Last weekend something miraculous happened. While doing my weekly junkyard dive, the clouds in the sky parted and a bright ray of sunshine blasted down on a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ. But this was no ordinary ZJ, it was a purpose-built off-roader — one that had clearly been someone’s passion project. I know this because the vehicle was outfitted with thousands of dollars worth of off-road parts, many of which I pillaged for pennies on the dollar in what will forever go down as The Great Junkyard Score of 2022. Let me show you my loot.
I’m currently in the process of slowly building the ultimate budget overlanding Jeep using a $350 Jeep Grand Cherokee as a starting point. At some point in the next five years I hope to drive from wherever I’m living in the U.S. all the way to the southern tip of Argentina in what will be at least a six month-long adventure. I figure I’m single, have very few obligations to others, and can wrench — if I’m ever going to do a ’round-the-world trip, I should do it sometime soon-ish.
Okay, it won’t be happening that soon since I’m swamped trying to run this car website, but when the trip does go down, I hope to have the perfect machine for the job. That perfect machine is the Jeep ZJ.
Many of you familiar with the ZJ probably just did a spit-take. “What the hell, dude. Those are plagued with awful transmissions, crappy rear axles, and all sorts of electrical gremlins. Go buy a Toyota 4Runner or something!” you’re yelling at your screen, your spouse peering over to see who the hell you’re talking to. The thing is, you’re right; 99.99 percent of ZJs did have these problems. But 0.01 percent didn’t, and mine falls into that minority.
It’s one of the rare 1,400-ish that came with a stout Aisin-built five-speed manual, and it’s one of the very few base models that came with manual windows and locks. So the transmission and electrical system on my ZJ are rock-solid. That leaves the rear axle.
1993 to 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokees — that’s the first-gen “ZJ” models — could be had with two axles: A Dana 35 or a Dana 44A. The Dana 35 is a weak “C-clip” axle that often fails in such a way that the axle shaft — with wheel attached — slips out of the tube:
The Dana 44A has an aluminum center section that tends to deflect under load, causing the differential bearings (pinion and carrier bearings) to spin unevenly and eventually fail.
Last year, I picked up a limited slip differential-equipped Dana 44A from a Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 to replace the Dana 35 in my overlanding ZJ (Again, the Dana 44A isn’t great, but it’s considered a strength upgrade over the 35). I figured I’d replace the Dana 44A’s carrier bearings (since they’re relatively easy to swap), then weld a truss between the axle tubes to limit deflection, and then just hope my pinion bearing holds up. I had concerns about this plan, because being stuck in South America somewhere with a bad axle isn’t great, especially since the Dana 44A’s aluminum housing is known to fail to the point that it cannot be repaired (the bearing spins in the housing, chewing up the aluminum, creating so much clearance that the bearing caps no longer squeeze the carrier bearings sufficiently, resulting in future premature failure).
That’s why I was so thrilled to find this at the junkyard last weekend:
This off-road rig — a 5.2-liter V8 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ — was someone’s baby. As you can see in the top photo, it was equipped with rock rails, a five-inch lift kit, and some 33-inch all-terrain tires on sweet 16-inch Wrangler Rubicon wheels. Sadly, the wheels and rock rails were gone by the time I spotted the Jeep, but one important thing wasn’t: the rear axle:
This rear axle is not the weak-sauce Dana 35, and it is not the bearing-killing Dana 44A. It is a bonafide Dana 44.
Many of you may have heard the name “Dana 44” before, because it’s the same axle found in every Jeep Wrangler Rubicon ever built (it’s also found in some non-Rubicon Wranglers, as well as in other Jeeps throughout the years). The Dana 44 is strong and aftermarket support is incredible; it’s a highly sought-after axle in the off-road community.
You have to realize why I was so thrilled to see this: Fitting a Dana 44 into a ZJ is no small task. Only the Dana 35 and 44A are direct bolt-ins; the 44 requires one to cut all the existing brackets off the axle, then weld on new brackets that align with the Grand Cherokee’s control arm mounts. The fact that I found a Dana 44 with this already done, and with a strength-increasing truss to boot? Well, like I said: This is the motherlode.
