Hey all I have a 97 sahara with a dana 35c open rear. Im upgrading my
33s to 35s within the next year. Before i add the 35s im gonna regear to 4.56 but im unsure on what to do with my dana 35. My plans are either to regear to 4.56 and add super 35 to the rear with a detroit locker. For about the same price instead i could add 4.56s and detroit truetracs both front and rear. I would rather do this because I live in New England where winters suck and my jeep is a daily driver, so im unsure if a detroit locker is necesary. Howerver, I do offroad frequently and i have a light foot. Will a dana 35c hold up with 35" tires and a Detroit True-trac limietd slip? I would rather get the super 35 with an arb but at about $1200 for the arb super 35 money is very tight.
Personally, I would recommend that you wait on the 35's until you can afford to upgrade the axle at the same time. I doubt the dana 35 would hold up to the 35" tires, and you'll end up spending a lot of money on regearing and such for an axle you'll have to replace down the road.
A gear-driven limited slip is nice, but it's no locker. I've got one of the Rubicon lsd/airlocker diffs in my D44 rear and while the lsd keeps me moving in places where my open diff used to leave me spinning, there are many times when I need to engage the locker to keep crawling on steep grades. Save your pennies for selectable lockers.
The best option is to swap out your rear for bigger gears and bearings, but the Super 35 axles should hold up with your desired tires.
You can get the ARB Super 35 kit for $995:
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But you'll also need an air source and a solenoid. You can avoid the solenoid with an inexpensive air switch:
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If you can find a TJ Dana 44 to swap in, you might consider the Detroit Electrac for $800 and no need for air.
Remember that a good portion of your cost will be R&P setup. This makes the relative cost difference between lockers and lsds less significant.
While the Super35 axle shafts themselves hold up for most Jeepers running
35" tires, the particular Detroit Locker made for the Super35 kit doesn't do as well. If I were installing a Super35 kit, I'd only go for the stronger ARB Air Locker version. Personally, I love my uber-strong Detroit Locker in my Dana 44 but they used the smaller Dana 35 version that was reworked for
30 spline axleshafts and when something breaks in the Super 35 kit, it's normally the Detroit Locker
So a detroit true-trac limited slip DEFINETLY will NOT work with 35s on the dana 35??? This is my most favoarable option (true-tracs front and rear), but i will bypass it if it definietly will not work. I understand that a Locker on dana 35 stock axle shafts is 100% out of the question with tires over 32-33", but how will a gear driven LSD work with 35s?
ARBs sure are nice, but thats $1200+ for the rear locker/axle kit and compressor alone, not including the added labor for the complex installation it probably requires (i got a quote for true-tracs front/rear, gears front/rear, and install kits for about the same cost as an arb super 35 with compressor alone!). I dont offroad everyday, but i do the jeep jamboree every year along with moderate NH/Ma offroading every other month.
I think that LSDs would be more than enough for my needs, but if 35" tires on a dana 35 with a limited slip will definetly NOT work, than i will consider something else. Thanks again, Derek Proctor
Go to the following link, kindly provided by Bill Hughes. It will tell you all you need to know about Dana 35 axles.
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The best places for a Dana 35 are either in a smelter, being melted down to make something useful, or at the bottom of a pond. (Please drained before tossing into the pond. They make good fish habitiat.)
Come on, I've had one decorating the end of my driveway for 6 months, quite distinctive, I'm the only one on the block with such an ornement, may paint it pink.
Nothing is definite. Many Jeeps run 33" or even 35" tires with lockers on the Dana 35 and suffer no breakage. The key is how you drive.
The most common axle breaking situation, by far, is a steep climb on rocks requiring heavy accelerator thus resulting in the tires bouncing off the ground and coming down hard while spinning fast. A locker multiplies the risk of breakage in that sort of situation. A LSD will lock up when both tires have some traction, so in certain potential break situations, it too will increase risk.
If you can avoid pedal pounding on steep and/or rough terrain, you may well never break a Dana 35 axle with 35" tires and a True Trac. Just remember that despite best intentions, it can be real hard to lay off the pedal in heat of the moment. Worse yet, you'll alway have that nagging worry that the next obstacle on the trail could be your last.
There are a few more expenses you should figure in when comparing costs of keeping the Dana 35. First, budget for a set of spare axles from the junkyard and make room in back to carry them. Having spares on hand will make a broken axle significantly less painful.
Next, figure on some welding to firm up the flimsy Dana 35 housing. I managed to spin my Dana 35 (open) pumpkin on the tubes last year when hammering the gas in a vain attempt to get unstuck:
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This can be prevented by welding the cast pumpkin to the steel tubes. Also, the tube walls of the Dana 35 are real thin and are known to bend with even moderate offroad use. This can lead to big trouble. The prevention for that is to weld a truss to the tubes or buy bolt-on solution:
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Myself, I'm glad I ditched the Dana 35. Do you really need those 35" tires now or can you wait until spring? If you truly want to save money and you have some spare time, do your axle research and pick up a suitable rear (and maybe a front too) from the junkyard for a few hundred. Look for deals on gears and lockers. Learn how to setup gears and take your time to do a benchtop rebuild in your garage or basement over the winter.
I emailed moser engineering and they said that they can make axle shafts for the dana 35 that are still 27 spline but are 25% stronger than stock. Would this be a useful road to take if i combined these with a true-trac? Im going to be running my current 33x10.5 bfg muds for the next year or so. But after that maybe ill consider 35s. Would this setup work?
Moser axles will definitely be better, especially if you stay with 33" tires, but there are still no guarantees. Do your really want to piss another $300 into that Dana 35?
Maybe just get some OEM trail spares for $40:
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That way, you could snap seven or eight sets of axles before you spend the price of the Mosers.
The Truetracs are great for northeast winters and are probably all you need for moderate trail riding. If you insist on keeping the Dana 35 be prepared with spare axles, tools, and a few jugs of gear oil for that moment when your right foot gets the better of you.
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