Let's build the Ultimate Dana 44 front axle.

[fatwreck]

Except that HP housings are getting a little more pricey and a little bit harder to come by. Also, you don't have to cut down the waggy 44's. This is nice for the folks that don't have the ability or courage to do this sort of work.

That is exactly why I went with the LP waggy 44 option. Now that I have more experience, I'm not sure if I would have done the same thing again or not. I do know that I probably would have taken the time to cut the knuckles, turn, and reweld them for a better pinion angle....but it doesn't really matter with my 6" lift and the locking hubs.

Mine ended up being as close to bolt in as possible. I built it up using the measurements from the 30 to locate the control arm mounts, trackbar mount, and coil buckets. I then took the 30 out....sold it....and put the 44 in. My friends and I were able to bolt the 44 up in a little over and hour. Very cool.

I have more stuff about it written on my site here:
http://www.projectxj.com/mods/dana44.htm

 

[Nay]

I'm the loser with the D44 that meets your "swap from Jeep to Jeep" criteria. It's a high pinion Ford at stock width (3.75" BS rims). RE TJ brackets, high steer knuckles, trackbar mount raised to level with draglink, standard hi-steer crossover steering using TRE's, Warn hubs 5 on 5.5, rotated knuckles for 4 degrees of caster (I love the slightly lower caster with radius arms). Warn inners, spicer outers (fuse concept - will be changing this). This was 3 years ago.

I have 8" of lift, about 13 degrees of pinion angle, and I can drive in full time 4wd at 70 mph vibration free (the pig is just amazing in the snow). This is about as "factory" as you can get while still having the good stuff. As long as you took my trackbar, this would be bolt-on with no additional mods except reaming the pitman arm for the larger TRE and drilling out the trackbar bracket for the heim. Hook up any control arms you want. Minimum lift is about 5.5" (for oilpan clearance).

Today I would get the exact same axle, but add about 1.5" of width (same for the rear of course, although stock width with 3.75" BS rims works really well). I'd be building the suspension and bracketry from scratch. I'd use aftermarket hi-steer arms with heims in the steering. One of these days I'll probably rework it, since the basics are in place. For now I just need a limiting strap.

So my D44 is a really beefy D30 replacement that can handle the road miles (and this was exactly what I wanted at the time) and grab a few more rocks on the trail (it's not shaved). It *is* the ultimate D44 front end for those who haven't yet thought outside of the factory suspension parameters, which I hadn't when I built it. These days, you'd be much better off spending your money in ways that totally disregard Jeep to Jeep swaps.

Nay

 

[ZachMan]

'78 F150 HP D44

Hysteer
Warn hubs
Warn shafts
4.10s
lock right
OX u-joints

on my best friends 5.3L Vortech powered 1989 YJ running 37x13.00 Boggers. 1 1/2 years zero problems and zero breaks. In fact now that my friends gone to D60s he has had alot of problems running 42" TSLs. His brother also used the same setup on his CJ powered by a Chevy 350, he is now on Rockwells with zero problems. I don't think an XJ with stock power would have a problem if these guys don't.

Here it is now so yeah it gets used:

 

[CRASH]

Are you suggesting 4.10 gears and a Lock-Right for an "Ultimate" buildup? :huh:

CRASH

 

[Redcbr007]

I would have to dissagree w/ the over rated part. Its not so much of a strength issue....I would have gone w/ a low pinion, but with the driveshaft being so short & wheelbase not helping, the driveshaft gets too much angle (taller lifts). Thats why I chose a HP, you cant complain about the added bonus (strength of the ring/pinion on the forward rotation either )

Patrick

D44 HP = Over rated!
Have any of you ever brake a LP D44? No...

 

[Jes]

A high pinnion also helps keep the driveshaft up out of the rocks, helpfull when you get into positions like this...

(CRASH on Backdoor 4/03)

Jes

 

[BrettM]

i broke a LP d44 this past new years on lower 2 at tellico. granted i did a 3 ft wheelstand with the drivers side tire and came down spinning, but it let go right where the shaft necks down before the splines. i built mine on as much of a budget as i could, being a broke college student a couple of years ago.

ps - that was after 5-6 GOOD trips to tellico, aka hammering it on all the harder stuff there.

you broke a shaft, or you broke the gear-set? if it was the gears, what ratio?

