Rear Dana 60 vs 44 Dimension Question

[Greg Taylor]

Hey guys,
Does anyone know off hand the dimension difference between the J20 D60 and Basic GW Dana 44 ... this would be from the axle shaft centerline to the yoke, where the drivshaft mounts?

I am wonding how much farther forward that the D60 "might" stick.

Thanks for the input.

[Blake]

not much

I'm guessing 2" on each side wider - at most.

[wickedwagon767]

I'm curious about this too. I'll be swapping a J20 D60 in the rear of my '78 Cherokee before long

[Greg Taylor]

Blake,
Are you referring to the added axle width (WMS width) on the D60?

I am asking about the fore-aft difference between the D60 & D44, from the centerline of the axle, to the front of the pinion, where the u-joint yoke is located.

[Tonka J200]

A quickie measurement looks like the difference is about an inch.
Center of axle tube to center of u-joint cap:
D44 is roughly 12"
D60 is roughly 13"

These measurements were done by holding up a tape measure and eyeballing it. If you need something more accurate I can get them for you later.

[Stuka]

As Tonka said, it should be right about an inch.

You should not have too many clearance issues on an 80's rig. On a 70's righ though, the D44 almost hits the fuel tank.

[Greg Taylor]

I'm planning to put the D60/D44HD from the J20 under my 89 GW.

With the D60 pinion yoke being 1.0" closer to the T-case, it almost makes my NP228 rear driveshaft perfect length for use with the NP208 and AW4 combo I'm going to install. It ends up being 0.60" too short. I can always cut down the NP208 rear DS or the J20 rear DS to fit ... was just hoping that the D60 would make it a "bolt-in" setup.

Perhaps a Cherokee rear DS from a T176/NP208 combo would work for a bolt-in.

[Greg Taylor]

Hey guys, I have another question. Does the Dana 44 and Dana 60 use the same size U-joint? We're thinking of having the J20 driveshaft cut down to length to use with the NP208 (out of the J20) in the Guatemalan GW, which has a Dana 44 in it. Thanks.

[J10Mike]

Originally Posted by Greg Taylor

Hey guys, I have another question. Does the Dana 44 and Dana 60 use the same size U-joint? We're thinking of having the J20 driveshaft cut down to length to use with the NP208 (out of the J20) in the Guatemalan GW, which has a Dana 44 in it. Thanks.

Yes. Same joint.

[Greg Taylor]

Originally Posted by J10Mike

Yes. Same joint.

Thanks for the confirmation, Mike.

Would there be any issues running the larger diameter J20 driveshaft on a Grand Wagoneer?

[J10Mike]

Originally Posted by Greg Taylor

Thanks for the confirmation, Mike.

Would there be any issues running the larger diameter J20 driveshaft on a Grand Wagoneer?

Other than cutting it shorter, there shouldn't be an issue with width.
One thing though, I don't believe anyone mention that the J20 rear D60 is not quite a bolt in a Waggy or Narrow track Cherokee. The spring perches are wider than the Waggy D44/Amc23 spring perches. New perches would have to be welded on.

[Greg Taylor]

Mike,
Thanks for the feedback.

I have decide to NOT run the J20 axles under my GW. I picked up a set of WT D44/AMC23 with 4.56 gears, a rear locker and have been gone through ... I'll be using those "eventually" in my GW build ... gonna start out on the 3.31 stock D44 f/r axles.

Just want to be sure the J20 driveshaft will fit and clear everything!

[J10Mike]

Originally Posted by Greg Taylor

Mike,
Thanks for the feedback.

I have decide to NOT run the J20 axles under my GW. I picked up a set of WT D44/AMC23 with 4.56 gears, a rear locker and have been gone through ... I'll be using those "eventually" in my GW build ... gonna start out on the 3.31 stock D44 f/r axles.

Just want to be sure the J20 driveshaft will fit and clear everything!

Greg,
Sounds good. Except, unless the axle came of of a WT Cherokee, the perches on the rear amc23 will still have to be moved.
Just a FYI...The 72 thru 93 Dodge rear D60 is a bolt in for the Waggy and NT Cherokee. Although, you would have to use the Dodge spring plates due to that's where the lower shock mounts are located.
Just food for thought...

Edit: I forgot to mention that the Dodge rear D60s are a dime a dozen and can be had for about $100 or less.

[Greg Taylor]

Originally Posted by J10Mike

Greg,
Sounds good. Except, unless the axle came of of a WT Cherokee, the perches on the rear amc23 will still have to be moved.

Yes, they're WT Cherokee Axles. Front WMS measures about 64" and Rear Measures around 62".

[KaiserMan]

Why would the spring perches need to be moved going from a wide-track to a narrow-track wagon? Both the Wagoneer and Chero (WT and NT) share the same frame and springs. Rear Chero WT axle should be a bolt in.

[Greg Taylor]

Originally Posted by KaiserMan

Why would the spring perches need to be moved going from a wide-track to a narrow-track wagon? Both the Wagoneer and Chero (WT and NT) share the same frame and springs. Rear Chero WT axle should be a bolt in.

You're right, NT & WT Cherokee & Waggy are same for the perches. We were talking about the rear J10/J20 spring perches, which are wider ... those need to be relocated inboard some to mate up to the NT/WT springs.