A local rodder was kind enough to give me a Dana 44 rear end he didn't have plans for. Its and open diff, complete drum to drum and 61" wheel surface to wheel surface. We have decided to run a parallel leaf reaf, this "freebie" had some lowering blocks installed some years ago. I believe the ratio is 4:10 which will need to be changed. I hope to use it in my dads 33 pickup. I'll have to do some additional setup/measuring to be sure it will fit, possbily require a set of wider rear fenders fiberglass fenders which isn't a real problem since we don't have any rear fenders yet. I suppose each one of us had run into this question - will it cost more ca$h & hassle to use a "freebie" than buy something different. Any opinions one way or the other, any recommendations? Thanks
I run one under most of my projects, its a good strong rear axle and very easy to get new/used, stock or upgrade parts for.
Changing the ratios will cost. You'll need a new carrier to go below (I think) 3.73, aside from a new set of gears. Setup is important and with changing all those pieces will cost some bucks, too. Sounds like the right width, is the bolt circle OK? Sucks to have two different patterns.
3.73's would be ok. I plan to re-drill the axles if we use it, a couple local shops do that for pretty cheap.
That is one of the least expensive diffs to build. With 30 spline axles stock (some were 19 spline but it's a easy swap to 30) its strong enough for most street and mild offroad applications. You mentioned a regear. If you go numerically lower, you will have to change the carrier because of the split of 3.92 and down and 4.10 and up. little stuff. It uses a set 10 wheel bearing which is available at most if not all part stores. Gear sets and install kits are cheap too. At roughly $100-175 each, it's a cheap build. Whats that out of? Early Scout? I have alot of parts for those since I build them regularly for Jeep, Scout and Chevy guys. Changing bolt pattern is inexpensive too. At only $75 pair to have a local machine shop do it, its cost effictive.
Difficult or costly to change the carrier? While I generally know how a rear end works, my limited knowledge of mfr differences end with the c-clips and dropouts. I've done some research however most of the internet stuff is written for the 4x4 crowd and buildging bullet proof limit slip setups. I only want a working rear to get this project in my dads hands. If he wants to save up for a currie or something else that can be his later deal.
Not really anymore expensive than any other rear. There are a lot of parts for them. They're also the center section on the Jag rears as well. Which is how I know the 4x4 guys love the limited slips... They are strong and reliable as long as you're not making silly power...
A (possibly) helpful link: http://www.ringpinion.com/DiffDetai...ake&MakeID=16&ModelID=430&Side=Rear&DiffID=15 An open carrier will run about $65 or so new; if you want limited slip, you can do a couple of things. For my Scout, I used a new actual Dana brand open carrier and a Powertrax unit that was about $190 at the time; for a complete rebuild with the carrier, Powertrax, 4.09 gears, and all new bearings, etc. the total was about $500. (x2 with that pesky 4WD ). So far so good; although I am not putting a ton of power through them, they do get typical 4x4 abuse. I like the Dana 44s quite a bit for mild to moderate applications. Keep in mind that they are a bit more difficult to set up simply because they are a Salisbury-type differential (like the 10 bolt, 12 bolt, & 8.8 Ford), but you get used to it. A case spreader is a nice tool, but some clever thought can save you the $$.
According to Yukon Gear's website, the split is as Bad Jonny says; 3.73 and lower need a different carrier than 3.92 and up. If a 3.92 would work, there are plenty of 3.92 Dana 41's (essentially the same) out of Bonus Built ('48 - '52) Ford pickups being yanked to put in a 9" with 3.50's. Offhand it doesn't seem worth it just to drop from 4.10 to 3.92, you probably want 3.50 or lower if you are wanting to cruise.
IIRC, the break in D44 carriers is 3.73 and up, 3.90 and down. As much as I like the D44, you are probably making problems for yourself trying to be H.A.M.B. cheap. In the pick'n pull, you'll be able to find a Ford 8.8" the correct width with posi, your choice of ratio and disc brakes ready to run for less than you can begin to build a D44 from scratch.
I am running a Dana 44 in my '51 F-1 that is out of a mid 60's Scout. I swapped the 3.73 gears for 3.08 units and left the posi lock spool alone. It has never let me down, and takes all the power my little 351W can through at it. The Scout units are also fairly narrow, so they fit well under A's and T's.
The d-44 was standard in most v-8 Studebakers for years, a lot of them had posi. Both tapered axle and flange axle versions. No problems yet with mine. Jim
The Dana 44 was standard in 1951 to 1956 Ford 1/2 ton pickups Most guys with those rears swap them out for a 9 inch Ford. ( that is what most likely happened to the one you have ) Some one installed a 9 inch. I would not even consider using one unless it was going back under whatever came with one originally. Free is NOT always the cheapest ... Go ahead and get yourself a 9 inch Ford ... plus @ 61 inches wide ... that's about too wide for a 33 pickup ( IMHO ).
You called it, the previous owner pulled this out of his 56 big window and installed a brand new currie. After reviewing the posts, the cost to change to a suitable ratio, etc.. I'm just going to stash this in the ready rack for a future project and search for suitable (cheap) Ford 8" or 9". Its hard to pass up "Free" since it always seems to fit my price range. Thanks for the help guys.
Those rear ends are still used in Jeeps, and a derivative is used in the Viper and the last front-trans Corvette. EVERYTHING is available for them. I got a limited slip dif from a Jeep off Ebay... rock crawlers want 4-series carriers, and will often sell their 3-series carriers (I'm running a 3.42 gear). Dana Spicer still sells gears for them, which are better than aftermarket gears. One thing you need to check is the plug welds that hold the tubes into the center section. From your photos, it looked like one might have cracked... all of them failed on the original Dana 44 in my '62 Suburban, causing the tube to wallow around in the center housing. Bad things happened. I like them, and will put one under my '54 Buick when I get that far. -Brad
Got one out of a mid '60s IHC pickup. 3.50:1 ratio. 5 1/2 bolt circle. Too wide for most pre-'49 stuff ( I'm thinking 61" flange to flange)
Just an FYI.....all '75 and up, four wheel drive, I.H. Scout II's had Dana 44's front and rear, and had a limited slip diff in the rear. Find one in a boneyard, and you could have a score on your hands. Roger
The early Scout 800's also had 44's in the rear, not all were limited slip though. I have 2 units out '67 Scout 800's. The limited slip unit is in my '51 F-1, and the standard is under the bench waiting for a home. GTS225 is correct, they can normally be had very cheaply, I picked both up for $50.
They're also in the fronts of most any Jeep (old or new) including wagoneers and Cherokee Cheifs, and the fronts of 4x4 Bronkos up through the '80s at least. The Dana 44 is the longest running production rear end, and has been in everything from Studebakers to Checker cabs to Postal Jeeps to GMC trucks to Corvettes and Vipers. -Brad
They were in the rear of early Broncos, before they started using the Nine inch in the rear...so they moved the 44 to the front.
Some where. The 2 I found were 3.30 for the open dif and 4.11 for the limited slip. The nice part is that gear sets for Dana 44's are readily available. I put new set of 3.08's in the limited slip, and am very happy with it. Difference between the 4 and 8 cylinder Scouts I suppose.
Many of the '70s Scout D44s were either 3.08 or 3.54. Most of the '60s Dana 44s were much lower, like yours.
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