well im putting full size axles under my fj40 and i know dana44s are desirable but im really not that concerned with it. that being said how hard is it to cut and turn a dana 44? i have the tools and good knowledge of what im doing. would you just do it or wait til you have actual alignment specs? im 99.9% sure im going to need it but i just dont know how much

I would just do it, it's not that hard. If you don't you'll wish you did.

On my 60 I had to cut through the tubes. I tried to grind the weld out and heat it with no luck. I could see a crack all the way around but the thing would not move. I started messing up my bearing places from beating it too hard.

I ended up just cutting through the tube. Making a sleeve for it. Grining huge bevels on both sides to be rewelded. Had to mill the bearing race opening round again.. Then just rewelded it back together. I did it right where my coilover tabs go then just made large tabs to help gusset it a little more.

Again this was on a 60 but it was very easy. Not sure why it would not work for you too.

how much would you rotate it? 1/4" or so?

1/4"???:eek: I think you're going to want to switch your thinking into degrees positive or negative. Once you've got the axle situated where you want it in terms of suspension and drivelines (and your spring perches are just tacked on at this point). Take a GOOD angle finder and determine where your caster is. Then you'll know whether it needs adjustment. Likely you will have the axle now mounted with positive caster (I think), meaning the steering axis is tipped forward towards the front of the vehicle. This will make it squirrelly as hell driving down the road. (Think of the front caster on a grocery cart, you know how they flap around back and forth.) You're going to want something around 2-4 degrees negative. (laid back sort of like the angle of the windshield). Think of a the head tube on a bicycle or motorcycle.

And all this assumes a Dana 44 is worth spending the effort on. I think it is NOT. How're you going to feel when you've spent hundreds of dollars and dozens of hours on an axle that is going to break the first time you REALLY use it? Then you'll slap yourself in the head and say, "damn, I should have gotten a 60."

like i said im not real concerned about the strength issue, as i dont make it off road much, when i do, its not extreme stuff. that being said, i know what alignment angles are and i do alignments for a living. ive just never cut and turned anything so i dont really know how much an amount is going to net me in degrees. and i allready have the axle so im going to use it

i think you should mock it up an check it out, before you spend the time doing it, didnt have to do mine an it drives great. would suck to spend the time and then figure out its to much caster.