Not a huge expense, but less than desirable since I wouldn't be able to use stock axle shafts for the front axle. F-150 front D44 axle shafts are very abundant and cheap, so it would be ideal to have that supply available. I could assemble axle shafts from a combination of F-150 D44 short shafts and EB D44 long shafts, but that would siphon away from Chris Waterman's source of spare parts. Well, let's address why not first. This would result in a worse driveline angle in the back where most of the problems arise for lifted CJs, YJs and TJs.
Jeep gets away with such a wide stock axle by having extremely heavy backspacing on their wheels.
Wider axles would also provide more side-hill stability. This was the 'custom' portion of the rear axle project, since no full-size trucks have come with four wheel disc brakes. Modifying the Axle Housing As you would expect, it was much easier to modify the rear axle housing than the front. The photos' captions should explain the process quite clearly. Axle Brackets Setting rear axle pinion angle.