 

[Redcbr007]

you broke a shaft, or you broke the gear-set? if it was the gears, what ratio?

I think he said "it let go right where the shaft necks down before the splines"...


-Red

 

[Safari Ary]

Richard, do you experience a "dead spot" in your steering because of the way you have tied the draglink into the tie-rod? I just finished setting up the steering on a friend's WJ with the 85 Blazer TREs that uses the hole in the TRE to tie-in the draglink(like Andy's a few posts up), and he's got a noticeable deadspot from the tie-rod's TREs rotating under load. Just wondering if you experience the same condition and if there's anything to do about it besides a true cross-over steering. Thanks

Ary

 

[BrettM]

I think he said "it let go right where the shaft necks down before the splines"...


-Red

yes, it sounded like he broke a shaft, but he said "I broke a LP d44", why mention that it was a LP if you only broke a shaft? it makes it sound like he broke a gear-set

 

[fatwreck]

A high pinnion also helps keep the driveshaft up out of the rocks, helpfull when you get into positions like this...

(CRASH on Backdoor 4/03)

Jes

That's almost the exact same steering setup that I'm using on my 44 and I'm getting some rotation out of the tie rod from the draglink pushing on it when on turn.....is there anyway to avoid this at all?

 

[CRASH]

A high pinnion also helps keep the driveshaft up out of the rocks, helpfull when you get into positions like this...

(CRASH on Backdoor 4/03)

Jes

This photo was used without my permission. I'm calling my attorney.

I get very little rotation when turning on level ground, but it does rotate a little in the rocks. My drag link and track bar are pretty flat when sitting on level ground, so there is only a small vertical load on the joint:

CRASH

 

[motorman]

Ultimate Dana 44 front axle..width? Dana 44 vs 9 in rear?

Well, since my D30 gave up this winter I decided to spend my time and efforts on a D44 buildup vs putting similar monies back in to the D30. Started down the EB 44 route but found a '77 F150 with a HP44 so now I am going to narrow that.(My experience on finding an HP was just following up on every lead you get. Truck ended up being at a yard 3 miles from where I work.....sometimes you just get lucky).

Q1: For those of you that have narrowed full width HP axels, what have you narrowed to?

Popular route seems to be to narrow to a waggy width so the shafts aren't a custom length. From what I have read this puts the drive shaft and pumkin in a good location similar to the D30. I am at 6" of lift and not interested in going a lot higher right now(one of the reasons I didn't stick with EB setup(other than LP vs HP) was the fact that the pumpkin being more centered required more lift to avoid oil pan/exhaust issues....sorry FarmerMatt).

Q2: XJ Dana 44 rear vs Ford 9 inch?

Also am having the debate with myself on the rear. I have the full width Ford 9 inch from the F150, plus an EB 9 inch housing. I can swap the 31 spline 3rd member from the full width over to the EB housing, put in alloy shafts and not have to change anything on brakes to go to 5x5.5. If I stay with the XJ D44 I have in the truck now I will need to either get adaptors to go to 5x5.5 or get new shafts and drill my drums. Opinions on which route to go would be appreciated. I see advantages both ways, thus the debate.

 

[BrettM]

Re: Ultimate Dana 44 front axle..width? Dana 44 vs 9 in rear?

Well, since my D30 gave up this winter I decided to spend my time and efforts on a D44 buildup vs putting similar monies back in to the D30. Started down the EB 44 route but found a '77 F150 with a HP44 so now I am going to narrow that.(My experience on finding an HP was just following up on every lead you get. Truck ended up being at a yard 3 miles from where I work.....sometimes you just get lucky).

Q1: For those of you that have narrowed full width HP axels, what have you narrowed to?

Popular route seems to be to narrow to a waggy width so the shafts aren't a custom length. From what I have read this puts the drive shaft and pumkin in a good location similar to the D30. I am at 6" of lift and not interested in going a lot higher right now(one of the reasons I didn't stick with EB setup(other than LP vs HP) was the fact that the pumpkin being more centered required more lift to avoid oil pan/exhaust issues....sorry FarmerMatt).

Q2: XJ Dana 44 rear vs Ford 9 inch?

