Gear Question

Thank you for the help guys. I think I will save up and get the Superior 35 kit with Ox locker. If I can find a good price for Dana 44 in Germany that would be awesome. I will keep looking.
 

Man, good luck with your upgrades and I hope you can find some deals where you're at.

I apologize for not reading the Quadratec ad earlier but we still had some good discussion and I even learned something.

I think you'll enjoy the added traction the Ox is going to provide off road but tall 3.07 gears , (which give you more top speed on the highway), you are going to want to stand on the skinny pedal more when off road climbing steep rocks, ledges, or crawling over fallen trees, etc., which can cause carnage to the still weak differential housing and axle tubes.


A quick way to ballpark what gearing you do have is to
  • jack up both wheels
  • mark the inside of the tire at 6 o'clock with chalk for a reference point
  • mark the diff housing and the pinion's u-joint dust shield with a chalk mark
  • turn the driveshaft by hand and count the number of turns and partial turns it makes for the tire to make one rotation.
  • the result is the ratio.
Also, while you may be bummed about not having lower gears like 4.56, 4.88 or even 5.13's, remember that lower axle gears (higher numbers) are inherently weaker, as well. The smaller pinion size creates less tooth contact and greater strain on the gear teeth. Novak Jeep Conversions, for one, suggests using moderated gearing in the axles and obtaining the rest in the transmission or transfer case.

Anyway Leroy, let us know what you do and how it turns out.

Good wheelin'!
 
If you are going to pony up for new axles and locker, might as well throw in some gears while at it... They will be the cheapest part and will not have any (or rather will have minimal) labor costs (you have to remove the carrier to instal the Ox anyway).
 
If you are going to pony up for new axles and locker, might as well throw in some gears while at it... They will be the cheapest part and will not have any (or rather will have minimal) labor costs (you have to remove the carrier to instal the Ox anyway).

But remember the D30 carriers are 2.72-3.54 and 3.73-5.38, the D35 has a carrier break between 3.31 and 3.55, so to get a 4.10 or 4.56 gear set he's gotta buy new housings as well.

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Not a major expense here but Leroy says it cost an arm and a leg getting parts ship via Military USPS to Germany. By the time he gets done paying for all the nuts and bolts to build that D35...he's still got a D35. In addition to the $1,300 for the Super 35 Kit w/OX Locker, he'd have to add in Ring & Pinions = $400, Housings = $175, Overhaul Kits = $225, for a GRAND TOTAL = $2,100 + sky high shipping.

However, bear in mind Leroy, that if you go without the ring & pinion now and decide later you just have to have lower gearing you will want to make sure NOW that the OX Locker will work in both carrier housings. Be a ***** to have to toss a perfectly good locker or hope you can find someone to sell a used one to.
 

How about trying to find a 8.8 out of an explorer? They are a lot stronger than the 35 and will probably have disc brakes. Surely you could find a salvage yard there with one in it. The 30 front is certainly not bulletproof but I have wheeled in some Jeeps with 35's and plenty of 33's and done ok with it. Just a thought!
 

Ox locker requires 3.55 according to their website. It looks I need to save up for Dana 44.:(

Trust me, it may suck now, but you won't regret the wait. A stronger axle is by far the better investment.
 
ok so your stuck in germany you cant do what you need to do so heres the thing improvise look around lol you can still find the axels you are looking for in germany. there are many off road clubs there.. there are still milatary jeeps there you have more options than you know about. you have mechanics on the base who could hook you up with any mods that you would need to do. pull in your resources.. remember its a jeep, not a bmw......
 
Good Point LOL I have been asking around. No one seems to know were to go. They tell me to check if the offroad clubs. I joined a couple forums in Germany. They point me to stores that are way beyond my price range. I have been checking the base classifieds. I talk to the dealer on base and he tried to convince me to buy a new Jeep. lol I probably need to go to the hobby shop on base and ask around. Thanks for all the help guys.:)
 
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Dang Phil $175 for a housing, where are you doing your shopping. I can buy them all day long for 40 bucks from Yukon and swap in the factory spiders.
 
Dang Phil $175 for a housing, where are you doing your shopping. I can buy them all day long for 40 bucks from Yukon and swap in the factory spiders.

You know, I just looked up a source on line and can't remember who it was. They listed two housings for the D35. Depending on which gear set you were using one listed for around $50, the other one listed for higher numerical gears, about $175.

I was just trying to give Leroy some food for thought am apologize if I misled him. Still, I'd rather see his money go elsewhere than into a D35.
 
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