1997 Jeep Wrangler Tj Dana 44 Swap - high Pinion - Photo 27336020

Back to Article

Since our '97 Jeep Wrangler is equipped with the factory four-cylinder engine, the new high-pinion front axle didn't interfere with our exhaust. We are told that some late model TJs equipped with the inline-six may require exhaust modification to clear the front driveshaft.

Ripping out your old axles is the most time consuming process of the swap. Although it's only a few dozen bolts, you will need to take care when removing all of the miscellaneous tabs, lines, and hoses, since most pieces will be used again.

The Mopar conversion axles are designed to reuse your suspension's factory links. Our TJ was equipped with a Rubicon Express 31/2-inch short-arm kit. We didn't experience any problems or issues swapping axles with our aftermarket suspension system.

When you order your next-generation Dana 44 axles from Dynatrac (a performance axle specialist and authorized Mopar dealer), you have the option of upgrading them to Trail Series axles. This allows you to step up to Dynatrac's beefy differential cover and pick from a variety of gear ratios. We went with 4.88 gears so that our four-popper can get us down the road and trail more easily.

Though the larger JK calipers will accept your factory and aftermarket TJ brake lines, we opted to upgrade to a set of aftermarket steel braided JK lines from Rubicon Express (PN RE1530). This routes the lines in a more vertical and direct fashion. They bolt in place without any adapters or modification to your TJ's existing hard lines.

A Mopar wiring harness (PN P5155359) is needed to control the 12-volt electronic lockers and plugs into the two axle connectors in the cast centersection. While you can tap into the locker's indicator signal for use with an aftermarket switch or...

... light indicator, we chose to keep things simple with a set of Painless waterproof toggle switches (PN 80530). With our center dash unit removed, we fitted the toggles into our TJ's factory accessory panel and safety-wired them into place.

The factory lower steering tie rod on our Jeep had been upgraded with a solid lower rod from a '93-'98 V-8 Grand Cherokee. This meant that the bar adjustment was only on the outer end of the axle. And though there was enough adjustment to allow our steering system to bolt in place, we decided to make a longer adjustment sleeve just to be on the safe side.

Since our '97 Jeep Wrangler is equipped with the factory four-cylinder engine, the new high-pinion front axle didn't interfere with our exhaust. We are told that some late model TJs equipped with the inline-six may require exhaust modification to clear the front driveshaft.

For the rear brakes, we opted for the pre-installed hard lines; since our '97 TJ was equipped with drum brakes from the factory, we sourced a new set of late-model emergency brake cables from Mopar. Be sure to specify the year of your Jeep before ordering from Dynatrac, as later model TJ's may only need an adapter.

It depends on how modified or stock your Jeep is as to whether you will need a new set of driveshafts. We found that the new length and height of the high-pinion front 44 required a shorter front shaft, while the old rear shaft bolted right into place. Since our shafts had well over 120,000 miles on them, we swapped in a set of heavy-duty shafts from J.E. Reel.