98 tj rear axle assembly

so the question of the day. ford 8.8 or the 9inch. i found them both for about $850 with shipping. they obviosly have the tj mounts, brakes, etc etc. i just nedd a little imput from people that may have been to the land of broken axles. i may also gear it up while im there too.

I believe that Pat (2003x) and I are the only ones with Ford axles in the club.

I've had my 8.8 since June now, and love it. Never bothered trying the 35s on my Dana 35, so I did the whole swap at once.

Bought it from ECGS with 4.10 gearing (a rare find), and a few of the options for $855, but I picked it up at their location, which saved me $200 in freight shipping fees.

Any special questions? The brackets can be had for $250 if you buy the axle and hack off the leaf mounts.

Go with the Ford 9 inch. It's stronger than the 8.8. You don't have to deal with c-clips in it, and there are still numerous aftermarket upgrades for it. Out of the box, you could go to 37's with ease. It also has a stronger carrier, so you could afford to put an Aussie or Spartan locker in the back without worrying about the carrier exploding on you.

Ok now I had her on the lift I got no accurate way to find gear ratio goddamn limited slip duff's.I even had someone hold each wheel and still had 2.5 turns on the drive shaft .... any suggestions?

lanky wrote:Ok now I had her on the lift I got no accurate way to find gear ratio goddamn limited slip duff's.I even had someone hold each wheel and still had 2.5 turns on the drive shaft .... any suggestions?

I'd say there's literally a 99.5% chance you've got 3.07 gearing in there, assuming you've changed nothing.

Alright we gotta meet up not sure about it the 4wd seems a bit off and I don't wanna blow the gears or transfer case. Hopefully sometime next week. Just to have another set of eyes on it.the rear is from a 2000 tj and I put it on a 98. Just being cautious

just to throw in a little input about the 8.8 or 9 inch..

I went with the 8.8 then installed the super 88 with ARB.. I'm running 35 inch tires and have had no problems over the thousands of miles it has taken me..

I considered both but i knew i wasn't going any larger than a 35 in tire and the 9 in being a little stronger and also a little bit more expensive with chromo shafts i figured it was overkill...
What i have now is most likely overkill.. So i went with the cheaper option to me..
I dont regret it at all..
Either one you will enjoy im sure
Good Luck

lanky wrote:Alright we gotta meet up not sure about it the 4wd seems a bit off and I don't wanna blow the gears or transfer case. Hopefully sometime next week. Just to have another set of eyes on it.the rear is from a 2000 tj and I put it on a 98. Just being cautious

Have you had a chance to look up how to check axle ratios yet?

Yea I went to lawless I have a friend that works there. The last 9 digits in your vin#. And there it is 3.55 in the front. Here's the kicker I gotta hunt down the Vin from the other one. My insurance Co should have it

don't the ratios have to match in both axles if you want the 4wd to work?

JaFra wrote:don't the ratios have to match in both axles if you want the 4wd to work?

Yeah, they were supposed to be the same, but he felt like 4WD was binding, so he's confirming axle ratios before doing any more troubleshooting.

I just don't use 4wd till I get the new rear end and they do have to match or unless I want to blow a transfer case. It sucks but I guess its a Jeep thing. But I am looking into new gears in the front to match I like the 3.73 over the 3.55. This would get me back on the trails again. Anyone know someone that works on gears. I would do it but its more than what I wanna deal with.

lanky wrote: to match I like the 3.73 over the 3.55. This would get me back on the trails again. Anyone know someone that works on gears. I would do it but its more than what I wanna deal with.

It'd be an eff load cheaper to buy a junk yard axle than to regear such a small amount. Search www.car-part.com for local junkyards

Gotcha. This guy does a single axle regear for about $650:

Elias 4 Wheel Drive Center