[Guest]

Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

I was lookijng in one of the yards close to home and found an older scout. Although the engine, tranny and drive shafts had been stripped, the axles were still there. I'm not even close to doing a massive build up, but when I do I would like to go soa and run 35" tires with minimal worries about breakage. I'd like to (in the future when I have more $$, my Jeepchick wants an expensive accessory that isn't for the Jeep, and I'm out of college) build my yj in to a trail vehicle that I could take on 3-4 rated trails. Would the scout axles (I'm assuming that they are D44's) be a good choice for 35's? When my engine is back in the jeep, hopefully by the end of the month, I'll be runing a 258 w/ 4.0head and MPI, so there won't be gobs of power. Should I pick up the axles and save them or hold out for something else ?

Thanks ahead of time for any thoughts or opinions,

Robert87yj/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif
engine rebuild w/4.0 head done, now for the MPI

 

[Guest]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

first find out the year of the Scout, because I believe some where better then others. The dana 44 should be up the task of the 35' especailly w/ just the 258.hope that helps a little.
Jake

 

[Guest]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

check the front diff, most if not all scouts had the diff on the passenger side and your yj has it on the driver side. unless you are planning a tc swap as well, the front wont work.

 

[Guest]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

Unless you are planning on massive amounts of torque the 44's should do just fine with 35's. 44's seem to be the preferred swap on the jeeps in my area. I am running a 30 front and 44 rear, both with detroits, on my TJ with 35x12.50x15's and I run all of the bad ass trails here in southern California without problems ( knock wood). A big part of axle durability is driving style. I know guys with flat fenders and stock axles with 33's that have no problems. If you are a throttle guy you may want a 60 in back, but if you are more the slow but steady type the 44's should be just fine.

Axlesupagain
98TJ 5.25" Rubicon express, 1" body, 35's, 4.56, detroits lots of other stuff
96XJ 3", 31's, 3.73, lockright and not as much stuff

 

[338]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

For the rear you can swap in a Ford 8.8 axle from a Late model explorer.The 8.8 is stronger than the D44,and you get the added advantage of rear disc brakes. It is a very strong axle for almost any Jeep application. I posted more details in a prior post (cheap axles). I just completed this swap last friday, but this is the 2nd 8.8 swap Ive done. The previouse swap (91 Wrangler 302 EFI,NP 435 trans,4.56 gears ane Tera low NP231 4.0:1 = 120.0:1 at the hubs) has held up for about a year of brutal abuse with perfect reliability. It is a great swap. Later, Jeff

 

[Guest]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

Hey Robert,

The Scout rear is a nice REAR axle for what you are considering. It is strong, nice and wide, and very easy to get parts for. The downside of the Scout swap is the front axle. The front axle is quite a PITA to install uncut and you will have to either move your springs outside the frame or shorten the long end of the tube to get the hanger on the diff centered. There are many URL's explainging this on this forum. I am currently looking for another front axle to swap in because of this.

My .02

Kevin
New England 4x4 Club
http://206.190.221.134/cj7.htm
79 Jeep CJ7

 

[Guest]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

Scout axles are Dana 44s, and are generally NOT that difficult to get into a YJ - in fact, the front spring pads are almost the exact right width. The guy who said you have to do a lot of work to get the front in (called it a PITA) is most likely confusing the CJ setup for the YJ. The YJ is wider, the spring pad location is wider, and the front will actually bolt under the jeep - EXCEPT that the castor is 0 degrees. In addition, the tie rod location is such that if you leave it you will have no turning radius, so most people redrill the tie rod location to get their turning radius back. If you are seriously interested in this swap, email me and I will send you the url for Larry Soo's excellent article on this exact swap.

The rear scout axle makes excellent swap material, because the axle shafts are the same length on either side, so it makes it easier for carrying spares. However, the front diff IS on the wrong side, so you WOULD have to switch to a Dana 300 transfer case.

I am in the middle of the swap I would recommend: Grand Wagoneer axles. mine are from an 87. 86 or later GW axles are D44 front and rear, and in addition:

1) Diff is on driver's side - don't have to change transfer case
2) knuckles are 1/2 ton knuckles - stronger than scout knuckles
3) tie rod is ALREADY on the top of the knuckles.
4) tie rod and drag link are heavier duty items than either YJ or scout
5) not any more difficult than scout as far as maching to get them in.
6) GW axles use INTERNAL hubs, rather than the external CJ type hubs that scouts use. These hubs are cheaper and stronger than the CJ internal type.

This is another viable option for you to consider. I am about 1.5 weeks away from finishing. Let me know if you want more info about this swap.

Chad
[email protected]

 

[Guest]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

Nobody has mentioned that not all Scouts used the Dana 44 in the front. Depending on what year it is it might just be a Dana 30 in the front. I just can't remember what year they started using the 44. Just have to look at the covers to find out. If the front one is the same as the rear, it's a 44. Too bad the pumpking is on the wrong side for your YJ in any case!

 

[Guest]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

That's what I was going to say, except that some really old Scouts even had 30 rears/wwwthreads_images/icons/blush.gif if I remember correctly. Could be wrong, but am pretty sure that all Scout II's were 44/44.

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing

 

[260]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

75 and up had a 44 in the front.
74 had some 44, some had 30(?)
73 and older had the smaller axle up front

87 wrangler - 258

 

[JEEPN]

Re: Scout 44\'s strong enough for 35\" tires?

http://www.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout/faq/axles.html
http://www.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout/faq/index.html

Both of the links above will help in identifying Scout parts and what axles came with what years. Good luck!

JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205 twinstick/7"Lift/33"TSL's/IHC D44's 4.10's Lock'd