I have a 1994 F150 and after reading around online it seems alot of people like to do a Dana 44 straight axle swap when going over 33 inch tires because of the stress put on the Dana 44 TTB. After reading around and looking around it seems like a a fair mean price for a Dana 44 straight axle swap is about $2000 give or take a bill or three. Would it not be better to just buy a Camburg custom Dana 44 TTB so that it overcomes some of the limitations a straight axle while having the same or relatively close strength to one? I'd like to do over a 6 inch lift with 38 inch tires but it seems to be alot more complex with these trucks than just slaping on a kit and "being done with it".

Custom 4×4 Beams | Camburg Engineering

 

Looks like another one of my topics that just kind of floats to the background with no one knowing what to do...

 

The TTB suspension itself is not the weak point, it's the drive axles or more specifically the slip spline on the passenger side and U-joints that tend to fail with the added torque loads that large tires bring.

 

So would it be make more sense to upgrade the ujoint and slip spline if it could be done (and any other parts for that matter), or just say screw it and get a Dana 44 straight axle and build it as tuff as I want?

 

38" tires on half ton running gear is pushing it in the first place. Remember, you have relativly small brakes as well a only five wheel studs.

Just my thoughts, David

 

You can upgrade the stub shaft with a D50 stub shaft, but you will still have the D44 u-joints to break, so it will just move the weak link outward towards the wheels to those u-joints if you put the D50 stub shaft in.

 

BIG +1

$2K for a 44 is a little steep. I picked up a running driving 78 F150 $1300 a couple of years ago. The body was a little rusty and tired but all the running gear was in great shape. I would hate to think of a complete dent side getting parted out but the whole trucks can be had for cheaper than the sum of their parts.

But I will say if you're thinking about anything over 33-35 and any real wheelin' you need to think about 1-ton axles

 

38's on any d44 is pushin it. especially if youre gonna subject the truck to mud/hill climbs. i run 38's with my d50 TTB. ive always done so unabashedly and without fear of breakin anything (i have 3 different sizes of tires that i run depending on where im takin it)if all youre doin is light trail ridin then it doesnt much matter which route ya go. if youre swappin in a solid axle, it misewell be a d60. d44 SAS would be costly, time consuming task that virtually accomplished nothing.

 

Thanks for advice guys. Call me strange, but I like to over build things for there intended purpose. Must be the German in me coming out...

I dont really plan on taking it in any crazy deep mud or up huge rocks, mainly light trails but I want to be able to push it if needed and not worry about something going to ****.

 

why not run some 35's and the ttb thats on it? stock gearing (no matter what it is) is not gonna like 38's, especially if its a 302.

 

Im runnin 38.5 boggers with dana 44HD 8 bolt... hard wheeling & hill climbs... been a almost 2 years with this setup.... I know scary but hell im going to run it till it blows I dont see that happening tho...
my 2 cents

 

Long term is goal is put a Cummins 4bt in it. Regardless, I was planning on going to a more appropriate ratio anyways.

Main reason I dont want 35s is that I'd just personally feel better with 37-38 inch by 14-14.5 inch tires. With all this being said I guess it's safe to say that I should start saving up for a D50 or D60.

 

I agree completely. I upgraded my HD d44 to the TTB dana 50, and have been happy w/ it so far. But I only run the 38x12.5s. Before I step to anything wider SAS D60 will be in my future

 

First, 38s should clear with a 6 -8 inch of lift. I run 37s on my 94. But time and time agai, I'll say a D44 is a D44. You can put fancy shafts and all that in there, but the center is still the same.

Only thing I've broke on my TTB, is I split the carrier in half.

But like others have said, if youy are going yo swap something in, might as well do a D60 b

 

if you were stickin with the weak 302, you could get away with some beastin. but the size of those tires would ultimately catch up and either wear into premature failure, or break somethin when you have no choice but force that d44 to work. with the 38X14.5, the width becomes a huge issue more than the height. adding 2 inches of width equates to much more mass/load than 2 more in height, ultimately causing much more strain on the drivetrain, especially in mud/tight steering conditions.

the 4bt puts the nail in the coffin of any ideas but a d60 swap. again, if you were keepin the 302 (half the weight of a 4bt) you could get away with a d50 swap and prob be a happy beaster for quite some time. but, the weight of a 4bt alone will increase the strain on the front end, as well as the inevitable desire to modify the 4bt. 3-400/6-800 wheel hp/tqcan easily/cheaply be attained by a p-pump'd 4bt. thats way too much ground chunkin torque to even think about anything but a d60 or better.