Editor-in-Chief - Posted June 6 2008 08:34 AM

3. Perfect, thank you.

Yukondubs - Posted June 6 2008 09:10 AM

4. FYI - We're running Part II on the Rubicon YJ in the December '08 issue of 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine. It will be a short two-pager tying up loose ends, answering some questions and reporting on how the Wrangler's working.

Phil Howell_4Wheel Drive Magazine Editor-in-Chief - Posted July 18 2008 08:05 AM