D44 Rubicon locker questions, fit regular D44?

[pjtoledo]

I was you-tubing axle rebuilds at BFH Garage and he was doing a 2006 rear Rubicon that had a factory helical differential that also air locked.
seems like the best of both worlds, torque sensing and the ability to lock.

I'm wondering if the diff would fit in a regular D44, like maybe one found under the front of a 78 Bronco?
the Rubicon unit does have some kind of sliding pin in the housing that has something to do with the lock ring so I'm thinking that would be an issue.
you can see the pin at 1hr 19min in the video.

not being any kind of a D44 expert, are there any aftermarket units that do this in an older housing?


How to Install Gears in a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Dana 44 (Detailed!) - YouTube

 

[Shran]

I am pretty sure that there is no way to easily make this work. The Rubicon housings are different than any other D44s. Bearings are different, I think axle spline counts vary, gears are different between the two...etc. Supposedly the Jeep lockers are not super reliable or strong on top of all that.

If you want an air locker, Yukon makes the Zip locker and there is the ARB as well. Eaton E-lockers are another good option although some, but not all, have an annoying feature requiring half a tire turn +/- to engage the locker...mine does that.

 

[pjtoledo]

thanks.

I was just wondering if it could be adapted to my 1978 Bronco. ( that's a story for another decade. )

 

[dvdswan]

CL, facecrooks, or local offroad clubs.

I picked up an ARB with 5.13s for 400 for a D44 way back when. Just be sure its the correct one and gear set. The PO of my set didn't do that.

 

[Blmpkn]

Could always just retrofit the entire axle into the Bronco.

 

[Shran]

Could always just retrofit the entire axle into the Bronco.

Main problem with that is a '78 is a full size rig and much wider than the Jeep axle.

Then there is the problem of the wheel bolt pattern...

 

[dvdswan]

Main problem with that is a '78 is a full size rig and much wider than the Jeep axle.
Then there is the problem of the wheel bolt pattern...

pfft, mish mash, a lot of mini trucks use full size axles, I'd like to see a full size use mini axles. it would like the BNSF trucks...