..Fair enough.

Thing about a D60 is it gets you the bigger bearings and better kinpins as well and is an easier setup for crossover steering as well which is a must for a mall crawler or offroad rig..
I've had a d44 and with no notice had the front spindle and in/outer bearings explode on 39.5 swampers leaving the tire hanging with me limping it to auto class at shcool. Ended up taking tire off with no tools. It was ugly

 

haha, well i wont disagree that dana 60's are badass haha, and sorry to start a thred that turned into a debate on this lol.. all i wanted to know was if anyone had used the certian companys product lol but i do respect everyone's oppion and i guess i will just do my own thing and will post my oppion after i finish it lol thanks guys

 

I'm the guy who called it a mall crawler originally and I stand behind my assessment. My real point was that if you're going to be running big tires you should be running a Dana 60. Swapping to a Dana 60 also makes crossover steering easier to accomplish.

I guess your thought is that instead of doing it the right (stronger and easier, though not cheaper) way he should just do whatever pleases him? I know you sure wouldn't do something so half-a$$ed on your trucks Chase, so why do you suggest it for him?

Furthermore, if he doesn't need a Dana 60, he most definitely doesn't need 12" of lift to run 40's either.

 

I am slowly going through a full resto-mod on the truck. After sinking $10k or more into it by the time I'm done, you can bet your *** I'm not going to be taking it to Moab. I think a D44 is plenty strong enough for fire roads and snow in the winter.

Sometimes, people run larger tires for clearance on "easy" trails (fire roads with rocks or trees/logs, washouts, etc...) Not for rock racing...

You know...unless you want to donate a '79 HP D60 to me

 

atccrazy nailed it on the head, i will use this truck to cruise the logging roads and just simply enjoy the truck. one day i will build a truck that i can mud race or wheel with and it will be a ford dentside just not this particular one... and if the damn d44 breaks i will put a 60 under it haha no big deal but i doubt it will. anyways i am done with this thred and i will get my crossover steering and let you guys how it works haha thanks!

 

Is that because you say so?

Why don't you let him know exactly what lift you will allow him to put on HIS truck to run those 40's.

Next time I want to build a truck I'll send you a PM as well so you can tell me how to do it.

 

Thanks. I'd really appreciate that.

Personally, I don't care what this guy builds either. My original point was that if he were to do it right he would find and swap in a Dana 60 and then do the crossover steering. I really don't care what the end result is or how he uses his truck. I may think it's silly, but I thankfully don't have to own/drive it. I was just giving the correct solution to his problem.

 

..every crossover steering thread on a lifted truck turns into the d60 debate!

 

Because it is NOT my truck and therefore I really don't care what HE does with HIS truck. Yes I build the crap out of my trucks and spend 3 weeks TIG welding shock mounts. NO ONE, I repeat - NO ONE else that I have seen on this site spends the time I do on fabrication details and I realize I'm overly weird about that.

I will agree crossover is easier with a d60, but it can be done with a d44 for less than swapping in a 60 many times. And just because he wants to run a huge lift and overly large tires (anything above a 37 or so seems silly to me) does not mean he NEEDS a d60. Contrary to popular belief a d44 will not disintegrate just driving down the road with big tires.

 

haha i guess i know that now thanks guys lol

 

I build my junk to be very strong and make alot of custom stuff too like traction bar,diff mounts, weld on style rear disc caliper bracket,hangers,rollcages,winch bumpers,hydroboost mounts, shock towers and so on but I dont care for the fancy punched "speed holes" or steel cob webs for gussets and such as its a waste of time. I can hold my own against anyone on here too buds.
I build for strength. Hell even my rear 4 inch lift block is made from 1/2" steel with open corner joints for full pen welds. I bent my last stock 3 sided ones so I always upgrade after I break something so in this case I had to make one from scatch. I matched it with tractor size 3/4" ubolts as I twisted those too...
I also dont see guys building winch bumpers like mine out of 3/16 plate with dual winches and outrigger bars that bolt to the tops of bumper to use as a recovery system if I were to roll my truck, running 2 wireless remotes to control either...

 

Most guys on here (and elsewhere) answer the need for "stronger" stuff by throwing thicker plate at it. Not the right way to do things. Just makes them heavier - haha. People don't understand that a lap plate design of multiple pieces of thinner material is stronger than just throwing a thicker piece at it.

As for the "speed holes" and "cobwebs" - sure they take more time but if the parts can be just as strong and weigh less - why the heck not???

No for the custom lift blocks - lift blocks get taken off my trucks and replaced with leaf springs with the proper arch...

And for your bumper - more work than I would have put into a bumper, but then again when I'm in the dirt I'm usually not the only truck out and we have straps and people to pull me back over if I happen to go...


Pissing contest over - can we go back to the original topic at some point?

 

Ok my last point to say though is as for the block yeah its bad...for what reason it gives you axle wrap. Big lifted springs well you lose flex. So in my case I'll stay with a 4" block and fix the wrap problem with a traction bar made from 1 1/2, 1/4 wall DOM with a swing shackle on top and threaded end for articulation and the ability to shorten and lengthen with suspension travel. Kinda the best of both worlds. Heres the wrap bar with my custom blocks and 3/4" u bolts on my D70.




And yeah the bumpers did take quite abit of effort but like you I wanted something unique and nobody offered a good bumper for these style trucks so I just made one...In my back yard as well without even a steel table to work off

 

I believe that mizsignals decision to utilize the original front axle is not necessarily a bad idea. For example: I ran the a similar setup on my 79 f150 for several years, I had about 4 inches of lift and cleared 38 inch tires. Both axles were open and the only thing I ever broke was the occasional U-joint.
and that was using the stock 1330 size, (and using the precision brand (which cannot compare with the stock forged spicers)) None the less, I was able to drive the truck anywhere like with a nine inch rear and a dana 44 front. I thrashed it hard in the mud, and climbed my fair share of hills, (no rocks in mississippi (which definately helped the axle survive)) but neither axle failed. The key to making these things last in my opinion, is to leave them open. This truck seems like it has the intentions of being used, just not abused, like what a lot of us like to do and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. So in conclusion a dana 44 is not a bad contender for this application. So what if he busts a hub or an axle, its nothing $50 at a junk yard can't fix, and $50 dollars is a FAR cry from the 1500 he would conservatevly have invested in the dana 60 after finding one regearing it and reworking it.

To Stray back to the original topic. I have upgraded my truck to run a dana 60 (see i am not anti d60) but mine has balljoints like your d44 probably does. I know on you have leaf springs to clear so if I were doing it I would mill the knuckle to fit the a purchasable steering arm and go with gm tierod ends and build DOM links to fit. Now if you have access to do all this yourself, this route can save you a considerable amount money however if you have to coin out the work, I would say you are better off to pay the 450$ because if that entails your entire steering system, you would be hard pressed to come out any cheaper.

 

sometimes having the biggest c**k isnt enough others also need a big set of ***** for back up lol!