There was a moment during my junkyard session when I got really, really excited. You see in the image above that plug in the front of the differential? That’s a sensor for a pneumatic locker. I looked in the cabin of the Jeep and found a little switch cutout on the center console; “This Jeep has a locker!” I exclaimed.
Unfortunately, I later realized there were no air lines going to the diff, and — upon banging off the cover — I saw that there was no locker present. Clearly, based on the little hole in the driver’s side bearing cap where a little hose would normally go, this axle did come from a Jeep Wrangler TJ Rubicon, but the locker has been removed and a standard 3.73-ratio Trac-Lok, clutch-based limited slip differential carrier put in its place.
In this picture from Wrangler Forum you can see a pneumatic line going into that hole in a locker-equipped Dana 44:
Even though I don’t have a locking differential, I’m still pumped that I at least have a limited slip-diff to offer me more traction. Though what’s more important to me is just having a rock-solid Dana 44 axle assembly instead of a crappy Dana 35 or 44A. Hopefully the previous owner set up the gears correctly, hopefully all the bearings are in decent shape, and hopefully the axle isn’t bent from off-roading or warped from the truss-weld-job. If all my hopes are granted, then I will have the ultimate budget overlanding Jeep.
It’s cheaper, bigger, and better-riding than the little leaf-sprung XJ Cherokee. It’s got more room than the TJ or TJ Unlimited Wrangler. It’s cheaper and lighter than a four-door JK or JL. It’s tougher than a Liberty or later Grand Cherokees. It’s a stick-shift, base-model, Dana 44-equipped Jeep ZJ, and it’s ready to drive around the world. Well, once I’m done building it.
I also snagged a few other nice bits from someone’s former off-road project: These JKS sway bar disconnects. They allow one to quickly disconnect the sway bar without having to undo a bunch of bolts; this increases wheel articulation, which will give my Jeep more traction and stability over uneven terrain. These links are normally 150-ish bucks; I snagged the set for $20.
I also got all four coil springs — which would normally cost about $350 new (though you can get used ones for around $100 all day on Facebook Marketplace) — for $40. As for the gem of my haul, the Dana 44 axle: Those tend to cost about $300 if you’re lucky. Add a truss to that, and you’re pushing $500; I paid $150.
All that is to say: I saved hundreds of dollars at the junkyard this past weekend. I ended up with a beefy rear axle that will bolt right into my ZJ overlanding Jeep and fix its final achilles heel, I snagged some sway bar quick-disconnects that will give me added articulation, and I nabbed some coil springs that I may or may not use depending upon how loaded-down my ZJ ends up being once it’s all set up for the trip.
This five-speed ZJ is going to be epic.
just how many different vehicles has the Dana 44 been under. I am pretty sure we have a rearend out of a C4 vette out back and it is a D44.
Selfishly, I was a little worried when you said you were going to re-direct your automotive adventures to facilitate a more balanced social life. Apparently those fears were unfounded since your five year plan includes being single so you can take a road trip to Argentina. Keep on jeepin
I’m just being realistic. There are things I’m good at (wrenching, road-tripping, off-roading), and there are things I’m terrible at (dating). So I’m just being smart and playing to my strengths. 😀
You may one day sub run into someone who shares your love of Jeeps that are 76% rust, but takes them on 1500 mile road trips anyway. Someone who drinks nothing but milk. Someone who wrenches like a madwoman. You know, the Holy Grail of girlfriends.
Your five-year plan involves the Pan-American Highway? Sweet! Just mind the gap. 🙂
“All that is to say: I saved hundreds of dollars at the junkyard this past weekend. ”
I use this logic too…but the bank account still seems to shrink when I save.
stop saying the 4.0 is reliable, LOL.
you need to do a 2JZ swap for obvious reasons.
2JZ ZJ
The 2nd photo down looks really familiar. Back in the mid 70’s I was stationed in Neu Ulm Germany and all of our 3/4 ton vehicles were variations on the Dodge 4×4 pick-up called the M880. They were fairly reliable except for the ballast resistor. We quickly learned to carry a spare or two.
One warm Sunday afternoon myself and my surveyors were heading back home from an extended two week survey operation. We were traveling down the autobahn at a steady 80 mph with my best friend in the lead vehicle when something amazing happened. His left rear axle seemed to be growing by inches. Steadily it inched outward until the entire wheel/axle assembly stood proud of the truck by a good 2 1/2 feet. I flashed my headlights furiously and laid on the horn, all to no avail. When my buddy Buck had an unfiltered Camel, a cup of coffee, and a stretch of autobahn he became totally oblivious.
