The word is out. Mopar is selling JK Wrangler Rubicon Dana 44 complete axle assemblies, and they're a very good deal. For a total of approximately $3,000, both front and rear Rubicon Dana 44s that come complete with disc brakes, electric lockers, and 4.10 gears will be delivered to your home or dealer ready for installation. These Dana 44s are direct bolt-ins in JK Wranglers, so owners of X or Sahara trim levels can easily upgrade their front and rearends to the Rubicon level and will even be able to use their locking differentials at any speed, in two-wheel drive, four-wheel high, or four-wheel low range. This is something Rubicon owners can't do as they're limited to using their lockers in low range. Mopar/Jeep JK Rubicon Dana 44s are available from any Mopar/Jeep Performance dealer.
These axle assemblies will also work in any other vehicle you choose to install them in with some modification. We followed our friend Eric Maughan as he ordered Mopar JK Rubicon Dana 44 axle assemblies and proceeded to put them under his '91 YJ Wrangler. 4 Wheel Drive Hardware has everything needed for a successful axle swap, such as a Mopar wiring harness that has the correct electrical plugs needed for the electric lockers. While doing the swap, Eric decided to install an Atlas transfer case from Advance Adapters too. Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts built new front and rear CV driveshafts that work with the Rubicon axle assemblies. Follow along, and we'll show you how easy this swap is to perform.
Both Mopar JK Rubicon Dana 44 axle assemblies are complete brake-to-brake and ready to bolt into a JK Wrangler. That includes 4.10 gears and electronic locking differentials. 4 Wheel Drive Hardware's part number for the frontend is #P5153825; for the rearend, it's #P5153826. Eric had Mount Logan Off-Road install 5.13 gears front and rear before starting the installation in his '91 YJ Wrangler. For his frontend, he had a local machine shop machine the axle ears, so they could use full-circle U-joint snap rings instead of the C-clips that come installed. The C-clips have a tendency to walk around and fall out, allowing the U-joint cap to then fall out with a broken axle ear following. It's important to find a machine shop that can perform this simple job. The shop Eric used didn't do very well, but the axles are OK and more reliable with the full-circle clip. | 
Saying goodbye to the JK axle bracketry is easy with the judicial use of a torch. | 
Here are all the JK brackets cut off the front and rearends. The only bracket Eric left was the front upper control arm bracket that's cast into the differential casing. |