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legit d44 vs d60

what to go with?

  • opt for a stock d60

    Votes: 24 39.3%
  • opt for a build d44 (chromo + beef joints + whatever else)

    Votes: 8 13.1%
  • wait till i break my small pool of spare shafts for the d44

    Votes: 19 31.1%
  • go eat bacon nekkid?

    Votes: 10 16.4%

  • Total voters
    61
to bad 4 you i just sold a 79 hp60,35 spline outers,totally rebuilt and a 14 bolt with a detroit both with 513s for 2k..the guy got a hella deal
 
How long have you been running the current set-up? What's given out?

You're not running a lot of HP. You don't have a lot of weight compared to the K5 on the axle.

There certainly is comfort and reliability of the D60. It comes with a pretty good price. I've seen some asshats (just jealousy talking:D) getting D60's for dirt cheap.

$1K budget is just getting started in a D60. I can't find the post now, but I read a post on how much people have into their D60. WOW!!!:eek:

Did you see this post: 10 Bolt action pics
 
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i probably have $3000 n my d60 alone and thats with no axle upgrades besides a detroit...thats thru a shop mind u...be less if i did it myself...but then again, i couldnt have done it all myself so that point is useless...:doah:
 
its not really the weight or the HP that bother me, its the 16" wide tires and the 135:1 reduction. the torque already tweaked my rear suspension.
 
Bought my d60 for $1000 (with a truck attached to it) spent $250 on srw hubs, $260 on a lock-rite, $ 225 for gears, $110 Rough Stuff diff cover $700 crossover high & steer, $400 for two sets of 35 spl Warn hubs and $1850 for Longfield CVs = $4795 :eek1::eek1: never added that up before:doah:
 
Damn!:eek1: Ouch! that's why i think i'm just gonna run my d44 til it bombs and hopefully along the way I'll find a d60 to start rebuilding as $ permits
 
Damn!:eek1: Ouch! that's why i think i'm just gonna run my d44 til it bombs and hopefully along the way I'll find a d60 to start rebuilding as $ permits

You definitely don't need to spend that much for a D60....that almost $5,000 example above is pretty extreme:eek1: That's like saying you need to buy a car to go to work everyday and somebody says it will cost $50,000 because that is what they spent to buy a BMW.

I bought a complete running truck for $750, but with a little patience you should be able to at least find the front axle for that much.

Slapped in a Lock-right locker for $300, new brake pads, repacked the wheel bearings, and put in new u-joints for $60 and ran it that way while I slowly added upgrades as funds were available. Over about 5 years I've added cross-over steering and hydro-assist (something that's nice with either axle, and it usually costs more to do that with a D44), and 35-spline stubs and flanges. Still running the Lock-right, Spicer inners, Spicer u-joints that were installed before the axle went in the truck, stock 4.10 gears, etc... It's not bling, but I've beat on it for years with 38's with a couple of stub failures (always been able to get off the trail with no assistance in 3 wheel drive) and tolerated marginal steering for awhile
 
Bought my d60 for $1000 (with a truck attached to it) spent $250 on srw hubs, $260 on a lock-rite, $ 225 for gears, $110 Rough Stuff diff cover $700 crossover high & steer, $400 for two sets of 35 spl Warn hubs and $1850 for Longfield CVs = $4795 :eek1::eek1: never added that up before:doah:
no offense, but i would not buy half of that stuff. ive got roughly $600 in my 44 including gears, full detroit and crossover, and new u-joints. most of that ($400) was the detroit. ive got a little more than half what you have in your front end in my whole truck (ive got probably $3k in my s10). if i were to get a 60, i would weld the front and run full hydro. that adds the hydro, but would get rid of the locker and all the high steer stuff. i certainly wouldnt need longfields for a 38" tire on a 3500 lbs s10.
 
one thing i might add. i was very dissappointed with the power steering system that i currently have (astro box, stock s10 pump).

i bet. im running the same set up but only 33 12.50 tires and my steering sucks.

i ran 10 bolts and 38s under blazers and suburbans for about 5 years. but i did mostly mud and kinda kept it easy. but as i see in the pictures your doing rocks id get a 60, glad to see they are holding up as it is. im paranoid enough with my 33s

or hell just run them untill you bust something
 
no offense, but i would not buy half of that stuff. ive got roughly $600 in my 44 including gears, full detroit and crossover, and new u-joints. most of that ($400) was the detroit. ive got a little more than half what you have in your front end in my whole truck (ive got probably $3k in my s10). if i were to get a 60, i would weld the front and run full hydro. that adds the hydro, but would get rid of the locker and all the high steer stuff. i certainly wouldnt need longfields for a 38" tire on a 3500 lbs s10.

None taken! My K20 weighs nearly twice what your S10 does, and with a manual transmission, 400+hp 383, and a lead size 12 telling it what to do - I wanted to build an axle that would be hard to break :D
 
d60's are the way to go if you can get it cheap and buy parts here and there for it. build it over time, the extras fo 60's can get pricy
 
i am looking at swaping my 1/2ton 44 for a 3/4 ton. i just got a sweet deal on a parts truck. its free
 
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You can buy D60 sized strong stuff from the knuckles out for a D44 . You can buy D60 strength stuff for the inside of a D44 .

You won't be able to replicate the housing tube thickness , the inch of ring gear diameter , or the 1000 dollar complete but used purchase price <----- :D
 
Stock d60 stubs are stronger than the cromo d44 stuff . I think I paid $875 for my yukon 35 spline cromo axles and yukon super joint for my d60 . Another $235 for 35 spline warn hubs ( I drive to the trail ) and $340 for the Lockrite . I beat on my stock d60 for 4 years with either the 42" swampers and 39.5 boggers . Finally had a Joint let go . The burb is past the 6000 lbs mark :eek1:

I wouldn't waste the $$ on a d44 , just spent the money on a d60 and run it stock till you have the money for the cromo stuff . I paid $1300 for my d60 . I bought another one awhile back for $600 :D . No I'm not selling it . By the way thats a pretty cool looking s10 ya got . If ya don't mind me saying " I;d like to see ya spend some cash for a cage in it before you dropped the coin for a better axle :wink1: .
 
Look at the voting numbers. There are more votes for eating bacon nekid than there are for putting money into a Dana 44.
 
The 78-79 HP60 would have neck-down shafts wouldn't it? My brother's did but it was from an F250 (with the snofighter package). Would the neck-down shafts be that much of an improvement? Are they even stronger than the 30 spline stubs? Or would he need to figure some cash to replace the D60 inner axles as well?
 
The 78-79 HP60 would have neck-down shafts wouldn't it? My brother's did but it was from an F250 (with the snofighter package). Would the neck-down shafts be that much of an improvement? Are they even stronger than the 30 spline stubs? Or would he need to figure some cash to replace the D60 inner axles as well?

The neck down shafts are NOT an improvement they are inferior to the non-neck down shafts. Having said that I would run them until they broke unless you had the money to throw at a new set of inners.

I run stock inners and outers on my rig and have not broken a shaft or lost a joint other than those in my driveshafts.

When I get the coin my intention is to run a set of Bobby Long's CVs but those are almost $2000:eek1:

Dik
 
The neck down shafts are NOT an improvement they are inferior to the non-neck down shafts

I meant would they be that much of an improvement over D44 stuff? And would they even be a bit weaker than cromo 44 stuff? Seems to me that he would need to figure for replacing the HP60 shafts to really see that much of an increase in strength over his D44.

Yeah, I laid one of my D60 shafts (non neck down) next to my brother's when I got my 60. His were tiny in comparison.
 

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