• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Dana 34: D44 hubs & brakes on D30 Knuckle

cracker said:
more time that it is worth.....
Click to expand...

I disagree.... The only thing I paid for was the wheels and calipers/pads and spacers... Let's do the math: wheels= on a crazy sale $275; calipers and pads= $40; spacer adapter= 70. Total=385. The amount of time into it was not all that much, and if I were to do it again or had seen it done previously it would only take a couple of hours... As in one evening of work to make the parts.

I've been DDing it and wheeling it on 35's and I couldn't be happier.

I understand it's no hi9 and there are better options, but for the $ and time, just the brakes are totally worth it for me.
 
I think it comes down to how cheaply you can source parts, and how cheaply you can get the machining done. Around here, complete D44s with cast wedges can be had for $150 or cheaper. If it's in running condition, you've just bought all the parts you need for around the price of a unit bearing... All that's left is some machining.
 
dgrigorenko said:
I disagree.... The only thing I paid for was the wheels and calipers/pads and spacers... Let's do the math: wheels= on a crazy sale $275; calipers and pads= $40; spacer adapter= 70. Total=385. The amount of time into it was not all that much, and if I were to do it again or had seen it done previously it would only take a couple of hours... As in one evening of work to make the parts.

I've been DDing it and wheeling it on 35's and I couldn't be happier.

I understand it's no hi9 and there are better options, but for the $ and time, just the brakes are totally worth it for me.
Click to expand...
I believe that is cheaper than the WJ swap, depending on what steering links are necessary to make the 44 stuff work... might be wrong. Probably am.
 
wanted to PM the OP this... but his inbox is full. hopefully he chimes in... :dunno:


- are you still running stock shafts? ideally i want to run chromos, and since the 44 also uses a 297/760, there SHOULDNT be clearance issues with the BJs... but maybe you can say for sure?
- i noticed in your machining you never accounted for the width of the dust shields. are they insignificantly thin? i dont plan to run them either.
- obviously you went with spacers/adapters on the rear to match width? how close are your front and rear widths now? pictures?
Click to expand...
 
- are you still running stock shafts? ideally i want to run chromos, and since the 44 also uses a 297/760, there SHOULDNT be clearance issues with the BJs... but maybe you can say for sure?

Yes I am still running stock shafts. As seen in the pics, I merely mated the d44 stub shafts to the d30 inner shafts. No clearance issues whatsoever. the key geometry is that the centroid U-Joint is in linear alignment with the upper and lower ball joint. otherwise there will be all kinds of binding under turning.

- i noticed in your machining you never accounted for the width of the dust shields. are they insignificantly thin? i dont plan to run them either.

You are right, I never even dealt with the dust shields. I took the ones off the d30 years ago, and never had the ones for the 44.

- obviously you went with spacers/adapters on the rear to match width? how close are your front and rear widths now? pictures?

Yep spacer adapters is correct. I thought I posted a pic showing track width, but I guess not. The front ended up being 62, the rear is about a 1/2 inch wider, but its not noticeable at all. I know i shot some pics, and will try to find them and put them up.

sorry about the inbox, I am going to deal with it right now.
 
Hmm, I wonder if using Scout II Dana 44 outers would keep the track width closer to stock while keeping the nice scrub radius that Scouts have...

And before anyone whines about the Scout hubs being weak, yeah I know... this is for my MJ race car tow rig. The most extreme wheeling it needs to do is hauling a loaded race car trailer through a muddy field and hauling the wood trailer from the back of the property. The Scout brakes are more of less the same size as the Ford dual piston stuff but a single piston so it is definitely an upgrade when combined with Chevy or Ford knuckles for the high steer. Polish the turd. LOL
 
1970's Scout hubs and rotors are the same as 1970's Jeep CJ stuff. IH was all 6 bolt and CJ's did switch to 5 starting around 1980.