Finally the inevitable happened. The whole thing came apart and dropped the left rear of the truck to the pavement, making some very expensive gouges into Germany’s finest asphalt! Amazingly, Buck’s obliviousness worked for the best. He didn’t realize anything had happened and just steered to compensate.
The end result was a long cold overnight stay alongside the ‘Bahn waiting for recovery. Inspection determined exactly what you described. No fault for anyone. The mechanics breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Just another tale from a long career and 18 years in Germany!
My father was stationed in Germany in the early 70’s.
We lived off base near Neu Ulm. We were only there for about 3 or 4 years.
He worked in the motor pool. He would take me in very occasionally, I got to see some of the vehicles there.
A friend of mine had the right rear wheel and spindle decide it no longer wanted to be on that particular HMMWV while driving on the secondary roads of Germany. Not much fun figuring out which mechanic forgot to bend the tabs on the spider washer that keeps the spindle nut in place.
So you’ve been watching the “Long Way Up” I take it?
That moment when you pull the pan..choirs of angels burst into song, shafts of golden sunlight pierce the clouds, and the faint ticklings of an erection begin to form.
awesome finds.
“It’s tougher than a Liberty or later Grand Cherokees”
Yea well Libertys (Liberties?) are garbage, sooo…. That’s not saying much!
Just don’t break my heart bagging on WK2s (early WKs are fair game though)
Great finds for the ZJ. That axle upgrade is pretty substantial.
David, I just did my first junkyard session. I had to trudge out to what the owner called the “field of dreams” in the back 40. There I found not one, but two Honda Del Sols. I was in heaven. I managed to snag a bunch of easy access goodies, but the cars are sitting in mud up to their rockers. I was ankle deep in mud the whole time. I happily paid my $50 and left with some parts. Even though one part didn’t fit (my mistake) I still made out ahead of buying some new parts. I”m now repairing tons of northeast rust.
Epic find! That GC is going to make a great over landing rig. Let us know if you are looking for others to travel with you…and might I suggest a trial run over a summer up to the top bit of Alaska?! That’s on my list to drive!
So excited to see this. My wife and I bought a ‘98 ZJ with a 318 and 20k on it in ‘02. Our ‘91 XJ had finally rusted out and we wanted something a touch bigger as we were planning on kids doing. We had it for 10 years and put another 220k miles on it. I two tracked with it. Towed with it. Took long family trips with it. Never had any trouble with it. I would buy the 318 again today. Finally rust killed it.
It dismays me to hear people rip on the car because even my wife, who isn’t a car person, fondly remembers that as the best vehicle we ever owned.
Dude, give these parts some love and sand blast them before giving them a coat of paint.
My mechanic has recently started letting me use his sand blasting cabinet and the feeling of bringing a rusty part to like new is the best ever!
I have run crushed walnut shells in a cheap Harbor freight sandblaster at home. It’s great because you can just sweep up and compost the shells. Any extra iron is good for the soil too.
+1 on this. Sandblast and either paint or rubber coat.
You get 2 hours of orgasmic satisfaction and parts are protected as a nice side effect.
I can confirm this. Spending an hour with a blasting cabinet and old rusty parts offers so much satisfaction. Then, bolting fresh rehabbed parts onto a rusty truck provides inspiration to continue.
David…this does not relieve you of you’re responsibility to acquire “the holy grail”… ????
“Holy grails” are trademarked by Jalopnik. This is The Autopian. They’re motherlodes now. Well, motherload until an editor got to him.
No. That axle is the holy grail of motherlodes.
Looking forward to more David Tracy ZJ adventures (even if it’s not a “holy grail”)
This is the content that keeps me coming back. God bless you David, you magnificent, crazy bastard.
That last paragraph sounds like the script from the end of every buy on American Pickers. Which then leads me to believe that David and Jason could have their own, salvage yard picker show, which could obviously be called Autopian Pickers…
Junkyard finds like that are rare. You did very good, my friend.
