Most/all of them I've seen tend to have fairly steep gearing, like 4.09 or 4.27:1, for hauling/pulling, etc. Not so good for a pleasure-only truck, with interstate driving in mind. It all depends on what tire diameter you run; what sort of acceleration you want; the engine power, desired fuel mileage & so forth.

To be truthful, I'd look at the gear oil first & check for shavings, unidentifiable parts, & so on. Listen to the axle at speed for whining or other fatal noises. Check the axles for straightness. If everything's good, I'd change the oil & call it a day. (Not including brake work, that is...) If you are feeling real frisky, change the axle bearings & seals.

One disadvantage, sort of, to the 44 is that the wheel stud pattern isn't the best, in terms of what aftermarket wheels are available. However, that also holds true for the 9" swap. It is possible, though, to swap in certain Ford car axle shafts into the 9" & go to the 4 1/2" pattern. The specific car shafts are not real common anymore, & you have to find TWO car donors, not just one, because only one side is the correct length. There is a tech article on this on FTE. The Dana would need to have the shafts redrilled (also possible on the 9" as a rule), or you can step up to aftermarket shafts.

Naturally, you have to worry about switching the front pattern as well...but you can either add disc brakes & do it that way, or go to a Volare or MII front end (or whatever suits yer fancy). My personal favorite is the Dakota, but IC is no longer making them; Steve does only custom fabrication now.

 

Wow, that sure gives me a lot of food for thought. I do plan on using it on highway a lot, and want to be able to punch it to do a quick pass while already doing a good cruising speed. One option I was looking at was a late-model explorer as suggested in one of the tech articles. Thinking I can kill a bunch of birds with one stone--decent gearing and better brakes.