1966 front axle?
Elder User
Joined: Jun 1999
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From: LAT 46.55501° & LON -122
1966 front axle?
I think they were all Dana 30's until '71. Not sure what the rating difference is between the 30 and 44, but I have always heard to swap-in a 44 to replace the 30 for serious wheeling or mounting larger tires. I have busted the long side axle shaft twice at the joint in my '76 that has the Dana 44. My tires are only 31" and I have not done any "extreme" wheelin' with the Bronco. If I bust it again, I am going to have to look into some stronger aftermarket shafts.
Junior User
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 57
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1966 front axle?
The Dana 44 is significantly stronger than the Dana 30. It uses thicker axlesshafts with more splines and a larger ring and pinion. I think it also has a beefier input shaft for the pinion. In addition, there appears to be a better selection of aftermarket upgrades for the Dana 44 since it's such a common axle. There are frequently EB 44's on eBay for reasonable money if you're looking to do a swap. The 44 from the '72 to '75 should be a direct swap. In '76 they went to a inverted Y style steering setup which is not interchangable.
Regards,
J.B. Hebert
'76 Bronco Explorer
Regards,
J.B. Hebert
'76 Bronco Explorer
