anyone know the difference in ground clearance between a front dana 44 and a dana 60. ive got a dana 44 that i was going to use but may end up going to dana 60. im only going to run 35's or 37's and i dont want the dana 60 to be a trail anchor.

I think there was some useful info in the thread that was about building up a dana 30 vs. 44 last week or the week before.

**I skimmed over the thread I was talking about, i didn't see what I thought was there but I thought I saw it on a thread where people were comparing the 30 vs 44 or 44 vs 60, could have been over on the XJ side. Anyway I think you will find that people will say 35's and a 60 is going to suck, but 37's and a 60 will be fine. 35's and a 44 will be fine, 37's and a 44 will be "pushing it". You also will hear just put a 60 in and don't think twice about it.

just put rockwells under it, they wont drag at all

35's and a 60 dont mix well. Its do-able, yes. Smart, not so much. If your EXTREMLY aware of your diff location at ALL times and can direct your vehicle around obsticles that would contact it, then ok.

Now, the step between 35-37 is a lot bigger than you think. A 44 with 35's will work great. A 44 with 37's is likely asking for trouble. However lots of guys do it. I requires a fairly heavily built axle and a good driver. But, I will say if your off camber, full lock, rippin up the rubber...somethings gonna break.

The 60 with 37's will be ok. It's gonna drag, but It wont be un-bearable. If you have the chance to score and install a 60....do it and NEVER look back.

You can also shave the 60 a touch. Not much, but it will gain you a little clearance. Good luck.

Obviously ,put in the 60 and then buy 'bigger then you can fit' tires , the most you can afford ,and borrow more money to get even bigger tires ,and then install'em , then make them fit (sawzall),you won't ever think about afterward ,except to say ,I'm so f#cking glad I did that.

I didn't notice where your at ,but this applies to mud and rock crawling ,so it doesn't matter either way.

As long as the tires stay off of the leaf springs ,your golden with the 60 .

A $1200 to $1600 60 ,that is stock, is stronger then the same amount is in a built 44.If the 60 is cheaper ,that makes bigger tires even a better plan.

I'm running a 60 in the rear with a mild shave (removed the lip), and it hangs down about 5 5/8" from the axle centerline to the bottom of the diff.

Some other relevant measurements I took when doing my builds (axle centerline to the bottom of the diff):

Dana 30 = 4 5/8"
Ford 8.8 = 5 5/8"
Dana 60 = 5 7/8" (without mild shave)

So clearance-wise in the rear, I was almost the same as with the Ford 8.8. Up front, I lost a lost about 1" of clearance going from a 30 to a 60. BUT, it matches my clearance in the rear, so it really isn't that big of a deal.

Link to my thread on staying with the 30 vs 44 (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=793328&highlight=). I have since decided to make the 30 last a little longer and build a 60.

I measured my 44 and think the centerline to diff bottom was like 5-1/2" but dont quote me on that.