Model 20 rear diff. ???

[Joopin]

I've been looking for a rear and front diff. and I found these for sale:

"Front Dana44 and rear Model 20 axle out of 85 Grand Wagoneer. Lockout hubs on front,driverside drop. Didn't check ratio yet. 6 lug. Complete still under truck. $350"

I asked the guy about the Model 20, he said they are as strong as strong as a D44 and an inch narrower than a wranglers D35. Has anyone seen an axle like this? Are they any good? I want something to handle 35s... any thoughts would be great.

 

[far_right]

they are stronger than a d35..... they prolly will be a pretty numerically low gear..... and the diff might be offset, not sure ont that one..

 

[jeepinstien]

The 20 is just as good as a9". The wagoneers were using this set up with 360's under the hood. Not to mention alot of extra weight.

I'm running the same axels. Swap out the auto locking hubs with manual locking hubs on the front.

The 20 has a beefy pinion gear. The only down side that I see is that it doesn't have a support bearing on the end of the pinion like the 9" has.
I think the gearing was 3:73

 

[Joopin]

wiring for 83 cj7

Jeepinstien, did you do anything to change the model 20 before you put it in your YJ? After I wrote the initial post I did a search on google and found an article saying something like it had weak bearings, but the rest is a good axle that many over look. Did you upgrade the bearings in it? Is there a way to keep the auto hubs? The article also said it has a noticeably bigger set of R&P gears, but the lowest you can go is 4.56... actually here is the link http://www.ring-pinion.com/gear/g0898.shtml
I just need an axle to handle 35s, ill be doing my soa soon so I'm looking now.
Oh and here is another question, will my front D30 be able to handle the 35s or should I be looking for a replacement for that as well? I heard that the rear axle is the "weaker" axle... kind of confusing... Thanks for the help.

 

[jeepinstien]

The weaker bearings are on the 2 piece axels that came on CJ's. I've seen 20's running 44's without problems. Do yourself a favor and dump the auto lock hubs. There known to grenade under load.

 

[jprtroy]

Yes, the mod 20 axle can be as good as a 44 almost! The 2-peice axles need to be swapped out for 1-peice. The axle tubes are just a little thinner that those on the D44. The ring gear in the Mod 20 is just a bit larger than that in the D44. So, there are pro's and con's for the Mod 20.