I have a 2011 JK Sport Unlimited with stock axl's. It's my daily driver that I want build to handle the Rubicon here in No. Cal.

I have 35's so my gear ratio needs to be changed to a 5.13. While I'm there I should also add lockers and new chrome molly axle shafts. This seems to be the best route to take as I cannot afford a replacement aftermarket axl.

There are a bunch of lockers out there but I am leaning toward Eaton's ELockers that I can wire directly to my SPOD.

So the question is...If you were going to beef up your axles and $ is a consideration, would you modify your existing D30 front and D44 rear stock axles by replacing the gears, diff cover, adding lockers, and an and chrome molly axle shafts? Has anyone used the Eaton eLocker?

Is there anything I am missing? An other direction I should consider?

Thanks Guys,
Turbo

 

Funny how you want shafts, lockers, gears, gussets, etc. and then mention you don't have the money for an aftermarket housing. Dude, all that stuff costs nearly as much as an aftermarket axle.

Just my take, I have a thirty up front as well. I have done rear shafts and drive shafts. Im not putting another penny into my Thirty. When it's done it's going bye bye. At that point I might regear the rear or just scrap it as well. Don't want to invest in something that's temporary, and be one of those guys selling a "built 30" for thousands. Get a clue!

If I was you run it ragged on 35s and put away money to buy a better axle, I'm doing the same thing. If you aren't welding all the beef on it costs too much to justify. A thirty is worth 50 bucks at a junk yard for a reason.

 

Price it all out. This is a link to an old thread, just do something similar with current prices and whatever options you are considering. Last I saw, people were getting new G2 44's for under 4k, so maybe use that as the comparison axle.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modi...-build-274896/

If you decide to dump money into the d30, you might consider a Detroit Truetrac instead of a thousand dollar selectable. And maybe grabbing a few cheap take-off stock axle shafts to use as trail spares instead of alloys. And read a few threads on strengthening the housing to see how much money you want to throw at that.

 

This is what I ended up doing when I regeared. Trussed, gusseted, and geared the d30. I don't wheel it hard, but I'm not worried about it breaking with the type of wheeling I do.
That said, I couldn't justify any of the d44 axles out there. There are countless options for better d60s, often times for less money. I'll most likely end up sitting on Ford 9s, but that's lightyears out at this point.

 

Good points.....

I don't see going above 35s. Should I put $ away for Dana 44's F/B. Do I really need a 60? 60 back 44 front?

Is there a deal out there I should look into?

Thanks,
Matt

 

Talk to Fusion4x4, they will set you straight on your axle needs. It's no secret these guys are the most honest and knowledgeable guys out there. If you want to go big, they can hook you up. If you want an unbeatable price, well, go to them too.

 

I have a set of built 44's on my Sport that I will be selling soon....

 

Moving to larger tires? Give me details on the 44's...

 

I bought them from a guy in Northern Cali that was taking them off of his wife's Rubicon (completely stock). I had them built to go onto my Sport. West Texas Off Road in San Angelo Texas did 100% of the work. I believe they are off of a 2013 Rubicon. Had 20k miles when I bought them last year. I've put 5k on them since. I don't DD my Jeep. I'm starting to look into doing a junkyard build, but I'm not 100% sure yet. Here are the specs...

Rubicon D44 Axles

Front
- Artec Truss / Armor
- Artec Trac Bar Bracket
- RCV Shafts
- G2 4.88 R&P
- Dynatrac Diff Cover
- Synergy Ball Joints
- Reid Knuckles


Rear
- Artec Truss
- Artec Adjustable Trac Bar Bracket
- G2 4.88 R&P
- Dynatrac Diff Cover
- Ten Alloy Shafts

 

Trade it off on a 12+ rubicon with 4.10 gears and put flat fenders, rear cromoly shafts, and a small lift on it. Wheel it and if you break something then fix it. This will give you acceptable gearing for the highway, a lower crawl ration off road, lockers and a stronger R&P up front. You will tackle the rubicon with ease on that set up and not be dumping thousands of $$$ into something that will be basically worthless.