You’re banking on the brackets being welded in the correct location, in addition to the bearings being good, the axle not being warped from welding, and it not being bent from off-roading. Was there any obvious reason the donor vehicle was in the junk yard? Accident damage? Big crack in the block? Anything other than a janky axle?
There’s no doubt the axle may be toast, but the guts look good! As for the brackets, I can just weld new ones on. NBD.
As for why the ZJ was in the ‘yard, well, I’m gonna guess the answer has to do with that dreaded Chrysler automatic.
I wonder if the first-gen ZJs had the same heater core issue as the second-gen ZJs? That’s not a cheap fix either.
Epic find! You gonna blast the rust off that stuff or just stuff it in?
Whatever dirt followed the parts home from the junkyard will continue on in David’s GC build.
I used to go to an all-Corvair junk yard near Baton Rouge, Louisiana back in ’88, ’89. The guy there was so nice he often just wouldn’t charge me for stuff that I needed for my ’64 convertible. I remember how thrilling it was to find that perfect part. I’m looking forward to continuing with this story as it brings back the same thrill.
And now, the perception of a man who does not and cannot wrench; who doesn’t know a coil spring from a motor mount; and thus may still possess a modicum of relative common sense:
“Tracy? All this shit is rusty and junky! You’re ecstatic that you ‘only’ paid $210 for this gnarled old ferrous oxide-coated industrial debris? The guy at the junkyard probably had a bigger boner than you did when you left!!”
I can wrench, but I still don’t always understand David’s self-inflicted automotive masochism. We need to start a GoFundMe campaign to relocate him to a part of the country where not everything looks like it was pulled from the bottom of the ocean.
I’ve bought exactly one used car in Michigan. It sat completely untouched for two years because it’s so miserable to work on. I hit the shock bolt with an impact yesterday and flakes just rained down everywhere
I was born & raised in Michigan, but left upon finishing college in ’06. Ultimately I had a pretty good childhood in a nice part of the state, but let me tell you, there is nothing in this world that could bring me back to Michigan.
You relocate him, and I bet he starts gasping for air like a fish on land. He probably depends on ferrous oxide for respiration. He’s part of the ecosystem now – remove him from Michigan, and he’ll start to wilt, and Michigan will be soon overrun by dense rust clouds and stacks upon stacks of decrepit Jeeps.
Lol, this cracks me up.
On that case he wouldn’t be able to store his groceries outside in his car for half the year and would have to carry them into the house and put them in the fridge. Clearly a sacrifice he’s not willing to take
It would indeed take a bit of adjustment for David to give up Mother Nature’s complimentary refrigerator. But on the other hand, perhaps doing so might allow him to attract a romantic partner.
That was arguably the biggest bonus of living in Upstate NY. Just leave the beers on the back porch for 4-5 months out of the year.
No used parts are ever going to be rust free. And a rebuilt or new Dana 44 is expensive. He actually did get a great deal on all those parts. I would rebuild the axle before his multi continent road trip though
Gotta interject with a nerd moment here. There are 2 common oxides of iron, Ferrous oxide (Iron in the 2+ oxidation state) and Ferric oxide (iron in the 3+ oxidation state). Rust is TECHNICALLY hydrated ferric oxide and ferric oxide hydroxides.
This is why people don’t like to hang out with chemists.
Son of two full professors of organic chemistry here.
Thank you for reminding me of the tough upbringing I had hearing things like this over and over again.
(I went to Law School – it seemed the furthest away I could get from chemistry.
It wasn’t far enough).
You should really trigger them by saying things like ‘these carrots were grown without chemicals’. It certainly bugs the hell out of me.
No, you don’t understand. …I’m EXPECTED to know things. That’s really the drama of it all – I hate chemistry with a vengance but I’m forced to be smart about it.
Did they change the ratio in the 44 or does it still have 4.10 gears?
3.73! Just a regular TJ rear end swapped into the Rubi housing.
When I put bigger tires on my TJ, I went looking for tow package axles. Found a pair with trashed housings but good diffs. Got them for a song but when I got home I realized that they were 3.55’s which were only put behind a manual with a tow package for one or 2 years. It did have a LSD in the rear though.
I’m going from 3.55s to 3.73s — a minor shortening, but my tires are going from 29s to 31s, so nothing major.