KJ139

Awesome. Thanks for the info. I am going to go with the 8.8, as I already have 4.56 gears for it and I already have a D-30 as well as a locker and 4.56 gears for it, so it will help me keep costs down in the end. I researched the Nissan axle, and it is nice. Big ring gear, removeable third member, 31-spline shafts...The only thing I don't like is the expense of the parts, the unusual gear ratios, drum brakes and the 6-lug pattern. I am sure I can sell it and make up for the cost of some of the other parts. When I find the Waggy for the leaves, I will still grab the front D-44, as I need it for my son's YJ. I am robbing his D-30, gears and lockers for the Pathfinder, as he decided to run 37's on the YJ. Since I didn't get the 30-spline locker or axle shafts for the D-30, 37's would be asking for trouble on the D-30. In the end, it will be cheaper to use it on the Pathfinder and source a front D-44 (I already have a rear D-44 and just installed 4.56 gears and a locker) to handle the 37's on the YJ. Then everybody wins and I won't have to sell a bunch of parts at a loss. A couple of more questions...Will the Waggy leaves give the 3-inches of lift I am after, or will I need to get a certain size shackle to adjust the difference? The Calmini shackle kit is pretty pricy. Is there any reason I can't use Calmini's front cross-member (the one with the spring mounts) and use Jeep shackle mounts and perches? I assume the front is done spring over? Is that correct? Are there any things you encountered during your build that I should be aware of so I can avoid mistakes? Thanks again for the info. I'll be in the junkyard tomorrow searching for parts! KJ

Ok, I have searched and searched, but have not found any specific build threads that answer my questions specifically. After reading/researching the expense required to re-gear and lock the rear axle, along with the trouble of finding ring & pinions that will match the front axle. I already have a front Dana 30, 4.56 gears and a Detriot Truetrac locker that I will install into the axle. A common rear axle swap for Cherokee's is a Ford 8.8, as the ones from Explorers (not Rangers) come with 31-spline axle shafts, have super strong tubes, a huge 8.8-inch ring gear, disk brakes, 1/2 narrower width (same as the Pathy) and the same 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern as the Cherokee axle. I found one for $175 that I am going to pick up this weekend. I already have a set of 4.56 gears for the 8.8 (I originally installed 4.56 gears and ARB's front and rear on the Cherokee, but the gear charts are VERY wrong and I am now installing 4.88's (I would install 5.13's if they were available for the D-30, but they're not). I also read that the JGC front springs will provide 3-inches of lift in the rear of the Pathy. Now for the questions: What suspensions have most of you used for the front SAS? I went to the Calmini site and see that they sell a cross-member with spring shackle attachment points and a kit with rear attachment points. Do you run leafs, and if so, what vehicle leafs work best and provide the same 3-inch lift as the rear? Do you run it shackle forward or shackle reversed? What do you do about the OE front cross-member, as it looks like it will contact the front DS during droop? If you link the front, is there a kit available to use? What about the sway bars? On my Cherokee, I removed the rear sway bars and use JCR Quicker Disconnects to disco the front swaybar while wheeling, and attach it while on the highway. It works great and there is no sway even with the rear swaybar removed. I plan to do the same on the Pathy, but would be interested to know your experiences, etc. What T-case does the Pathy have and is there a SYE available for it and is it necessary? Since I have to weld the spring buckets and link mounts onto the 8.8, I plan on repositioning the axle angle to adjust for the lift, so I don't think I will need adjustable control arms right away (maybe later, just to beef things up, but money is a factor right now, so I have to plan my expenses carefully and pick my battles). The vehicle is currently at stock ride height and is on 31's. It looks like a 3-inch lift would be perfect for the 31's. I am planning on running 33's, so I expect to use a 3-inch body lift as many people have done to get the right clearance. It also looks like I will need to clearance the fenders fore and aft a bit, although they don't look like they will need to be cearanced upward. In the end the vehicle will end up with some trimming, a 3-inch lift suspension lift, 3-inch body lift, a locked Dana-30 front with 4.56 gears, a locked rear Ford 8.8 with 4.56 gears and wearing 33-inch shoes. A budget paint job to clean up the ridiculous clear coat peel and a Currie, chromoly, high-steer set-up with one side flipped, some homemade bumpers and rock sliders and a roof rack, and this baby should be both beautiful and VERY trail capable. I would greatly appreciate your opinions and advice based on good/bad experience. I will be at the junkyard pulling the Ford 8.8 this weekend and while I am looking for JGC springs, I might as well look for the right leaf springs and any other parts that make good components. Thanks! KJ

Great, thanks guys.

I searched but did not find the info I am looking for. Does anyone know what the standard gear ratio is in the axle of a 1995 Pathfinder with the 6 cylinder engine? I checked on line and it listed it as a 4.3++ gear ratio, which seems a little short (numerically high) with a 6 cyl and 31-inch tires. Thanks! KJ

I agree wholeheartedly with both of these posts. The Cherokee rear was most commonly the Dana "turdy-five", which is the worst axle in the history of Jeeps. The front, on the other hand, is a high pinion (reverse rotation) Dana 30. This is a VERY strong axle. In fact, it is comparable to the D-44 in many ways (including being able to get 30-spline shafts and lockers) and contains many of the same parts as on the TJ Dana 44. It uses a unit hub, so no matter what you break, the wheels stay attached, as it is held in place by a large 36mm nut to the unit hub. I have a Cherokee with a Dana 30 front and I run 35's with ARB air lockers. This year I wheeled the Rubicon, the High Lakes Basin, as well as Fordyce (without a doubt the toughest trail in northern CA...Far tougher than the Rubicon). I don't take it easy on the rig and have broken LOTS of parts, but never the Dana 30. If you have a 44 lying around that doesn't require the work and expense of narrowing it, use it. If not, the Dana 30 is a great choice. In fact, if you use chromoly and 30-splines, it will take 37's. I am currently installing gears and lockers into a rear Dana 44 and a front Dana 30 for my son's Jeep YJ and plan to put it on 37's. The only negative about the 30 is, like mentioned before, converting it to manual hubs is VERY expensive. The unit hubs can give up sometimes, but they rarely fail completely. They tend to get a little slop in them and you notice it at full turn and replace them at the tune of $120 each. I've replaced both on the Cherokee, but only after years of abuse and neither ever left me stranded. The Ford Super-Duty trucks use unit bearings on the front and those are massive vehicles. The D-30 hubs should withstand the Pathfinder without much trouble.