I ran that setup with 36" swampers and a heavy IH V8 and never messed anything up. They would be plenty strong on a Cherokee if you can make it work.
 
cracker said:
more time that it is worth.....
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate a little more cracker as to why you feel that way? Just trying to see if I'm missing something here.

To me it seems like it would be a great way to get lockout hubs on the cheap. I'm one of those people who plans on keeping their 30 as It's HP, already built, and is just fine for my 33's. IMO, it would be a waste of time/effort/$ to swap to a LP44.

As my XJ will never be a trailer queen the benefits for me would be: gaining a fuse-able link, reduced DS vibs, lower wear/tear, larger brakes, stronger hub.

Especially for those with access to milling machines, it seems like a great solution. no?
 
Re: Re: Dana 34: D44 hubs & brakes on D30 Knuckle

VAhasnoWAVES said:
youve been flippy floppy about a D44 swap.
even if youve decided on this now, the information is useful.

your D44 bible:
http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/web_rs44.html
learn it.
Click to expand...

I'll read it.
There is a 77 d44 on cl for 100(the guy hasn't texted me back though), I was going to try to talk him down some.
 
Boostwerks.com said:
Could you elaborate a little more cracker as to why you feel that way? Just trying to see if I'm missing something here.

To me it seems like it would be a great way to get lockout hubs on the cheap. I'm one of those people who plans on keeping their 30 as It's HP, already built, and is just fine for my 33's. IMO, it would be a waste of time/effort/$ to swap to a LP44.

As my XJ will never be a trailer queen the benefits for me would be: gaining a fuse-able link, reduced DS vibs, lower wear/tear, larger brakes, stronger hub.

Especially for those with access to milling machines, it seems like a great solution. no?
Click to expand...

im in the same boat. its not an amazing upgrade, but if the parts can be sourced cheap enough....

i picked up a complete D44 for a case of beer, got all the parts i needed.
got hooked up with a brand new set of hubs for, you guessed it, a case of beer...
all i need now are WJ knuckles and i can start machining, and ill be doing that myself which will again, eliminate costs.

ideally, id like to do all the things that boostwerks said, but also want to dial in a little more castor for the street without the driveline vibes. another option would be to cut/rotate the Cs i guess, but this is cooler.
 
Dana 34: D44 hubs & brakes on D30 Knuckle

The weakest part of the D30 is the balljoints. Why not just cut the whole inner C/outer C off the 44, and swap it onto the 30?


That way you stay HP, don't have to gear, and you get all the benefits of the 44 outers.
 
Re: Dana 34: D44 hubs & brakes on D30 Knuckle

It's been done by Bill Ansel (check Pirate tech section). It requires custom inner shafts which adds to the expense and PITA factor when something breaks.
 
Re: Dana 34: D44 hubs & brakes on D30 Knuckle

Root Moose said:
It's been done by Bill Ansel (check Pirate tech section). It requires custom inner shafts which adds to the expense and PITA factor when something breaks.
Click to expand...

Dale didn't use a custom inner. Go back to page 1, he put the 44 stub onto the 30 inner. Same u-joint. I didnt go back reread, but There have been many improved versions of what Bill did way back then.
 
Re: Dana 34: D44 hubs & brakes on D30 Knuckle

John D said:
Dale didn't use a custom inner. Go back to page 1, he put the 44 stub onto the 30 inner. Same u-joint. I didnt go back reread, but There have been many improved versions of what Bill did way back then.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know... My comment was directed at rockclimber RE: adding a 44 inner C on the 30 tube.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
All D30 lockers the same?
Replies
9
Views
468
RCP Phx
R
G
Crossover and High Steer (Wagoneer Dana 44) Clearance Issues?
Replies
9
Views
2K
Evan03
E
X
My brakes are crap
Replies
12
Views
3K
xjklmnop69
X
2
Dana 44 front axle question
Replies
12
Views
3K
2T2-Crash
2
T
Wheelbase adjustment issue
2
Replies
24
Views
420
RCP Phx
R
Back
Top