Lets hit the dumbfuck sauce and build a stupid front axle( Shaved narrowed Dana 50)

[Gunhand1]

Also got a Dodge 2500 van MC in the mail today, hopefully this fixes the brake issues

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Also got a Dodge 2500 van MC in the mail today, hopefully this fixes the brake issues

Bigger master always fixed my Toyota buddies brake issues. The 1 1/4" gm was the go to for 1 ton axles. Not sure what the superduty size is, but you should see a big improvement.

 

[Gunhand1]

Bigger master always fixed my Toyota buddies brake issues. The 1 1/4" gm was the go to for 1 ton axles. Not sure what the superduty size is, but you should see a big improvement.

I hope so. Stock XJ size is 1" bore, the dodge MC is 1.25" so should help a lot and it's a drop in upgrade, which at this point is always welcome

 

[Gunhand1]

Alright, high steer is done, gets everything up much better and puts the heims at a better angle. Still have to try to straighten the tie rod up some. Also need to get some tubing or something to make spacers(I didn't have enough spacers or long enough bolt to mock the driver knuckle up properly)

 

[KB6Chris]

Having swapped a Dana 50 myself into a Jeep YJ, i'm happy to see others using this axle. I'm running 38x15.5x18's with 5.38 gears and welded spider gears. Only things I've broken has been a passenger side stub shaft. And this happened because I was pulling out a stuck crew cab super duty in 4low, in reverse on a hard packed lane and my locking hub didn't decide to grab till I was at prolly 3,000 rpm and already spinning the other 3 tires.

Another option for locating the drag link higher is to have your passenger knuckle machined, drilled, and tapped to be able to bolt a higher steering arm to it.

 

[Rockwood]

Also got a Dodge 2500 van MC in the mail today, hopefully this fixes the brake issues

What year Yodge 2500 van?

 

[Gunhand1]

Having swapped a Dana 50 myself into a Jeep YJ, i'm happy to see others using this axle. I'm running 38x15.5x18's with 5.38 gears and welded spider gears. Only things I've broken has been a passenger side stub shaft. And this happened because I was pulling out a stuck crew cab super duty in 4low, in reverse on a hard packed lane and my locking hub didn't decide to grab till I was at prolly 3,000 rpm and already spinning the other 3 tires.

Another option for locating the drag link higher is to have your passenger knuckle machined, drilled, and tapped to be able to bolt a higher steering arm to it.

What locking hubs did you have that they didn't actuate? Stock vacuum hubs?

I saw on the old site where a guy was doing machine work for bolt on knuckles, but me being a cheap ass I opted to weld them on . If these don't hold up I've got a spare set that I can send out for machine work.

What year Yodge 2500 van?

It's for a 99. It's a 1.25" bore vs a 1" bore on the XJ factory unit. It bolts right up, I still need to bleed the system though and test it all out

 

[KB6Chris]

What locking hubs did you have that they didn't actuate? Stock vacuum hubs?

I saw on the old site where a guy was doing machine work for bolt on knuckles, but me being a cheap ass I opted to weld them on . If these don't hold up I've got a spare set that I can send out for machine work.

New replacement Stock hubs but not vacuum. They worked good when new but I submerge them a lot and they fill up with crap and dont work worth a damn lol

I've seen weld on arms take a lot of abuse and i've seen them not make it out the driveway lol, just depends on the guy who stuck them on

 

[Gunhand1]

New replacement Stock hubs but not vacuum. They worked good when new but I submerge them a lot and they fill up with crap and dont work worth a damn lol

I've seen weld on arms take a lot of abuse and i've seen them not make it out the driveway lol, just depends on the guy who stuck them on

The stock hubs were a little cheaper than the Milemarker ones I bought, but they looked like they stick out further and I didn't want to break one on a rock since I don't have a beadlock ring to kinda protect it.

Well, my weld on arms made it out of the driveway at least , we will see how they do on the trails in a month or 2.
I hurt my power steering pump pretty good in the spring when I blew a line and had to drive it back to camp with no fluid. I thought it was ok after repairing the line, but the trip out a few weeks back really roached it so I gotta pick up another.

Plan right now is to run a WJ 4.7 pump and I'm gonna pick up a 1.5x8 ram and start on the hydro assist setup. What's the preferred line size? If I remember right 1/4" is a bit small and causes heat buildup (which I have an inline cooler to install). Need to get this dialed in by the end of September for the next ride.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

The stock hubs were a little cheaper than the Milemarker ones I bought, but they looked like they stick out further and I didn't want to break one on a rock since I don't have a beadlock ring to kinda protect it.

Well, my weld on arms made it out of the driveway at least , we will see how they do on the trails in a month or 2.
I hurt my power steering pump pretty good in the spring when I blew a line and had to drive it back to camp with no fluid. I thought it was ok after repairing the line, but the trip out a few weeks back really roached it so I gotta pick up another.

Plan right now is to run a WJ 4.7 pump and I'm gonna pick up a 1.5x8 ram and start on the hydro assist setup. What's the preferred line size? If I remember right 1/4" is a bit small and causes heat buildup (which I have an inline cooler to install). Need to get this dialed in by the end of September for the next ride.

3/8 with 3/8/-6 jic is the standard

 

[BigWheel]

West Texas off-road was pretty helpful for me when I started researching hydro assist. They got some components that might help you out too

 

[fl0w3n]

Now that you've run it a little, would you do the swap again?

