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straight axle swap


NMB2

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Wheel joints are the same on both (you may be thinking the TTB D50 which has the different u-joints).
Ahhh that's right, and it has the same inner shaft as the 60 until the very end where it necks down. I should of known that, I've had a few of them apart.

TTB50 used 1350 driveshaft u-joints.

If someone made a 35spline inner upgrade for the D50 SFA, it would be a pretty decent axle. Without an upgrade like that you are left with an axle with the ground clearance of the D60 and the weakness of a D44.
 


CreepyCrawler

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yea thts wht i was planning on doing was running 35 spline shafts and 35 outers... even 60's have to be bored to run 35 spline dont they? as for paying a premium it only be in paying for parts.

not running pass side drop. and the cheapest Ford d60 ive seen being sold around here starts around 800 if theyre not even built. i bout the d50 for 200+change and a ford 8.8 i built and sat on for 3 years
 

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60 comes with 35spline inners, and no mods to swap to 35spline outters.
 

koda6966

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32x11.50x15 inch BRGoodrich M/T tires. escourt_gts is running 35's on his and hasnt had a problem yet and he has more weight on the front of his and more power under the hood then me too. Im running CV shafts (weakest shafts) and they havent given me a problem yet, but have the larger ujoint ones at my ready for if I do need to replace them.
Those are munchkin tires. I'm not surprized your D30 hasn't broken yet, it will someday though.

I know tons of people that have busted they're axles with 33x12.5 tires.
 

dangerranger83

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I dont think a tire that is one inch more in size would really make all the difference, I would think the driver would have a bigger impact on the axle breaking then anything, and I dont go through to bad of stuff that would say I will ever snap a shaft....that is if I go through and do my v8 swap, then stuff may change.
 

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i never realized that i assumed the inner shafts were the same as the rear shafts for a 60...at least in spline count. so if a dana50 uses a dana60 housing i still dont understand why you can use the innards of a 60 for a 50...i know the carrier bearings are smaller but that can be easily solved. is the ID for the inner shafts smaller as well? or is it just the fact the carrier bearings are smaller and the shafts neck down
 

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I dont think a tire that is one inch more in size would really make all the difference, I would think the driver would have a bigger impact on the axle breaking then anything, and I dont go through to bad of stuff that would say I will ever snap a shaft....that is if I go through and do my v8 swap, then stuff may change.
Actually the main difference is in the width. More width is more stress.

Your tires should effect it close to the same as the 33's.

I was stating that I know tons of jeep guys with 33x12.5 tires that break their D30 shafts. A few have stripped out the R&P though. That's a nasty sight when you see that.
 

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i ran 35 1350's on my stock yj d30 for a while...35 rear too and i wasnt exactly easy on the pedal. they lasted for a good year year.5 before i snapped a driver outter and a pass. inner
 

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If you do the D30 you'll look back and be like "Man.. why didn't I just do a 44."
really now. which D44? the EB ones stock shafts are weaker than a current D30's you only gain R&P strength.

you can have the units redrilled....branik will rework them pretty reasonable...or a local shop real reasonable.


do the rotors too.


i would prefer a 35 spline 60 out back as its lighter and has better clearance then the 10.5....best bet is a ff 60 or 70 from a later van, its disk brake already....get the brake master from that as well. they are usually 32 spline.

cheapest bet is to find a 14bolt with a detroit and 410 gears already in many areas of the country.
the D60 doesn't gain much if any clearance from a 10.25 or 10.50 the 14B is also the worst for clearance like ever.

never seen a hp ford 60 for tht low of a price at least not around my area
Look harder my 1992 balljoint D60 was $92 with tax. 4.10s, hub to hub with good brakes.

Those are munchkin tires. I'm not surprized your D30 hasn't broken yet, it will someday though.

I know tons of people that have busted they're axles with 33x12.5 tires.
what about my pair of D30's one that was under my truck held up to 285/75R16's and 4.88s until I decided I wanted bigger and snagged a D60. The one in my XJ is just fine with a heavy ass set of 33x12.50R15 bias ply TSL's along with me romping. Got a buddy running a locked one with stock shafts and 34s. Another one in a TJ with an ARB, stock shafts and 35s that after 2 years of wheeling finally snapped a long side and moved to chromos. A D30 set up correctly will last just fine. People snap shit acting stupid with the throttle, you can break any axle getting hard on that skinny pedal. The only guy to break in my last wheeling trip was a TJ with a swapped in D44 and chromo shafts. He snapped a chromo outer, was only running 36s IIRC. My XJ and the other 2 XJ's out there (both locked stock shafts) made the trail without issues.

Actually the main difference is in the width. More width is more stress.

