Topic: Cheap and burly axles

[Shniz-Yota]

Ok, I need some feedback here.  Assuming the D60 fairy doesn't pay you a visit anytime soon and your looking to go full width on a light truck (Toy/sami/jeep) and you still want to take your girl out someplace other than Mickey D's. You could (this is you filling in the blank)


I was thinking 44 w/ u-joint/axle upgrade???
What have you done or think would be an inexpensive choice.

[Brandon]

yep - go 44 and if you break get alloy shafts and ctms

you can get a wagoneer 44 from the PnP for a couple hundred then just figure out steering. They are only 60" wide, 2" wider than an IFS rear axle.

I chose to get a ford 44, but because the diff is on the wrong side I cut down the long side and retubed the short, used a wagoneer long side and a dodge short to get 62" but you can get anywhere from 58-69"....

Only prob with the wagoneer 44 is they are sprund under. Probably best to get a chevy and cut down one side - cutting it down is actually really easy...

[Shniz-Yota [OP]]

I was thinking about going with a wagoneer 44 but now I'm not sure...  So your saying that the chevy 44 would be a better choice huh.  And on the chevy you just cut down the long side, re-tubed it and had the axle re-splined or what?   And what about the Diff?  Does it line up ok w/ the x-fer case?  And you got CTM joints (realy fawking expensive but not one has broken)  Have you broken anything on yours yet?  Did you go chromoly?  So you have Toy rear - what ratio are you running?

[Brandon]

I have a dana60 rear with 9" outers and disk brakes, 35 spline moser shafts and a spool

No, you are making the front too much work. No need to retube, just cut the tube (chop, saw, grinder, hack saw, whatever), then cut the weld off of the knuckle on the piece you cut off and beat the tube out of it (I did it with a sawzall). Then beat the end back on the cut off tube and weld it on - total cost - $0

For the shaft just go to the pnp and get a wagoneer shaft for the long side, cost about $20 - $30

I got stock shafts and I carry spares, haven't done enough wheeling to break but the last guy that tried to follow me did bust a birf