Last week I took the Jp Magazine project JK over the Rubicon trail. It was a relatively uneventful trip since the Jeep had plenty of clearance thanks to the 3-inch Black Diamond lift and 35-inch BFG MT KM2 tires on AEV bead lock wheels.

I drove most of the trail with the lockers off and the hard top and A/C on. It was probably the most comfortable trip I've ever made. And I drove it over 600 miles to and from the trail head. It wasn't until about halfway home that things started to go bad. Something in the drivetrain started whining. So far I've narrowed it down to the rear driveshaft or the rear axle. I'm pretty sure it's the pinion bearings. I suspect bits of metal from the previously failed locker did some damage that the crappy dealer in Santa Clarita didn't catch. So now the Jeep is out of warranty with big tires and a lift, so I'm pretty much on my own for this one. We'll see, I have not decided if I should keep the Dana 44 rear or upgrade yet. What do you think? Should I swap in a trick-high-zoot Dana 60, rebuild the stock axle or make some other axle swap?