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What to do?

NW-ZJ-SCOTT

TEXAS-JT-SCOTT
NAXJA Member
Location
NE Texas
SO, The HPd30 is just not cutting it anymore.. on 35s, i was blowing axle shafts left and right, twisting inner splines, and stretching the eyes, Even with an open carrier.. I tossed in some alloys and that problem went away..

3 months later, I noticed the ring gear was chipped, and today.. the ring gear is 500 pieces..

My problem is, I have around a grand invested in the 30 just from the knuckle out.. (wj setup.. ruffstuff steering) I cringe at having to redo all that..

So I thought about doing a G2 Rubicon axle, $2500 buys everything from the balljoints in.. alloys, geared/detroit locked etc.. Swap my knuckles on.. and bolt it in to the rig.. Great, Now i have a LP44 thats just as strong as a massively built 30..

I have a 79 Bronco HP44 on the floor of the garage that i got for free, but i really dont have the time to have it re-tubed and cut down to waggy width, plus all the little stuff like going Radius arm etc.. i'm really frowning on the amount of work it looks like this thing will take..

What would you do? I have about $3k to spend.. And i'd like to call it DONE for that budget.. anyone?
 
why not just replace the d30 center with the d44 center? that way you can keep the outers you have invested so much money into...

the lp44 is not really an upgrade over the HP30. I wouldn't go that route.
 
I'd call Currie and get a price on a HP44/Detroit. Not sure how much it would be, but it will have stronger tubes and brackets. Or, I'd truss the D30 and get a hefty steel diff cover and put in a new ring and pinion. One of your problems is that you're still going to have the 27 spline stub shafts which are OK with 35's but if you ever went to 37's they won't cut it at all.

If you really don't want to be concerned with the D30 housing and gear strength, and you can't do a front axle yourself (you need a hard to find D44 center), then your only real choice is to start making calls to axle builders and get prices on what you want.
 
If you are going to go the Currie route, pop for the HP 9". Not a cheap axle, but I doubt it will break any time soon...

Why?

Not a bad choice, but more expensive and less ground clearance than a D44.
 
Ok so option number 4 came up, I priced out a TJ width dynatrac prorock44. This axle utilizes a custom high clearance Hp44 center with 5/16" DOM tubes extra beefy cast C's. And uses The stronger 8.8" JK d44 carrier and R&P setup.

Can get one from a sponsor on pirate ready to bolt in, 4.56/detroit with alloy shafts for around $3500

Hmm
 
I would talk to KNA about re-tubing that Hp44. He is very busy man, but when he gets on your project he's like a one man machine.
 
Ok so option number 4 came up, I priced out a TJ width dynatrac prorock44. This axle utilizes a custom high clearance Hp44 center with 5/16" DOM tubes extra beefy cast C's. And uses The stronger 8.8" JK d44 carrier and R&P setup.

Can get one from a sponsor on pirate ready to bolt in, 4.56/detroit with alloy shafts for around $3500

Hmm

price out a TJ width 60 and see what the difference is.

I would not dump that kind of money into a 44.
 
price out a TJ width 60 and see what the difference is.

I would not dump that kind of money into a 44.

While initially I agree, to do a crate 60 ready to swap in, I'm at over $6k.

I know a 60 can be built for my budget. But the time and effort peicing it together is not in the cards right now, plus I want the jeep back on the trail ASAP. Building a 60 could take 6months
 
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there is no real way to upgrade on the cheap.

IMHO spending 3500 on a 44 isn't smart. unless you can also get 35 spline shafts, and larger ball-joints....then again I spent almost that much on my turd, so what do I know :gee:

I think you could probably get the HP44 center you have re-tubed with your existing tubes so you can use your existing alloys, outers, steering, brakes, etc for about half what that dynatrac axle will cost you.

heck you could probably do most of it yourself, using a cut and sleeve method. that way you could turn your knuckles for good caster and set the pinion angle at the same time. then all you have to do is burn on new CA mounts.

then you can take some of that money, and put it towards building a 60. a 44 ain't that much stronger than the 30, once you have it built, you will start pushing it, and want to upgrade.
 
there is no real way to upgrade on the cheap.

IMHO spending 3500 on a 44 isn't smart. unless you can also get 35 spline shafts, and larger ball-joints....then again I spent almost that much on my turd, so what do I know :gee:

I think you could probably get the HP44 center you have re-tubed with your existing tubes so you can use your existing alloys, outers, steering, brakes, etc for about half what that dynatrac axle will cost you.

heck you could probably do most of it yourself, using a cut and sleeve method. that way you could turn your knuckles for good caster and set the pinion angle at the same time. then all you have to do is burn on new CA mounts.

then you can take some of that money, and put it towards building a 60. a 44 ain't that much stronger than the 30, once you have it built, you will start pushing it, and want to upgrade.
the 44 will likely have different sized tubes than the 30. i know the 44 i have has larger OD tubes than the 30. i was thinking of throwing my d44 c's on my 30, but i couldnt think of a decent way of reducing the d44 c's to the d30 tube diameter without getting fairly ghetto. how is it typically done when working with 2 different tube diameters? i guess he can always bore out the c's to fit, but that doesnt sound like the best plan either.
What about getting a lp d44 from a chevy, which is a dime a dozen and cutting off the tubes and sleeving them to the hpd44 tubes? then you'll have locking hubs, bigger brakes, and flat top knuckles. i dont think that would be too hard to do.
 
the 44 will likely have different sized tubes than the 30. i know the 44 i have has larger OD tubes than the 30. i was thinking of throwing my d44 c's on my 30, but i couldnt think of a decent way of reducing the d44 c's to the d30 tube diameter without getting fairly ghetto. how is it typically done when working with 2 different tube diameters? i guess he can always bore out the c's to fit, but that doesnt sound like the best plan either.
What about getting a lp d44 from a chevy, which is a dime a dozen and cutting off the tubes and sleeving them to the hpd44 tubes? then you'll have locking hubs, bigger brakes, and flat top knuckles. i dont think that would be too hard to do.

I was under the impression that the 44 had the same OD as the 30, but a slightly smaller ID because the tube thickness.

everything I have found says its a 2.75" OD just like the D30...
 
dana 30 is 2.5.

I knew I couldn't be right.......


I suppose the options are to either turn down the D44 tubes to 2.5" then sleeve the whole thing, or sleeve the D30 sections with some 1/8" and then sleeve both halves...
 
I knew I couldn't be right.......


I suppose the options are to either turn down the D44 tubes to 2.5" then sleeve the whole thing, or sleeve the D30 sections with some 1/8" and then sleeve both halves...
turning them with the c's on would be the suck. turning them without the c's...well.... just buy new tubes.
it just doesnt seem like there's a good way around having it ghettofabbed without spending more time and money on it than it's worth.
 
turning them with the c's on would be the suck. turning them without the c's...well.... just buy new tubes.
it just doesnt seem like there's a good way around having it ghettofabbed without spending more time and money on it than it's worth.

you are aware we are talking about the building of XJs right? :roflmao:
 
you are aware we are talking about the building of XJs right? :roflmao:
haha touche
i even felt guilty about spending $30 on new headliner material since my old one was falling down and gross. i know i'll never see that $30 again....
 
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