You 8.25 is fine. I've never seen one broke down. I have the warn shafts
in mine. The older 8.25 (pre 97) had 27 splines, yours however has 29.
Keep that axle in your ride. A Dana 44 is a nice axle but not that much
stronger. My opinion only. My old shafts I use if I need a spare. In 5
years of beating the hell out of mine, I never needed a spare in the rear
axle.

Dan
"DeepDiver" <deepdiver@adelphia.com> wrote in message
news:u336gvgh03l135g7870slhong5j6esi18m@4ax.com...
> Would like to pick the brains of those who have gone before me. I
> have a 00XJ with a Chrysler 8.25 rear. Trying to work out a plan of
> attack for the mods that I will need. The D-44 that I had in my TJ
> was a no brainer but I haven't heard much about the 8.25. It is a C
> clip design so I guess that means the tire will come out if I bust an
> axle. I don't really want to go through the expense of dropping in a
> D-44 or a Ford 9 inch if I can help it. I like to do moderate off
> roading in places like Death Valley and hope to get to Utah someday. I
> need to regear and put in some kind of locker so there will be more
> stress on the axle than in stock form and I'm not planning on going
> any bigger than a 32" tire. So what is everyone's opinion on the
> 8.25? Also considering the expense of re-gearing and installing a
> locker, is it good enough if not pushed too hard or is it cheaper to
> just bite the bullet and do it right the first time? Thanks for you
> input..=:{)