Ramcharger axle transplant on JKU?

Lone Star

Lone Star

New member
This may be crazy, but i currently have a 89 ramcharger with 5.9L, auto 4x4. Needs a tranny rebuild. Ive been trying to sell it, instead of investing on tranny. But i caught the jeep bug and and saving up to buy a JKU next year. The ramcharger i believe has a dana 44 front and chrysler 9 1/4" rear. Would these be able to transfer to a JKU? Even be worth trying? ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1440452843.235050.jpgthats her as she sits now. Just looking at other possibilities with ramcharger. Again this may be grasping for straws but figured worth a try!
 
Lone Star said:
This may be crazy, but i currently have a 89 ramcharger with 5.9L, auto 4x4. Needs a tranny rebuild. Ive been trying to sell it, instead of investing on tranny. But i caught the jeep bug and and saving up to buy a JKU next year. The ramcharger i believe has a dana 44 front and chrysler 9 1/4" rear. Would these be able to transfer to a JKU? Even be worth trying? View attachment 161533thats her as she sits now. Just looking at other possibilities with ramcharger. Again this may be grasping for straws but figured worth a try!
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I believe there would have to be some welding of mounting brackets involved
 
Ive been planning on buying a JKUR and running. 37's for dd and mild trails every so often and try to get to colorado and Arizona once a year for more sightseeing trails that rock crawling. But want it to be capable if i decided to. Most the time ill have my family with me 3 kids under 5 on the trips so nothing extreme. I will frequent off road parks i can get to and have some fun testing the rig and learning a lot. But If i found a non-rubicon and tried to do axle swap would it be worth it compared with just getting a rubicon and only have to regear gusset and sleeve for what im wanting to use it for? Being i would already have the axles?
 
Lone Star said:
Ive been planning on buying a JKUR and running. 37's for dd and mild trails every so often and try to get to colorado and Arizona once a year for more sightseeing trails that rock crawling. But want it to be capable if i decided to. Most the time ill have my family with me 3 kids under 5 on the trips so nothing extreme. I will frequent off road parks i can get to and have some fun testing the rig and learning a lot. But If i found a non-rubicon and tried to do axle swap would it be worth it compared with just getting a rubicon and only have to regear gusset and sleeve for what im wanting to use it for? Being i would already have the axles?
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I read that that axle is very tough probably around the same extent as a Dana 60 I don't know much about axles but if it's just as strong, it fits, and you already have it you should use it. I also read that some ramchargers come with limited slip diffs in the rear so that would be cool if it still worked

Just my .02
 
Your best best is to get Eddie to answer this I'm sure he can give you a definite answer as to whether it's doable or not
 
Yea, i finally have someone interested in it, but if not i may end up just fixing the tranny and use it because it was my daily driver, and we are down to one vehicle, which for us works out ok since i work weekend nights. The plan is to sell the ramcharger and get a cheap truck to use till i get my jeep. But may be more cost effective to just fix the ramcharger. (Although its getting 8mpg-maybe fixing the tranny will help this out) And if i ever get to the point i want to upgrade axles or feel i need to ill have it as a donor vehicle as well.
 
Anything is doable. You'll have to do some serious wiring and adding new guages. We have talked about this with a older dodge truck with a guy in my club. But this is to be used around town and a trail rig not to drive across the country. I'm joy saying it couldn't be done but it would be a lot of R&D
 
metalic said:
Anything is doable. You'll have to do some serious wiring and adding new guages. We have talked about this with a older dodge truck with a guy in my club. But this is to be used around town and a trail rig not to drive across the country. I'm joy saying it couldn't be done but it would be a lot of R&D
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May be more than i am capable of doing without a lot. A LOT, of help lol.
 
It's possible with enough time and money but not worth it. If you get a JKUR the axles will stand up to 37s and moderate wheeling. You will most likely bend your front axle some day so you can purchase a bolt in axle housing like the Dynatrack Pro Rock 44 that will get you a long ways on 37s. The factory lockers will eventually fail but you can also replace them with lockers like the ARB ones that fit the rubicon axles and the pro rock 44. You will also eventually need 5.13 gears for 37s.

All of that can be done in steps. I would make sure the JKUR you buy has 4.10s instead of the 3.73s as that would get you a little more power with 37s and delay the swapping to 5.13s a little longer.

If your set on swapping axles I would look for one tons. Either a Dana 60 and Sterling 10.5 from a ford to get the front diff on the correct side and matching gears. Or some Chevy one tons and plan on swapping the transfer case to a pass side drop one.

If you can't weld or do gear swaps be prepared to have a lot of money in those axles.
 
mudmobeeler said:
If you can't weld or do gear swaps be prepared to have a lot of money in those axles.
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^^^ this
I've had some polished turd axles in the past that I spent a lot of money on. It took me a while to figure this out. Now I just go for the Dynatrac stuff and save my time and money even though I can weld (did one gear swap and screwed it up and won't do that again)
 
mudmobeeler said:
It's possible with enough time and money but not worth it. If you get a JKUR the axles will stand up to 37s and moderate wheeling. You will most likely bend your front axle some day so you can purchase a bolt in axle housing like the Dynatrack Pro Rock 44 that will get you a long ways on 37s. The factory lockers will eventually fail but you can also replace them with lockers like the ARB ones that fit the rubicon axles and the pro rock 44. You will also eventually need 5.13 gears for 37s.

All of that can be done in steps. I would make sure the JKUR you buy has 4.10s instead of the 3.73s as that would get you a little more power with 37s and delay the swapping to 5.13s a little longer.

If your set on swapping axles I would look for one tons. Either a Dana 60 and Sterling 10.5 from a ford to get the front diff on the correct side and matching gears. Or some Chevy one tons and plan on swapping the transfer case to a pass side drop one.

If you can't weld or do gear swaps be prepared to have a lot of money in those axles.
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Wow yea thanks for the info. Im not set in swapping axles. I just already have the Ramcharger and wondered if it would be worth it to use the axles off of it. Apparently not. I think i will be just fine with a JKUR with 4.10's. Save me a lot of headache. And if i ever do need to upgrade i can go the dynatrac route.
 
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