I'm trying to figure out what would be the best route when I eventually upgrade the 13 JKU Sahara to 4.10 gears from the stock 3.21 set. Not looking to go all out with the pro rock D44s; I'm just looking to add some bigger tires (33s or 34s) to fill out the Mopar lift. It's still a daily driver and will be for many years. I know that the Dana 30 will need a new carrier to run the 4.10s. Calculating the cost of gears, carrier, assembly, installation. Would it be cheaper/better to get JKU Rubicon gears/D44 front axle?

 

Cheaper, No. Better, Yes. (debatable, but yes)

You need to decide if the higher cost of swapping to a front Rubi axle is worth the upgrade in strength and performance gained from replacing the d30 with a d44 --> especially since it sounds like you would never use the added traction of the e-locker that you would be paying for with that axle. (you would also want to verify that the axle you replace with is in fact 4.10, as many new rubi's come with 3.73...)

 

Thanks. I guess I also need to ask what it takes for a Sahara to use the Rubi e-locker. Eventually the axle housing will need replacing. It is showing rust from purchasing it used in DC, transiting the Pacific, 2 winters in South Korea, and being shipped back to the US. The alignment shop noticed that it had a very slight bend, ~1 degree.

 

You need a simple 12v switch to make the lockers work, it's an easy install. 1 degree bend where? That's "normal" for brand new jeeps out of the factory at the ball joints.....though most of us would prefer it be closer to zero.

 

It was at the ball joints. I just figured it was due to the Jeep being shipped across the ocean and they strapped it down improperly. What I am gathering is, it will be worth it if I can find a good Rubi D44 with 4.10s.

 

You'll enjoy the 4.10's more and it'll be a nice feature if you can find lockers (rubi axles) as well, but it's not necessarily a waste to do 4.10's and a rear locker in your setup. You'd be looking at a few thousand bucks for all of it where getting into used axles could be a can of worms you're not ready for.

 

Since the sahara comes with a D30, it can NOT use the rubi elocker or the rubi 4.10 gears (they are designed for the bigger D44 housing). So, with your stated parameters, you have a few options.

1. install D30 4.10 gears in your current D30 housing
2. since you say that the current housing is bent, you can pay to straighten it - or - swap it with another d30 housing and then add the 4.10's. (or get lucky and find one that was already regeared)
3. replace the bent d30 housing with a complete D44 from a rubi (or aftermarket). This will have bigger/stronger gears, the elocker, and stronger axle shafts. To get the elocker to work, you will just need to install a switch on the dash and run some wires. (There are lots of write-ups and youtube vids for this.)

If you are sure the current front housing is bent and you 'know' that you want to replace it --> don't regear it!! That will just be throwing money away. Look for take-off d30's from someone who has upgraded, or find a crate bare d30 housing, or find a complete rubi d44 axle to swap, or go aftermarket. You could also regear just the rear axle (as long as you don't use 4x4 !!! Better to pull the front driveshaft off than to just hope you don't forget)

 

I'd say the going rate for a set of stock rubi axles is $3500 +/-. You could probably sell your D30/44 combo for $1k-$1400 or so, making the net upgrade in gearing and lockers about $2k-2500. Usually the cost of a 2-axle regear is $1500+/- assuming you're not adding lockers. So....pretty close to the same price after accounting for lockers if desired. IMO, it's usually safer to keep factory gears, a la the rubi axle, than it is to have someone regear who may or may not do a good job. That said, a lot of rubi axles these days are 3.73, so finding a set with 4.10, in good condition, sometimes takes a good bit of effort and trust having em shipped to you from elsewhere. It only makes sense if you can perform the axle swap yourself. Pretty close to being a 6-one-way, half-dozen the other situation.

 

I would try Motech in Las Vegas as they do many V8 conversions and a lot of those guys go for the larger diffs like 60 or 80s. Lots of takeouts that owners don't want or need and same goes for 4:1 Transfer Cases as the V8 dictates that you go to a stock TC at 2.76:1??. I had to do that with mine as the output spline is larger on the Chev.