Your tires should effect it close to the same as the 33's.

I was stating that I know tons of jeep guys with 33x12.5 tires that break their D30 shafts. A few have stripped out the R&P though. That's a nasty sight when you see that.
I have seen people spin sterling 10.50 tubes on diesels with 35's that is an axle known good with 42s on it. Completely depends on driver skill and style. Go bounce any locked axle and see what happens. Better yet get one in a good bind and romp on it.
 

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really now. which D44? the EB ones stock shafts are weaker than a current D30's you only gain R&P strength.

Pretty sure its a given to upgrade to chromo shafts.


what about my pair of D30's one that was under my truck held up to 285/75R16's and 4.88s until I decided I wanted bigger and snagged a D60. The one in my XJ is just fine with a heavy ass set of 33x12.50R15 bias ply TSL's along with me romping. Got a buddy running a locked one with stock shafts and 34s. Another one in a TJ with an ARB, stock shafts and 35s that after 2 years of wheeling finally snapped a long side and moved to chromos. A D30 set up correctly will last just fine. People snap shit acting stupid with the throttle, you can break any axle getting hard on that skinny pedal. The only guy to break in my last wheeling trip was a TJ with a swapped in D44 and chromo shafts. He snapped a chromo outer, was only running 36s IIRC. My XJ and the other 2 XJ's out there (both locked stock shafts) made the trail without issues.
Everyone is going to have a million stories about how well the D30 lasted, and just as many to match about how bad the D30 is. The debate will never end.

That's why you get an axle that doesn't need to be debated on.
 

koda6966

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Everyone is going to have a million stories about how well the D30 lasted, and just as many to match about how bad the D30 is. The debate will never end.

That's why you get an axle that doesn't need to be debated on.
:icon_thumby:
 

dangerranger83

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I would say there is more debate on how the driver drives their rig then anything, a lot of it really comes down to that.
 

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Everyone is going to have a million stories about how well the D30 lasted, and just as many to match about how bad the D30 is. The debate will never end.

That's why you get an axle that doesn't need to be debated on.
Then get a dana 60 because the dana 44 isn't a huge upgrade over a dana 30. Same weak 260x ujoints (depending on the D30 you are getting a bigger 297x) both have a 1.38" pinion. Only big strength difference is the inner shafts which are smaller on the D30 and both ARB and yukon offer 30 spline lockers that bring you to better than D44 strength. That leaves the ring gear as being smaller/weaker run a decent 4.56 gear keeping a good sized pinion and you won't see very many gears stripping out. The EB D44 is a rare but useless upgrade vs a D30 the only D44 that is worth it would be the F250s D44HD, bigger thicker tubes stronger ujoints etc. At that point you are already looking 8 lug go get a dana 60 and get rid of all the strength issues all together.
 

NMB2

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Then get a dana 60 because the dana 44 isn't a huge upgrade over a dana 30. Same weak 260x ujoints (depending on the D30 you are getting a bigger 297x) both have a 1.38" pinion. Only big strength difference is the inner shafts which are smaller on the D30 and both ARB and yukon offer 30 spline lockers that bring you to better than D44 strength. That leaves the ring gear as being smaller/weaker run a decent 4.56 gear keeping a good sized pinion and you won't see very many gears stripping out. The EB D44 is a rare but useless upgrade vs a D30 the only D44 that is worth it would be the F250s D44HD, bigger thicker tubes stronger ujoints etc. At that point you are already looking 8 lug go get a dana 60 and get rid of all the strength issues all together.
Jesus Christ..... another Dana30 advocate. Look I'm all for using a D30 if it suits your need, but trying to make it an axle that it is not..... well, I don't know why people do that.

For starters... if you're buying an EB44, and putting it into your wheeling rig to run stock, you're an idiot. The D44, be it EB, Waggy, F150, F250 is better than any D30 you can get, period.

Cheaper to build
stronger, in all fashions, LP or HP.
hub/wheel bearings
easier to hi-steer

Also, you talk about upgrading from a D30 to a D44 not being a real upgrade. These trucks didn't come with D30's, therefor you're not "upgrading" from a D30... you're choosing a D30 or a D44. 10 out of 10 times the D44 is the better choice. Some people just don't want to be patient and wait for the deals to come across, which is fine, because the D30 might work out well for them. Still, even in a jeep with a D30, the 44 is a significant upgrade if you cannot afford/find 1-tons.

I wheeled with this guy quite a bit when we were stationed together, and I can assure you a D30 would never survive under this ZJ



 
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CreepyCrawler

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it was a discussion of putting a d50 in my ranger...then a discussion on the differences and modifications to a 50 to make it a 60. nows were lowering standards to a d30 haha
 

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