For Jeep owners, swapping in a stronger front axle is a rite of passage, but it can often be a complicated job involving lots of custom fabrication. Dustin and Cristy Nichols of Dirtnation Offroad took on this challenge with their Wrangler JK project, Bender. To replace the weak factory Dana 30, they chose a brand-new Ultimate Dana 44 Axle, a complete crate axle that promises a straightforward path to serious strength.

The Ultimate Dana 44 Axle: What You Get

The new axle is a popular choice for a reason. As Dustin explained, “This is a crate axle from Dana which is the same company that makes the stock axles for the Jeep.” The Ultimate Dana 44 is not just a replacement; it’s a major upgrade.

“This axle also comes beefier than stock with thicker tubing and brackets,” he noted. A huge benefit is that they are built-to-order.

“You can order this with your choice of gears and a locker,” Dustin said, “so we opted for a 4.88:1 gear ratio as this Jeep is getting 37s and then for the locker we chose to go with an electronic e-locker.”

The At-Home Installation

Working in their home garage, the couple documented the process of pulling the old, worn-out Dana 30 and wrestling the new, much heavier axle into place.

Their DIY approach was perfectly captured by Dustin’s comment: “I am going to file this under ‘don’t try this at home’ but you know what we’re at home so we’re going to try this.” While the axle is a direct bolt-in for newer Jeeps, the video shows that fitting it to their older JK required some custom work, including cutting off the stock stabilizer mount and modifying the track bar bracket to fit their existing Metalcloak steering setup.

The Perfect Foundation for a JK Build

In the end, the Ultimate Dana 44 Axle proved to be a fantastic foundation for their custom JK. The swap provides a massive increase in durability, with stronger tubes, brackets, and axle shafts ready to handle the abuse of 37-inch tires on the trail.

While it required a bit of custom work for their specific application, the crate axle concept saved a huge amount of time compared to building a custom axle from scratch. It’s a modern, robust solution that has given their classic Wrangler a new lease on life.