dodge d44 compatibility questions

[obijuan]

i know its not completely chevy pertinent but

my buddy has a 97 dodge 1500 with a 44 up front and that ghey CAD system and them unibearings or whatever big $$$. i was wondering if we could get some outers from like a wagoneer or something with 5 lugs.
i was curious if the spindle mount is the same as the chevy with the 6 studs and then we could use the stub axle and the spindle and hubs with some nice Warns or something.

the finished product would be manual hubs still in 5 lug and a solid shaft on the long side. he wants to run a locker up front but people suggest against it cause his 4wd is always on or something like that.


thanks yall, even though its a dodge

 

[b454rat]

I don't think anything off an older D44 will bolt onto this axle. If it was something that simple there wouldn't be a kit out there to do so that costs lilke $2k from Dynarape....

 

[MNorby]

cut the mouting brackets off the dodge and weld on the wagoneer or whatever width 44 would work and you'd be set. Seen it done pretty often with ford 60s in the 3/4-1ton dodge trucks that vintage

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Ditch the whole pig of an axle and find a Ford D44 from a late 70's truck.

Better axle in every respect and then start making it fit the Ram. Either adapt the axle to the Ram's suspension or upgrade the Ram's suspension.

This has been discussed many times over on www.PavementSucks.com 's Dodge forum. After about 4 months of ownership I realized how much of a POS my Ram's D44 was so I started looking for a Ford D44...then I said screw it and sold the whole turkey of a truck at 10 months.

 

[obijuan]

LOL hahahah i keep telling him, he "likes his truck" lol theoretically could i just cut off the C's and weld on some wagoneer C's and all the outers? that might be easier than the whole coil buckets and crap. ive shown him the light of leaf springs and it would be SO easy to adapt his truck to them. his flex sucks pretty bad right now. its all in the rear but its a good truck for what we do.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

I couldn't tell you. Most people just lost the whole axle.


I'd go get him a membership on PS.com there and talk to those guys, it's the best 94+ Dodge forum there is.


I do know that somewhere in the Dana Spicer catalog is a D44 shaft that is the right length and configuration to replace the CAD side's two axles.

 

[bigjbear]

Wagoneers are 6 on 5.5, same as a GM. If you want 5 on 5.5 you need a Ford.

 

[obijuan]

oohhh eww ok thanks alot you guys, i appreciate the help!