So, I'm lookin at getting a set of gears. I've got the Ford 8.8 in the rear and D44 in front. I need some specs to get the ring and pinions that fit. Ring gear rotation, Pinion spline count, ring gear bolts, and carrier series.

 

Can't tell you a whole lot, but: Regarding ring gear direction of rotation: "drive side" of ring gear tooth lies at an almost right angle to the rotational plane of the gear. The "coast" side opposite the drive side is angled very obviously, in comparison. Drive side gets much more abuse than coast side, higher torque applied for much longer time durations, as the only time coast side DRIVES the vehicle is when going backwards. Thus, in forward motion, the coast side drives only the engine, when throttle is closed.

Take that gear setup, turn it around so the back cover faces the front of the vehicle, when used as a FRONT driving axle, the gear teeth reverse chores, the coast side becoming drive side, not good, as the angled gear tooth face tries to "spread" the gears apart. To get around this problem, the ring and pinion must be cut in reverse direction of rotation, OR, the whole housing may be turned UPSIDE DOWN, so that the pinion is located ABOVE the centerline of the ring gear, instead of below it, as in the rear application.

If the front center section of your truck looks just like the rear, only facing backwards, only way I know to tell if teeth are REVERSE CUT is to remove the cover plate, look at the ring gear teeth, rotate the driveshaft by hand to turn wheels in forward direction, and observe whether the teeth doing the work in that direction are cut RIGHT-ANGLED to the ring gear plane. If not, they are NOT reverse-cut.

If the pumpkin looks "upside down" in front, guaranteed the teeth are NOT reverse cut. To answer your other needs, you will have to seek either vehicle specs, or get someone more knowledgeable than I. Sorry/. impish

 

D44 TTB axles are reverse cut and a new carrier is needed for ratios above 3.73, while Ford 8.8 is standard rotation, has 31 splines, and does not require a new carrier for higher ratios. More info here... http://www.therangerstation.com/tech.../Dana44TTB.htm

 

Alright, this helps a lot. I found a set of ring an pinions for the D44 that would work, but will a standard open diff carrier work with locking hubs? I'm not exactly sure how locking hubs work. Also for the Ford 8.8, I only have a 28 and 30 spline option. This is off the summit racing web site, I don't know where else to find gears. I've been kicking myself for a few months trying to find a set for this damn truck.

 

I suggest you look again..Ford never made a 30-spline 8.8". It's either a 28 or 31. There are aftermarket 33 spline, but as far as I know never from the factory.

99% of the front axles are open differentials as they came from the factory.

 

The diff has no effect on the hubs in these trucks so you can use whatever version you want, but if you're buying a carrier anyway why not upgrade to an LS or Posi?

 

I thought locking hubs locked both front axles together. If that isn't the case, I'll just weld the spider gears or get a mini spool or something for the front. If I can't find a mini spool I'll probably get a cheap mechanical locker. As for the rear diff, I said screw it to Summit racing, And stumbled across this site called Ringandpinion.com. So far, I'm not having a single problem finding what I need here. I normally don't have a problem with Summit Racing, but I could not find a set of ring and pinions from there.