dana 44 questions

[jerryhipp]

i was considering picking up a set of dana 44's out of a cherokee chief? thats what the guy said they were out of. but i'm thinking a wagoneer. anyway, their 6 lug and have new 4.88's in them. and my question is what would these be worth? and how much will it cost me to get them in the tj? brackets? brakes? driveshafts? what do i need to do and what do you think it would cost. mechanical i can do myself with friends ;D but welding i'd need someone else to do it for me. and can i cut off the brackets and perches from my dana 30 and 35 and reweld them to the 44's to help save money?

jerry

[dsgray16]

what does the guy want for them? it would deff take alot of work to put them in the TJ but it would be a sweet setup, i dont know wabout using your current axle brackets, just get new ones, RE sells kits, so do a couple other companies

IF you have some body do all the welding on the axles you could easily spend over a grand on that alone, or get somebody on here to do it cheap.

[jerryhipp]

he'll give them to mee for $400. maybe i could get some help from john's infinite wisdom?

[jerryhipp]

or todd

[bluerocket]

The cost of regearing:

$300-500 per axle in setup
$100 per axle for master isntall kit
$110 per axle for ring and pinion.
$60 per axle for open carrier (or more for case lockers)

this all adds up to $570-770 per axle in regearing alone.

Figure in $350 to pickup the used axles to begin with.

your up to $1490-$1890 for open axles with 4.88's

Bracket kits are ~325 front and ~175 rear.

Its possible you will need new driveshafts and or an sye depending on vehicle. Brakes will also cost more depending on the condition of the ones on thoes axles.


Hope that gives you some kind of idea what it would cost to build axles like that yourself.


SO if you can get them for $400 for a pair, its a no brainer buy them.

[jerryhipp]

pick-up would cost me 30 bucks for gas.
and they dont need to be regeared, they already have new 4.88's in them.

but i can't afford to too much that's why i'm asking for help with approx. cost.

bracket kits -> $500
welding -> $
brakes (if needed) -> $
driveshafts (if needed) -> $
sye ( if needed) -> $225

[jps4jeep]

I say thats a deal.. I am building such axles, I got the accual axles for free (sort of, traded half doors, a grill guard 2 pairs of hella lights AR rims and a set of 31" MT's) then I have invested about $1000 thus far, and I will be investing another $1500 for gears, lockers, install kits, and alloy axles for the rear. and another couple hundred in custom drive shafts, 1410 yokes and -joints.

To note I also went a little over kill, I have front and rear 13" disc brakes, custom knuckles with Hi-steer and 5/4 ton tie rods, Hi-steer, all new hardware and more.

$400 would be a good price.screw the bracket kit, you can buy junk yard axles and cut the brackets off of those for a lot less.

[mmagnumpi9]

do it, even if you cant afford it now you will have them and can save up some loot or sell them later for at least what you payed for them.

[cheech]

Don`t forget the old Chiefs had the wider axles,I don`t think you want those for your TJ.

[rich]

did the cheifs have wider axles?? if im not mistaken the cheifs had narrower axels than g-wags and might be passenger side drop depending on year (1978and earler) but i could be again be mistaken also the rearis like 2" shorter than front

[bchcky]

yeah what magnum said, if you've got the loot to only buy the axles now, i'd say do it. they sound like a good deal, and then you can build as money allows. pending width, they sound like a good deal to grab em for now even as a project that won't be done for a few weeks/months. as the rocket said, you could easily spend a lot of money, so getting the axles cheap is a big plus, as long as they're in good condition.

[dsgray16]

Thats a very good deal for gears 44's!!! I paid 300 just for my stock 44....like rich brought up, what side drop is the front axle? thats key, cuz if its pass side drop then you gota mess with your TC and all that stuff.

[jerryhipp]

i'll have to find out when i go see them.

[J.T.Woody]

If they are indeed Dana 44s from a Cherokee Chief, they are about 4"-6" WIDER than the axles from a Wagoneer.

Cherokee Chiefs had what are called Wide-Trac axles. They are almost full-width axles.


CRAP! I wish I could find a deal like that. They would bolt right into my Waggy.

[jerryhipp]

if they are 4-6 inches wider then i wont want them and i'll pass the deal on to you if you want them.