So, I'm a new guy, obviously.

My Bronco has a Dana 44 up front. An 8.8 in the ass. Any weak or strong points in the axles?

Also, The 8.8 had 3.73s in it, Could I get better millage by say switching to 4.56s?

dont expect to run anything bigger then 35's on those axles.


as for the fgearing it depends what size tire you use. running 235's on 4.56's will kill mileage on the highway

I'm running 33" MT Baja's. Its more a a desert truck than a hard core rack crawler. But I would like to know how hard I can push the truck.

More info will get better answers. What year is the Bronco? What is your intended tire size? What exactly are your plans and wheeling habbits?

3.73 will get better highway mileage with 33's. 4.56 will be better for crawling in 4LO.
You can run 37's without issue especially on the 8.8. May want stonger u-joints on the D44 for 37's.

Its a Full size '93, Stock 302, Stock Tans and T-case, Rancho 6" Lift, Rancho RS 9000s in the rear. I intend on keeping with the 33"s.

I will be using to truck mostly as a daily driver and chase truck. Most of the wheeling will be and open desert and sand washes. Occasionally I will do some more difficult things. Not planning on running the hammer trails, but I might get thrown into a situation where I have to test the capabilities of the truck.

Thanks.

I dont see you running into to many problems with 33's. Those axles are fine for your 33's. 35 is as big as Id go.

As for gearing, Id say 4.56. If not at least 4.10/11.

I dont think 33's and a stock drivetrain could twist a tube honestly but it wouldnt hurt to weld the diff to the tubes. There only held in by 3 press pins and it is not uncommon to twist a tube. Things get nasty after that.

Also the 8.8 is a c-clip. If you break a shaft then the tire (and shaft) will part ways from the vehicle. But again I dont think 33's would cause much concern for this.

D44 is ok...watch out bangin the diff. Makes for a nice leak every time. Wouldnt hurt to ugrade u-joints. Id replace ball joints while at it too.

You can get a super 88 kit with new shafts and a c-clip eliminator setup for around $500. The "experts" say that's good for 37's and a heavy right foot.

The stock 8.8" differential carrier is a known weak spot.
If you swap in a Detroit Locker or other full-carrier locker, and weld the tubes to the chunk like GreatWhiteXJ mentions, there isn't too much else to worry about with this axle. The 31 spline shafts are pretty sturdy.

For the front D44, swap out the stock axle u-joints for Spicer 5-760x joints, and mod the yokes to fit full-round snapring retainers (or alternatively you can tack-weld the caps to the yokes). Some guys also swap to the larger D50 center shaft & joint. These together will go a long way in reducing any potential failures of the axle shafts.

Since that truck should have an overdrive transmission, I would recommend going with the 4.56 gears with 33" tires. 3.73s are likely going to lug the 302 enough you won't see any MPG improvement.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=719978&highlight=

beat95yj did a bunch of stuff with an 8.8 in a full size ford. Search the desert forum.

All in all. A pretty damm good axle