This guy is selling TJ and Rubi housings on ebay: d44 housing (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33728&item=2480536048)
Is this a reasonable price? I know to get a housing and weld the brackets on, it's either a major PITA to take your old brackets off and weld on the 44, or you have to buy a kit for ~$300. Seems like this might not be that bad? I guess all said and done, you would have a total of $440+shipping + $400 alloy shafts + $650 ARB = ~$1550-1600. Might be slightly cheaper than buying a built axle, but not much if you compared it with someone else doing the labor. I guess the savings would be in assembling it yourself. How much thinner are the tubes on the rubicon housings than the old school 44s?

Is this for Sarah's Jeep, or yours? I would think its for Sarah's, but you never know! :D Dont forget to add gears (+$200 each end). I *think* the tubes are D35 thickness.

If its for your Jeep . . . why? I would think a 9" would be a better path.

as for the price, its seems reasonable.

No way, I'm not putting coils on the CJ!!! I love my leaf springs... Yeah, I just left the gears off because I figured they would go into whatever swap I found anyway, but you are right - to make it a valid comparison to purchasing a built axle they should be included. I mostly was just throwing this out there in case anyone else wants one... Besides, I already have a D44 rear and I can get a Wagoneer housing for the front for way less than this.

Maybe if he would take about a 2 year layaway plan they could go on the Sarah Edition...

booooooooooooooooooo

chris is right about the thickness of the tubes.

Originally posted by sarah
booooooooooooooooooo

lol, yea, BOOOOOOOO :D

We'll put something else under the TJ when she breaks the D35...

Also, forgot to add the install kit - bearings, shims, etc. +$85
:D

Originally posted by rick
We'll put something else under the TJ when she breaks the D35...

Also, forgot to add the install kit - bearings, shims, etc. +$85
:D

+85 for the front :8 :D

+$50 for rear axle bearings ;)

Not sure if it matters, but something to think about. My friend is trying to upgrade his front rubi 44 and parts a hard to come by. He was told by various aftermarket axle companys that the rubi 44's that have that electric locker and the parts are not interchangable with the standard 44 parts. He had to wait and have some 4.88's built and can not find any hardened off the shelf axles. The front axles are using 30 spline inners and 23 spline outers. Not sure what the rears are using. Also I was told somthing about the carriers being a different size :confused: Just something to check into. Call John Currie.

The problem Chris is referencing relates to the Fuji air lockers that the Rubi has, they aren't electric. This has more to do with the carrier, IIRC.

If you are using just the housing, you will have no problem swapping in whatever you want. The differential housing is standard. Plug up the locker holes if not needed.

The front outers are D30and the rears are D44 all the way through, IIRC. You should be able to put whatever axle shafts you want in. If you want to use the OEM Rubi carrier/ring and a non-Fuji locker, you may have problems.

The tubes issue have been discussed.



For more info, http://rubiconownersforum.com
The axles info is covered in depth in the FAQs section.