Also am having the debate with myself on the rear. I have the full width Ford 9 inch from the F150, plus an EB 9 inch housing. I can swap the 31 spline 3rd member from the full width over to the EB housing, put in alloy shafts and not have to change anything on brakes to go to 5x5.5. If I stay with the XJ D44 I have in the truck now I will need to either get adaptors to go to 5x5.5 or get new shafts and drill my drums. Opinions on which route to go would be appreciated. I see advantages both ways, thus the debate.

narrow it to Waggy length to be able to have junkyard shafts and off-the-shelf Warn shafts available

run the 9" unless you've already put gears and locker in the XJ d44

 

[Goatman]

Richard, do you experience a "dead spot" in your steering because of the way you have tied the draglink into the tie-rod? I just finished setting up the steering on a friend's WJ with the 85 Blazer TREs that uses the hole in the TRE to tie-in the draglink(like Andy's a few posts up), and he's got a noticeable deadspot from the tie-rod's TREs rotating under load. Just wondering if you experience the same condition and if there's anything to do about it besides a true cross-over steering. Thanks

Ary

No, I don't have any dead spot. I do have a slight tap/clunk if I don't keep the drag link centered over the top of the tie rod in the direction of the push/pull. I also off set the heim joints on the tie rod so the tie rod can't pivot much, but this is precautionary. I don't have a dead spot even if I don't do that.

My take on the subject is twofold. One is that you don't want much angle on the drag link, so it pushes mostly sideways. The other is that even if there is some sideways movement (rotation of the tie rod) with a nearly flat drag link the amount of steering wheel movement to overcome the rotation is very slight and should be virtually unnoticeable. I think having the drag link mounted on top of the tie rod, rather than on the side, helps this whole scenario to some degree. Since there is always some angle on the drag link it's better to push down a little on the tie rod from the top rather than from the side.....from the side guarantees rotation before the tie rod moves. However, the heim joints/tie rod ends can be offset to eliminate most of the rotation, so it's still not much of a problem. With the tie rod going knuckle to knuckle there is very little misalignment required of the joint at the knuckle when turning, just the amount that the knuckle causes, so it doesn't hurt to offset the joints some.

Anyway, I don't have any deadspot. Once, I tried a YJ steering linkage, and I got rid of it fast because of the big deadspot it had.

 

[Goatman]

Re: Ultimate Dana 44 front axle..width? Dana 44 vs 9 in rear?

Q1: For those of you that have narrowed full width HP axels, what have you narrowed to?

Popular route seems to be to narrow to a waggy width so the shafts aren't a custom length. From what I have read this puts the drive shaft and pumkin in a good location similar to the D30. I am at 6" of lift and not interested in going a lot higher right now(one of the reasons I didn't stick with EB setup(other than LP vs HP) was the fact that the pumpkin being more centered required more lift to avoid oil pan/exhaust issues....sorry FarmerMatt).

Q2: XJ Dana 44 rear vs Ford 9 inch?

Also am having the debate with myself on the rear. I have the full width Ford 9 inch from the F150, plus an EB 9 inch housing. I can swap the 31 spline 3rd member from the full width over to the EB housing, put in alloy shafts and not have to change anything on brakes to go to 5x5.5. If I stay with the XJ D44 I have in the truck now I will need to either get adaptors to go to 5x5.5 or get new shafts and drill my drums. Opinions on which route to go would be appreciated. I see advantages both ways, thus the debate.

Mine is narrowed to the width of later model waggy...80-84....and it clears everything very well. It's 61.5" wide, which is 3/4-1" wider than stock XJ. To calculate how much to remove from the tubes on each side, I took the difference in axle length specs from the waggy to the XJ, and thats how much I shortened each side.....pretty simple.

Between the D44 and the 9", that's a tough call. What tire size are you going to run? There's not much difference in axle shaft strength between 30 and 31 splines, not enough to sway you one way or the other anyway. If you're going to get alloy axles, going to 5 on 5.5 is easy on the D44, so no real advantage there to the 9", only thing you'd save is having the drums drilled. Are the brakes on the 9" bigger than the D44, like maybe 11" vs 10"? That could be a slight advantage for the 9".

The 9" pinion is lower than the D44, but I don't remember how much. Any advantage here would depend on the tire size you're running, bigger tires and I wouldn't worry about the pinion height over more strength. Running 35's, I'd say stick with the D44. Running 37's or larger, I'd say go to the 9" for the stronger gears and very slightly stronger shafts.