10 bolt to d44?

[reece13]

OK so now that i have my rear axle figured out, I have been doing some searching on the front axle. Obviously i'd love to have the d60, but as we all now they are getting more hard to come by but also more and more expensive. I was planning on trying to find a 3/4 ton d44, so can I use the parts off of a d44 from the spindel out on my 10 bolt or should i just hunt for the the whole d44 axle? This topic starts to get confusing to me sorry.

 

[82355]

There isn't that much of a difference between the two. Does your ten bolt have the correct gears?

Martin

 

[shady]

(sort of a hijack ,, but not)

What actually breaks frequently on 10b's and 44's?

 

[reece13]

No, gears dont match. I put in a 10.25 steriling in the rear with 4.10s and still have my stock 10 bolt up (6lug) front with 3.73s. So i def. want to switch to an 8 lug front axle hopefully with gear set that matches. Ive seen guys with d44 3/4 tons outer parts (hubs and so on) on 10 bolts.

 

[82355]

Why mix and match if you don't have the correct gears? Just find a ten bolt or Dana 44 that has 4.10's, and install it complete.

Martin

 

[82355]

(sort of a hijack ,, but not)

What actually breaks frequently on 10b's and 44's?

Shafts, u-joints, spider gears, carriers, ring and pinions.

Martin

 

[chulisohombre]

Don't worry about replacing just the outers and still have to regear it. Find 3/4 ton axle with the correct gears and save money for other parts like Martin said.all the outer parts interchange between them from the knuckle out on the 78 up axles. On earlier 44s you have a smaller outer bearing so you have to swap everything from the spindle out from the backing plate. If anything the earlier axle is weaker pre 78 so I'd try to go with the later style. Pre 73 had a smaller ujoint as well on the axleshaft. Much easier to find a complete axle.

 

[reece13]

Why mix and match if you don't have the correct gears? Just find a ten bolt or Dana 44 that has 4.10's, and install it complete.

Martin

That was pretty much the point to my question...should i mess with trying to pull off 8 lug hubs and all, or just grab the whole d44 8 lug axle and put it in. Im not sure of what the gear ratios were offered in the 8 lug d44 though, and what years would be best to look for

 

[82355]

The only thing to avoid on a Dana 44 8 lug is the early three quarter tons with an external hub. Don't limit yourself to a Dana 44 though. Just buy which ever you come across first that is cheap and has 4.10's, a Dana 44 or a 10 bolt.

Martin

 

[reece13]

ok..cool, thanks...i wouldnt think it'll be too hard to find either. d60s on the other hand....well, the last one i saw for sale down here in coastal NC was 900$ and that was for one that didnt even look that great.

 

[82355]

If you keep looking, you'll find one eventually. Are there any local boards? That is a good place to look.

Martin

 

[82355]

Sorry for being a small, crappy cell phone pic, but this is an external hub Dana 44. That is the one to avoid, but they so work.

Martin

 

[plyr2k]

Shafts, u-joints, spider gears, carriers, ring and pinions.

Martin

(another sort of hi-jack)

Any idea what breaks differently? They are essentially the same axles with a little different pinion bearings? Some other subtle differences?

 

[82355]

Not really. I have broken all off those things on either a Dana 44 or a 10 bolt, I don't remember which axles were what though.

Martin

 

[chulisohombre]

They are pretty much equal in strength except the pre 75 dana44. It had smaller outer wheel bearing and smaller axle shaft ujoint. Other than that either axle is comparable.i always try and find parts later than 76 to make sure it has the newer bigger size parts.

 

[6.2Blazer]

Just to clarify, 10-bolt front axles also came in 8-lug varieties and are generally easier to find as compared to 8-lug D44's. Why? Because GM started phasing out D44's back in the late-70's and the 10-bolts were in production clear into the early-90's. I mention that just because I have heard many times over the years that people think 10-bolts only came in 6-lug varieties.

As mentioned above, if your current front axle does not have matching gears then find an 8-lug front axle that does and swap the whole thing over. I usually recommend 10-bolts because they are newer and usually easier to find (both for buying the axle initially and for spare parts). You can keep your current axleshafts to use as spares....not like a stock 6-lug 10-bolt front axle is worth much if you try to resell it anyway so just keep the parts for spares.

10-bolts and D44's are very comparable in strength. The only real difference, and a small one at that, is that most 10-bolts have 1.28" 28 spline inner shafts where the D44's all have 1.31" 30-spline....though all are usually necked down to a moot point.