Recently, I started noticing a lot of Cherokees with Chrysler 8.25 rear axles. The weakness of the Dana 35c has been talked about a lot but I haven't heard any complaints about the 8.25. Would these be a good upgrade from a Dana 35c? Any known issues?
Thanks
That axle was used on 3/4 ton trucks for 3-4 decades so I'll assume that it proved to be strong enough.
That was a different axle you are thinking of, the 8.375". If I am not mistaken, 9.25" was more usual for 3/4 ton trucks, but it has been a while. I replaced quite a few grease seals on the old 8.375" axles, and they had a proper inboard oil seal, an external grease seal and a grease packed tapered roller bearing between the two. The telephone companies used about a zillion of them in Dodge A-100 vans.
Still, the 8.25" has a bigger ring gear than the D35c. The inner C-clip is a bone of contention. I don't know if the 8.25" has one, but I know first hand that the current 9.25" does.
Earle
Sounds like it is better than a D35. Should be a lot more around than the Cherokee D44's. Thanks for the input.
Just remember that the aftermarket parts selection may not be as good as the D44 if you decide to change gears, add lockers, etc.
Chris
I did a quick internet check and it looks like most lockers are now available but the lowest available gearing is 4.56.
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