I just recently got into the Jeep scene. I just bought a 1995 XJ with a Dana 35 rear and Dana 30 front. Its sitting on 35s and the guy I bought it from said it has 3.55 with Spartan Lockers. Its a family crawler project, and Im thinking about going with 4.56 or 4.88s. (Q1) Which would be best <havent decided if gonna stay with 35s or go with 33s> (Q2) Would I be able to reuse the lockers it has in it now or would I have to buy new Lockers?

 

I would honestly not spend any money on the Dana 35 and instead find a better axle to upgrade.

 

I agree, the dana 35 with a locker is a bad idea. Im even questioning the longevity of my 8.25 with a spartan locker.

If you are going to spend the money to re-gear, id advise upgrading to at least an 8.25 if not something larger since you're running 35's, it also depends on your wheeling style. You should be able to re-sell the dana 35 with the locker to re-coup some of the money.

 

First what kind of wheeling are you planning to do with this jeep? If you're going to be getting into the rocks and stuff then yes I'd consider looking into a rear axle swap. That being said there are plenty of guys out there on a D35 with 35's that have been carefully wheeling them for years.


Q1-As stated by Lack, if you are going to re-gear I'd seriously look into an axle swap. If you think you'll never have anything bigger than a 35" tire you should be fine with either 4.56's or 4.88's. I just put 4.88's in mine and am glad that's the way I went.






Q2-If you are going to keep the D35 yes you should be able to keep the lockers that you have in the jeep already.

 

You say this is gonna be a crawler? I agree with everyone else. Ditch the Turdy-5 and get an 8.25. or a Dana 44 if you can find it. Dana 44 are not c-clip as the 35 and 8.25 are. However the 8.25 is quite a bit stronger than the 35. Dana 44 and 8.25 are comparable in strength, but again, the D44 is not a c-clip axle.

 

I went with 4.88's with 35's on mine too. I only have 10-20 miles on it since I finished it but I think I made the right decision. The around town driving is great, acceleration and shift points feel very close to stock despite all the extra weight.

I vote for:

4.56's with 33's
4.88's for 35's.

 

I'm happy with it so far. When I spoke with the shop they tried to convince me to go with 4.56's. I'm glad I went with the 4.88's. You're right in town I feels awesome. On the highway with my 35's I was running about 2400 rpms to hit 60 mph. Mine does not go on the highway much. It really shines offroad though. I'm very happy with my decision.

 

Good deal, glad to hear youre happy with your choice.

Mine doesn't see a ton of highway either, only occasionally when heading to new offroading spots. Even then, the cruising speed of our group is 65mph tops.