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What would you do?

tigmeister

NAXJA Forum User
Location
usa
OK, I'm trying to decide which axles to put under my 93 Sport.

I have a matching set of dana 44s out of an '86 waggy non-disco, and I have a rear dana 44 out of an '87.

At this time I plan on 33s and have a stroker in the process of being built, but that could change to a V8 and possibly 35s.

My D30 is an ABS unit so it already has 297 U joints. I was also planning on trussing whichever axle I use. Re-gearing is needed on both ends of whichever is chosen along with some kind of locker. Also going long arm 3 or 4 link with 4.5" to 5.5" of lift.

I don't beat the snot out of it when when I wheel, and I daily drive it sometimes up to 160 miles a day when weather sucks.

The amount of fabbing is about the same on either so I'd like opinions if the low pinion 44 is worth it for the serviceable bearings, bigger breaks, larger ring and pinion, and tubes?

I've had other 4wds with d44s and big V8s and never broken axles, I'm kind of light footed on the skinny pedal (most of the time) especially during wheeling. I just don't like to break things after it has taken so time and $$ to build.:rolleyes:
 
In my mind it is 50/50 on which way to go. The benefit of doing D44 front and rear is deeper gear ratios available than the D30 front. D30 and D44 have the same ujoints so no difference there. If you are doing chromo shafts and a locker - you can up the D30 to 30-spline shafts for the same price as 27-spline. LP D44 vs. HP D30 - I don't know the strength difference. I probably stick with the D30/D44 and sell the Waggy stuff. If it was a high pinion D44, I would keep those and sell the D30/D44.
 
I agree the HP D44 would be better. If I go up to 35s, I was thinking the bigger ball joints and tapered roller bearings would last longer than the unit hub and ball joints in a D30.

Can anyone tell me what kind of longevity they're getting out of quality ball joints and unit bearings in a D30 with 35s?

That's really my only concern since I can truss it and reinforce the Cs and don't plan on going deeper than 4.56 gears.

I've got to do the same amount of work on either set of axles, and was trying to formulate a plan. Losing a little bit of clearance with the LP D44 is really not an issue for me, it's more how long will components in a D30 last with compared to a D44 with 35s.
 
If you are going to stay at a 35" tire, it think well built HP 30 has alot to offer.

I wheeled a 30 with 35" boggers like a madman, yes I did break a few alloy shafts and r&p sets, but a cryo job on the third r&p set stopped all gear breakage.

30 ball joints seemed to last as long as 44 ball joints do, which is exactly as long as a broken u joint!
Unit bearings are very easy to change and may even have a lifetime warranty depending on where you buy them.


All that goes out the window if you ever want to wheel a tire larger than a 35.
 
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If you are going to put $$ in it anyways, go for the D30HP/D44. I would do aftermarket CV shafts, WJ steering/brakes, OTA TB, Truss/new upper mounts etc. Since you plan on 35's go with 4.88's, will be fine with 33s
 
The main reason i went to my waggy 44s is that i got the axles geared already 4.88, and i wanted to do a custom 3 link to get rid of the gay IRO radius arms. I love having locking hubs, and serviceable wheel bearings. Id say the ball joints have been holding up better than my dana 30s which seemed like they neede to get done every 6 months to a year.

I run 35s with alloy shafts in the front and have yet to break anything, althought ive only been wheeling a couple times with the front 44.

If you have the choice, id build up the 44s, because its different, and the lp dana 44 is stronger than a hp 30.
 
I'd do the 44s.

X2, with the 44's you have room to grow a little in tire size when you get the itch and manual hubs and stronger gears etc. My balljoints in my 44 with 37's have lasted at least twice as long as my 30 did with 35's.
 
If you're planning on that much power I'd vote 44s, if you were sticking with the 4.0 then the 30/44 would be okay.

If you're going to be making really big power out of a v8 later, I'm not sure how good 44s would be even?
 
I was leaning towards the 44 more for housing strength, brakes, ball joints, gear size etc.

If I try to beef the 30, it'll really only end up about the same as a 44. If I start with a 44 and beef it, I'll be ahead. And I can keep driving my rig until the diffs are ready to go in and have minimal downtime (not that I don't have plenty of other vehicles to drive).

I have a stroker started and have over $1K in machine work between block and head, but haven't started buying internal parts yet. I plan on around 265 - 275 crank horsepower. I've had other rigs with V8s with at least that or more with D44s and no real strength upgrades, pretty much stock setup, with 33 and 35 inch tires, and haven't busted anything.

I want this to be a capable rig for daily driving, trail rig for the family and could be hauling a lot of gear or pulling a trailer to get to the back country. I won't be doing big rocks or extreme trails with it and beating the snot out of it. I'm building another one for that.
 
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