dana 44 carrier

[girraffelll]

i have a 78 f250 dana 44 hd. i want to replace the carrier but i dont want to spend too much. it has 4.10 gears. does anyone know what carriers will interchange? also where can i get a steering stabilizer kit?

[85bobbedyota]

what makes you want to replace the carrier.

[DerekW]

Any carrier that is a 4 series. So 3.90 and lower (numerically higher). That's if you want the same gears.

[girraffelll]

do you mean any carrier that is for a dana 44? i got this axle out of a junk yardand the carrier was all beat up. the ring and pinion wera all beat up too. also does anyone know where i can get one for cheap?

[positrack@earthlink.]

Yes, he means any Dana 44 carrier. It must be the correct series carrier for the gears you want to run however. The ring gear flange on the lower gear carriers is slightly closer to the pinion centerline than it is on the high gear carrier. You'll have to set up the new gears also, and that's some decent $$$ if you don't know how to do it yourself.

You ought to be able to find a stock open carrier just about anywhere for little or nothing but the gears will probably run you somewhere around $150 or so, and then you'll almost certainly need bearings, seals, and brakes which can really add up. If this is out of a 3/4 ton Ford, I assume it's a front axle we're talking about here. In that case you can also figure on U-joints, MORE bearings and seals and maybe ball joints if they're loose and sloppy. I really don't know what the going rate is to have your gears set up, but I know it is fairly expensive.

I know you said you want to do this for cheap, but if you ever plan on running a locker, NOW is the time to put one in. That way you don't have to hunt up and pay for a stock carrier and if you buy it later, you'll have to get the gears set up again even if you don't replace them. That is unless you go with one of the drop-in (spider gear replacement) lockers but they usually aren't as strong.

If this is a road truck and you will drive it in the snow I wouldn't lock the front though (unless you can afford a selectable locker and they're $$$$$!). It makes it real hard to turn and generally squirley when in 4WD plus they're hard on axle shafts. It's up to you, just my opinion.

As for the stabilizer kit, you can get them just about anywhere. You could probably order one though Autozone or O' Reillys or one of those big chain parts stores. Or you could order one from any mail order 4X place.

[DerekW]

Yes. What positrack said. You have to replace your gears and get them set up anyways so spring for the locker and be done with it.

[girraffelll]

yes i plan on putting the locker in before i get the gears set. i found a guy who will set my gears up for 250$. i am basically doing a complete rebuild. all new bearings, ball joints, and seals. i dont know how to do the steering stabilizer kit though. so what vehicles should i look for that would have the same kind of carrier that i need?