[Wolfhalen]

I have a complete Dana 44 (wagoneer) to swap under the Toyota, but it's gears are 2.72. I was going to use a toy housing I have and the Toyota diff, with the Dana knuckles welded on. What problems will I run into with this??

Would it be cheaper to just change the gears in the Dana 44, assuming I encounter no labor charge for the gear swap.

BTW serious modifications to that Dana 44 are needed anyway. The knuckles have to be cut off and turned after the SOA, plus the tubes will have to be swapped left to right, so I don't mind if the toy hybrid is not very easy to make. I will just run with whatever idea is cheaper.

 

[Cobb]

talk to all pro, they make an axle like this. they also have a dana 60 version. they should be able to help you out with any probs you'll have.

 

[Cobb]

talk to all pro, they make an axle like this. they also have a dana 60 version. they should be able to help you out with any probs you'll have.

 

[poppycock]

if you get the formula i know i for one i would be interested... i've been toying with idea a little too. the only thing i don't like about allpros is the width and $$$$$$. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> what if you used the toy 3rd and welded the waggy tubes to it? then you get some width out of the axle and go to the 44 shafts and knuckles. a 65" (or in your case 61"ish?) toy/44 hybrid would be saweeet! (maybe easier as well) there was guy selling a pair that he made in the for sale section a few months ago... he sent me the pics but i can't find them. he made them 70" with the toy center section. anyone else got any ideas?

 

[Wolfhalen]

poppy, yeah that was one option I had considered.

The formula I have gathered so far is that the splines are the same just a different taper. I guess that means you have to respline the axles to fit the Toyota 8". Also it mentions a special seal on All-Pro's website, I guess this is due to a different I.D. in the Toyota axle's tubes as opposed to the Dana 44.....

I was also thinking that I could take the knuckles plus the outer 1.5 inches on each side off the Dana 44 axle tubes, that way I would retain the stock dana 44 seals, and keep the width the same, so that I wouldn't have to cut and respline. I have an 87, so it's got the 58 inch rear axle, I am willing to put up with the extra 1.5 inches of width per side up front.....

I will know for sure this weekend when I dissassemble that axle, which combination of parts will work. Worst case scenario is I run the stock Dana 44 up front and leave the driveshaft off until I can afford to change the gears from 2.72 to 4.10.....

Does anyone know if you can get the Toyota diff reworked to accept stock Dana 44 axles, that way you wouldn't have to have them resplined if you ever needed to replace them?

 

[poppycock]

you could have moser make you set to your specs... that walks all over the budget with $300 sticker price though. on the up side it would probably make it an easier swap.

someone was saying in the new eliminator thread that the toy housing was the weak spot of the birfield eliminators and that's why some might be breaking... housing flex. if you just kept the least amount of the toy center you could and replaced the reast with the d44 tubes it would be a little stronger??

 

[Wolfhalen]

"you could have moser make you set to your specs... "

Yeah, but that is a little extreme just to keep a stock 4.10 Toyota diff. I could see if I had an ARB or even a Detroit in it why that would be worth it.

"toy housing was the weak spot of the birfield eliminators and that's why some might be breaking... housing flex. if you just kept the least amount of the toy center you could and replaced the rest with the d44 tubes it would be a little stronger??"

Yeah, but if I butchered the whole Toyota housing in order to weld most of the Dana 44 tubes in, I may weaken it past the point it was. I think the strength difference between the D44 housing and Toyota is the fact that the tubes are pressed into the D44 and plug welded, not a difference between the actual strength of the tubes, merely how they are attached.

I was planning on adding a full truss to this axle anyway, it is an 83 Toyota housing I believe, not 84-85.

[ 10-12-2001: Message edited by: Wolfhalen ]

 

[0ILBURNER]

Avoiding the Dana center section would be worth the effort IMHO. You would get a housing you can weld onto, no diff plate to mess with, and you gain ground clearance too. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

 

[Wolfhalen]

"Avoiding the Dana center section would be worth the effort IMHO. You would get a housing you can weld onto, no diff plate to mess with, and you gain ground clearance too"

Good point, but how much effort are we talking???

 

[DRM]

Seems simple to me...

Toyota housings use a pressed in knuckle assembly that is then welded. Grind down the weld, then press the knuckle out (similar to Scott Wislon's 4x4Wire article on rotating the knuckles).

Then, you cut the knuckles off a 44 housing.

All that is left is to find some way to adapt the 44 knuckle and tupe piece to the tupe opening of the Toy housing. Some sort of adapter tube would probably work there...

 

[SeaBass44]

justy go get a flat top knuckle D44 to start with $150, 410 or up gears $150, narrow to your specs[free]high steer $0 to $500 you are done, less then $1k

 

[DRM]

Originally posted by SeaBass44:
<STRONG>justy go get a flat top knuckle D44 to start with $150, 410 or up gears $150, narrow to your specs[free]high steer $0 to $500 you are done, less then $1k</STRONG>

Or pay $250 for a complete Jeep J20 truck with a 60 rear, 44 front w/ flat tops, 6.23:1 first gear T18 too <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

BTW - "high steer" is not *necessary* for a 44, save some money by not going that route...

 

[poppycock]

my theory on the pricing is i already have toys setup with 5.29s and detroits... i'd have to sell them and redo it all in a 44... or i could just reuse them with the rest of a 44.

 

[OOP'S]

Originally posted by Cobb:
<STRONG>talk to all pro, they make an axle like this. they also have a dana 60 version. they should be able to help you out with any probs you'll have.</STRONG>

AP does not make them, They are built for AP by Currie. <IMG SRC="smilies/usa.gif" border="0">

 

[Wolfhalen]

"just go get a flat top knuckle D44 to start with $150, 410 or up gears $150, narrow to your specs[free]high steer $0 to $500 you are done, less then $1k"

Why would I want to buy another complete Dana 44 and THEN change the gears when I already have one that I can change to 4.10's if I wanted, plus I got this one for free??

What I really want to know is if special inner seals are required when using the D44 inners in my Toyota housing....

 

[OOP'S]

Originally posted by Wolfhalen:
<STRONG>"
What I really want to know is if special inner seals are required when using the D44 inners in my Toyota housing....</STRONG>

Something has to hold the gear oil in there.

 

[Wolfhalen]

"Something has to hold the gear oil in there."

Ok, where might I get one of these seals??

 

[SeaBass44]

Originally posted by Wolfhalen:
[QB]"

Why would I want to buy another complete Dana 44 and THEN change the gears when I already have one that I can change to 4.10's if I wanted, plus I got this one for free??

QB]

WHY? Because you said it needs all that work, tub swapping ect, start with the right shit and save the hassles <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

 

[camo]

Originally posted by Wolfhalen:
<STRONG>"Something has to hold the gear oil in there."

Ok, where might I get one of these seals??</STRONG>

after looking at the allpro housing in person i can tell you that besides getting you geometry correct and tubes welded on straight that making the axle seal will be your biggest challenge

 

[NoBrainR]

Originally posted by poppyseed:
<STRONG>my theory on the pricing is i already have toys setup with 5.29s and detroits... i'd have to sell them and redo it all in a 44... or i could just reuse them with the rest of a 44.</STRONG>

Getting rid of 5.29's with Detriot's wouldn't be hard around here. Unless your really in to building your own hybrid.