What is your front axle?

[flash_gordon]

i will soon be running a D30HP with 4.56 gears, warn hub kit, alloys inners and a t-locker with 35s. Still way less then doing a HP44 new. Sould be all done in a few weeks!

 

[HTeK]

i will soon be running a D30HP with 4.56 gears, warn hub kit, alloys inners and a t-locker with 35s. Still way less then doing a HP44 new. Sould be all done in a few weeks!

How do you figure? You must be getting some fantastic prices... The hub kit alone is ~850 (priced from porc). Add to that alloy inners and a selectable locker - how can that not be close to $1500?

-jm

 

[Rock Yacht]

HPD40 here, yes you read that right. At least that's what I call it. It's still under the knife but will run with a D44 anyday when done with a lot less weight and more ground clearance.
D44 knuckles, brakes and shafts with HPD30 center.
Watch for a write up on it comming soon.

 

[flash_gordon]

Well,,around $3500 for a HP44 from Currie to bolt in, could probably get it down to $3000. I just spent $2500 to build my D30HP including new rims and 35 inch BFG mud tires. To me thats way less. Yes I could go with a waggy axle, but I want HP, not LP. I could get a ford HP44, but then I have to run full width or get it cut down, I don't want to deal with all that trouble. My D30HP will bolt right in, all I have to do is put it together. So, thats how I figure. Everyone has an idea what is better, this is what worked best for me.
Shawn

 

[CanMan]

HPD40 here, yes you read that right. At least that's what I call it. It's still under the knife but will run with a D44 anyday when done with a lot less weight and more ground clearance.
D44 knuckles, brakes and shafts with HPD30 center.
Watch for a write up on it comming soon.

When I first started reading, I thought you were talking about one of these.

http://www.dana.com/technology/tuned40.shtm

 

[Goatman]

Running mostly in Virginia, so Non western rocky terrain. The mountains have mostly slick (as in wet with moss, leaves, and the like) rocks, mud, sand, street. Pretty much it.

A HPD30 with chromo shafts and good aftermarket axle u-joints will hold up well to what you'll be doing. There are plenty of people running D30's fairly hard with 35's, even in the rocks, when equiped with chromo shafts and good u-joints.

I have an F150 HP44 cut down to late model Waggy width, Warn chromo shafts, CTM's, and flat top knuckles with high steer arms. When I ran 35's it was absolutely bulletproof. Running it sort of hard in the rocks with 37's I've broken it a few times.

 

[Rock Yacht]

Holy Cow! no no no. I said lighter, not an axle that weighs more than the XJ haha. Hmmmm might work in the back of the dually though...

When I first started reading, I thought you were talking about one of these.

http://www.dana.com/technology/tuned40.shtm

 

[Bent]

Currie HP 9", Warn 31 spline alloy shafts, ARB and 4:88 gears to spin my 33s.

 

[VegasAnthony]

I have been on this subject for a while ...Im gonna build my thirty with Yukon chromos and OX joints on 35's for a t least one season.. when and if I start to bust stuff on it then..I ll start the D44 build up and sell what s left of the pimped out 30 and come out of pocket for what I need ..IMO D30 quality parts have a good resale value on EBAy.....

If and when I built the D44 Ill go with chromos and JE Reel joints ..
and a electrac if its available..
on a Ford HP Im jsut gonna have one retubed ..the 78 ?? years for the tube with that C section not cast is becoming nearly impossibe to find..

just take my time with it and spread the cost over a period of a couple motnhs atleast

Im figure ing a total of about $2200

my 2 cents

 

[BRIANHO13]

I have been on this subject for a while ...Im gonna build my thirty with Yukon chromos and OX joints on 35's for a t least one season.. when and if I start to bust stuff on it then..I ll start the D44 build up and sell what s left of the pimped out 30 and come out of pocket for what I need ..IMO D30 quality parts have a good resale value on EBAy.....

If and when I built the D44 Ill go with chromos and JE Reel joints ..
and a electrac if its available..
on a Ford HP Im jsut gonna have one retubed ..the 78 ?? years for the tube with that C section not cast is becoming nearly impossibe to find..

just take my time with it and spread the cost over a period of a couple motnhs atleast

Im figure ing a total of about $2200

my 2 cents

Contour your mounts to the cast C's weld to them, if you do it right they will hold up fine.

 

[VegasAnthony]

I dont why I never thoiught about that..but I still will have to weld to cast metal right??

yoiurs looks good to me..nice work hoto:

 

[XTrmXJ]

Ive spent 2k right now on my F9 and Histeer D44, 5.13 gears and the D44 is spooled, complete rebuild, hi steer arms and beef steering links tie rods and all the bracketry, of course Im doing eevrything my self so that cuts down the cost alot

 

[cLAYH]

I dont why I never thoiught about that..but I still will have to weld to cast metal right??

yoiurs looks good to me..nice work hoto:

Nothing wrong with that as long as its done right, WAY easier than building a bridge.

 

[88XJScott]

There's a lot of guys running full-width 44's cut down to waggy width... Personally, I think the extra money/effort put into cutting down an HP44 is not worth it....

I'm running a LP waggy 44 with 5.13's, detroit locker, stock shafts, for now, so I only got about $800 tied up in my front axle, cause you can basically get the housing for just about nothing, if you try...

 

[Jeepin Jason]

... of course Im doing everything my self so that cuts down the cost alot

That right there is the key to making a D44 cost effective over building a D30. If you've got the time, skills, equipment, and desire to build a D44, go for it. Some of us still aren't at that point, so a good D44 front end with all the bells and whistles is still a $3,000-$4,000+ proposition.

I've got an TJ D30 w/4.56's, ARB, Warn small hub kit w/alloy inners, and crossover steering (ORO U-Turn kit) and I'm into it for about $1500 total (got some smoking deals on some of the parts). That's close to a 1/3rd what I paid for my old D44 front end (I got jacked on that deal, live and learn I guess). :doh:

 

[Goatman]

There's a lot of guys running full-width 44's cut down to waggy width... Personally, I think the extra money/effort put into cutting down an HP44 is not worth it....

Well, for me, and most of us, I was going to run chromo shafts and CTM's anyway. I see no point whatsoever to upgrade to a D44 and then run stock Spicer axle shafts. There is no strength upgrade from a D30 to a D44 with stock shafts, since the u-joints and axle yokes are the same and that's what breaks. Since I was going to get chromo shafts, there was no extra cost to cut down the housing, just the time it took me to do it. If you have access to a welder and a cutoff saw, it's really a simple procedure to narrow a D44 front housing.

 

[cLAYH]

I'm still running stock shafts, haven't broken one yet. But then I had an older D30 unit with the smaller u-joints and never broke one either.

My problem with the D30 and the reason for upgrading wasn't the shafts at all. It was(in order):

1)UNIT BEARINGS SUCK! I had to replace atleast one a year running 31" tires.
2)Bolt pattern choice. I was upgrading my rear diff and I needed something that could support an 8 bolt pattern.
3)Gear choice, I wanted to go lower than 4.88(I'll be installing 5.38s this spring)
4)Brakes, wanted(needed) more braking for the 36" IROKS

Not including the gears I'm putting in this spring my D44 will have cost me about $500. I had a lot of parts already kicking around, some my major costs were buying a Waggy housing($50), some metal for mounts($50), and then all the little stuff that adds up, u-joints, ball joints, tie rods, seals, bearings, oil, brakes, rotors, etc. I did all the work myself and so saved big $$$. A hub kit for the D30 would have cost me $800.