Quote:
Originally Posted by freerider15
Honestly, unless it were going under a general rec wheeler...not worth the effort.
Definitely wouldn't put the effort into it in any dedicated crawler.
I'd go RS housings and Toyota 3rd's long before that.
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More I think about it, it will probably end up under my truck. Spring perches are pretty close to bolt in. Just depending on what gears are in the hp44 I can swap everything over and not really have to buy anything. It will also help my crappy front driveshaft angle.
Im still awhile out on building anything (moving etc etc) but doesnt mean I can day dream a little bit. Of course the easiest thing to do would be to slap 60s under a crawler and go with what works. That is boring to me and been there done that kind of thing. But I also want it to be reliable and durable. It will have sticky 37s and v8 power that is for sure. Dont want it to always be a trailer queen so will have some dot tires too.
Dana 44.
Pros: Cheaper to start, more ground clearance, weight savings (slight lots of aftermarket stuff
Cons: Small steering u joints, Small ball joints. Small hubs
Dana 60
Pros: Not much worry about breaking it. Aftermarket support
Cons: heavy, ground clearance, hard to find cheap
9"
pros: strong, aftermarket support, better ground clearance, light
cons: could get pretty expensive, the pinion is really low. hp is $
Toyota axles
pros: light, good aftermarket, good clearance
cons: birfields, not great turning angle, birfields.
I have thought about a 8"/60 combo, not sure what diameter the shafts are but biggest carrier for a toyota axle is 32 spline. Probably the most clearance and lightest, have hp third members. Lots of pluses there. I am fairly confident I wouldnt have problems with a hp44 gear set in the front, but have broken a bunch of dana44 u joints, that is where the thinking of the hybrid axle came from. You can also get a bunch of steering angle out of dana60 shafts (remember light and nimble). You can get 35 spline spools for a dana 44. The more I read about the jana kit the less I like it, I guess worst case you can cryo treat gears
A fabricated axle would be cool, but can get expensive quick, I dont really like how low the pinion is on 9".
Part of all of this is I want to build axles, I want to chop something apart, narrow it make it something different. The 44/60 isnt for everyone for sure, I get that and I would probably be polishing a turd. Maybe thats the fun in it. I also kind of want to find a hp60 and turn it into a rear with the diff offset to make the front. Would be interesting figuring all that out.
Matt Im not really sure what hp44 I could start with and not cut up a good axle. The cast wedges axles I guess you could re tube.