what to look for in a front waggy dana44

[XJHERO]

Im going to pick one up tonight
I dont know much about these diffs any pointers would be nice.

[SwampSinger]

Im going to pick one up tonight
I dont know much about these diffs any pointers would be nice.

The ones made out of metal are nice...

no PVC...

make sure to hit it with a hammer .... to get alll the squirrels out....


good luck

[Gearhead]

Avoid the vacuum disconnect versions , go with mid 80's.

It's gonna be a six lug ( Chev , Toyota ) , not too difficult to convert.  Aftermarket support is there for alloy shafts ( Warn , etc. )

Bonus with this conversion is bigger brakes , larger tie rod & drag link , 30 spline shafts which are larger and stronger than in a Dana 30 , servicable wheel bearings , bolt on locking hubs    etc , etc.

Dana 44's have been made for a very long time and used in a wide variety of vehicles so aftermarket support is a mouse click away.

A waggy rear axle would compliment this , easy install , much of the above applies , with the exception of axle shaft availability. Disc brake conversion on the rear is cheap and easy.   Doing both ends solves the six lug wheel issue.


If you decide , your not man enough to handle the conversion , I'll buy it from you , this is that $100 one right ?

[frenchy]

Make sure it's straight.

Some people hit them with hammers looking for squirrels when they run out of bacon   

[XJHERO]

Avoid the vacuum disconnect versions , go with mid 80's & up versions.

It's gonna be a six lug ( Chev , Toyota ) , not too difficult to convert.  Aftermarket support is there for alloy shafts ( Warn , etc. )

Bonus with this conversion is bigger brakes , larger tie rod & drag link , 30 spline shafts which are larger and stronger than in a Dana 30 , servicable wheel bearings , bolt on locking hubs    etc , etc.

Dana 44's have been made for a very long time and used in a wide variety of vehicles so aftermarket support is a mouse click away.

A waggy rear axle would compliment this , easy install , much of the above applies , with the exception of axle shaft availability. Disc brake conversion on the rear is cheap and easy.   Doing both ends solves the six lug wheel issue.

Thanx for the input just the man i was hopein to here from.
i just found a front so far, i was hopin to match it with a waggy rear, still lookin for one.  I figgered the front was the harder one to find so im grabin it while i can.
I did a little googelin today found sum good tech. so far the low pinion seams to be the shitty part.

[Gearhead]

Low pinion is not as bad as you have been led to believe  , the difference in height isn't a big deal. The front drive shaft is long enough that angles  are fine , as long as a feller doesn't get too redneck with a lift.



These diffs are out there , I've bought two pairs in recent years , on pair came with the entire vehicle for $200  , it was pretty ghetto , dented   , beaten and partially disassembled .   The second pair , purchased in a panic  , to get some spare shafts n' stuff were cheap too.

[XJHERO]

If you decide , your not man enough to handle the conversion , I'll buy it from you , this is that $100 one right ?

LOL

[XJHERO]

The ones made out of metal are nice...

no PVC...

make sure to hit it with a hammer .... to get alll the squirrels out....


good luck

Thanx for the pointers dom it seams harder than pvc and no gerbils were in it sorry Al.
Dom what kinda glue should i use for my wooden truss

its a 1981 narrow track
its heavy

[cLAY]

That's the exact same one I used for my XJ build up, narrow trac Waggy. With the Dodge 8 lug outers and knuckles it came out to 65WMS which perfectly matched my D60 rear.

FYI, all Dodge knuckles from 1980 thro to 1993 are flat tops and good candidates for high steer setup and are available in a 5 on 5 pattern or 8 bolt. Much simpler route than mixing/matching Ford and Chev stuff to get a 5 bolt pattern.

Carefull with the rear Waggy diffs, some were offset.

To put the front D44 in my XJ I had to cut the welds at the inner "C" and rotate the pinion up.


DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES REUSE THE D30 MOUNTS!!!!!  Buy a prefabbed bracket kit, trust me its worth the money. You can make your own if you are unemployed and have nothing better to do.......

I welded the driver's side upper arm mount to the pumpkin, it can be done! Lots of other things on the front end have broke but its still rock solid. Of course most kits come with a bridge/truss so use that. Y0u are buying a kit right??!??!

[XJHERO]

That's the exact same one I used for my XJ build up, narrow trac Waggy. With the Dodge 8 lug outers and knuckles it came out to 65WMS which perfectly matched my D60 rear.

FYI, all Dodge knuckles from 1980 thro to 1993 are flat tops and good candidates for high steer setup and are available in a 5 on 5 pattern or 8 bolt. Much simpler route than mixing/matching Ford and Chev stuff to get a 5 bolt pattern.

Carefull with the rear Waggy diffs, some were offset.

To put the front D44 in my XJ I had to cut the welds at the inner "C" and rotate the pinion up.


DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES REUSE THE D30 MOUNTS!!!!!  Buy a prefabbed bracket kit, trust me its worth the money. You can make your own if you are unemployed and have nothing better to do.......

I welded the driver's side upper arm mount to the pumpkin, it can be done! Lots of other things on the front end have broke but its still rock solid. Of course most kits come with a bridge/truss so use that. Y0u are buying a kit right??!??!

Cool thanx for the tips.
I have been lookin at trusses the TNT one looks sweet. i will NOT be welding to pumpkin  But i doo have lot s of spare time only workin 40 hours a week. so maybe ill make my own truss i have all winter.
First im gona make sum diff stands so its easer to work on

[4PLAYZJ]

I used the TNT truss with my waggy 44.  Nice setup, I suggest that you request that they send you the upper control arm mounts not welded to the truss.  Mine came welded to the truss & when I went to install the axle they were welded at the wrong angle.  Might be because of my RE long arm kit but better safe than sorry.

x2 on using the dodge flat top knuckles, I would suggest only installing a passanger high steer arm for the drag link.  I installed both in mine then I could not use a complete high steer setup because the TNT coil mount interfered with the tie rod.

[XJHERO]

If you dont mind how much did u pay for the TNT truss ?

[cLAY]

x2 on using the dodge flat top knuckles, I would suggest only installing a passanger high steer arm for the drag link.  I installed both in mine then I could not use a complete high steer setup because the TNT coil mount interfered with the tie rod.

I had the same problem on mine. There is a option when building the diff to center the coils on the diff rather than offset to the front like stock. This will move the diff forward in relation to the coils giving better steering clearance. Also gives more room at the back of the wheel well.

[i_go_commando]

i have an amc 20 from a waggy or an d44 rear from a 78 waggy. the d44 is ofset sligthy but has been know to be used with a nonoffset tcase with no problems.make me an offer

[SwampSinger]

If you dont mind how much did u pay for the TNT truss ?

I paid 250 for mine.... no PVC or wood...

They are about that on the sitein USD... I have the Link at home. TNT changed their site... I'll post the new one tonight.