Starting with free D50's is good... but without that option I am kinda mulling over a D44 with the D50 guts

Jantz Engineering: Jana 54

 

[Gunhand1]

Now that you've run it a little, would you do the swap again?

Starting with free D50's is good... but without that option I am kinda mulling over a D44 with the D50 guts

Jantz Engineering: Jana 54

It's still a little early to say, but I'm leaning towards a yes. I need to gether up all the pics and video still yet, but the jeep got the absolute dog shit beat out of it this weekend with nary an issue. Mind you, it is still on 35s, but I'm usually in a group of guys with 378s-42s so I have to employ some "creative" driving techniques to not just live on the cable. It got reverse neutral drops, lots of rev limiter, front wheels off the ground, etc.

So yeah, I'm pretty pleased with it to say the least.

My only complaint against the 44 is the limited ujoint size, and it's not really an easy fix (unless it's a JK 44)

 

[Gunhand1]

Alright, probably the last update on this as, other than a few small issues, everything seems to be working great.


So after the first shakedown run and the resulting torched power steering pump I figured it was time for an upgrade, so off to Surplus center to order up a 1.5x8 cylinder, hoses, etc.
In the mean time I pulled the box off and disassembled it to clean, inspect, and port the housing. I'm not gonna get into too much detail on all this, there's plenty of writeups out there.

After a little ghetto fab for the tie rod mount she's in there. After this last run I've decided I need to make a few adjustments, nothing major but it's a very tight fit with the tie rod and drag link all mounted up so high.

Not a whole lot of room at full bump. But, on the bright side it doesn't have bump steer

Anyway, this past weekend I loaded up the whole crew and we drove down to the Good Evening Ranch for Rocktoberfest and proceeded to gently beat on her and see what it would take. It made it the whole weekend and drove back on the trailer under its own power, so I'm gonna claim a W here haha. I noticed a front U-joint cap cracked( it was an original, so I probably should've replaced it already), and somewhere along the way a front shock bolt fell out.


Anyway, pics for your enjoyment. If you've never been I highly recommend a trip to GER, tons of awesome trails and great facilities and they have 8 or 10 nice cabins on site.

 

[Byro]

It's still a little early to say, but I'm leaning towards a yes. I need to gether up all the pics and video still yet, but the jeep got the absolute dog shit beat out of it this weekend with nary an issue. Mind you, it is still on 35s, but I'm usually in a group of guys with 378s-42s so I have to employ some "creative" driving techniques to not just live on the cable. It got reverse neutral drops, lots of rev limiter, front wheels off the ground, etc.

So yeah, I'm pretty pleased with it to say the least.

My only complaint against the 44 is the limited ujoint size, and it's not really an easy fix (unless it's a JK 44)

The little joints on the 44s really is where the 50 shines over it. The 1 ton outers and bigger ring gear are all what a 44 should be, not a D30 with a little bit bigger ring gear.

 

[PNWChevyJoe]

Having swapped a Dana 50 myself into a Jeep YJ, i'm happy to see others using this axle. I'm running 38x15.5x18's with 5.38 gears and welded spider gears. Only things I've broken has been a passenger side stub shaft. And this happened because I was pulling out a stuck crew cab super duty in 4low, in reverse on a hard packed lane and my locking hub didn't decide to grab till I was at prolly 3,000 rpm and already spinning the other 3 tires.

Another option for locating the drag link higher is to have your passenger knuckle machined, drilled, and tapped to be able to bolt a higher steering arm to it.

Hijack

Do you have the 4cyl or 4.0 motor?

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Now that you've run it a little, would you do the swap again?

Starting with free D50's is good... but without that option I am kinda mulling over a D44 with the D50 guts

Jantz Engineering: Jana 54

Like others said, the tiny u joints on the old D44s are what break. No point in a jana54 kit when you'll never break the ring gear.

 

[Halffastford]

I've got a D50 in my Sduty. The weak point with the lunchbox locker I'm running is the pinion. It'll throw that pinion bearing a good 50 yards with enough force to leave around bruise on a guys side. But I've only broke one so far and I've had it since 2003.

 

[Gunhand1]

Like others said, the tiny u joints on the old D44s are what break. No point in a jana54 kit when you'll never break the ring gear.

I've seen guys build a pile of d44s only to come to the same conclusion on their own. I'd have swapped in a JK44 of I could find one (that wasn't $2500). They use a 1350 joint that should be rated for about 400Ft/Lb more torque than the 1310 joint.......but still like 1000FT/Lb less than a 1480

I've got a D50 in my Sduty. The weak point with the lunchbox locker I'm running is the pinion. It'll throw that pinion bearing a good 50 yards with enough force to leave around bruise on a guys side. But I've only broke one so far and I've had it since 2003.

I can handle that failure rate , with the d30 it replaced the gearset was starting to become a yearly maintenance item, along with the ujoints, the shafts, the bearings, the balljoints, etc, etc
I'm sure the powerstroke has a good few more Twerks than my tired old 4.0 as well haha

 

[YotaAtieToo]

I've seen guys build a pile of d44s only to come to the same conclusion on their own. I'd have swapped in a JK44 of I could find one (that wasn't $2500). They use a 1350 joint that should be rated for about 400Ft/Lb more torque than the 1310 joint.......but still like 1000FT/Lb less than a 1480.

Totally agree, I'd rather use a jk d30 than an old style D44. From what I've seen, anything over 35s on the old D44s is trouble.

IIt's also a 797 joint, not 1310

I can handle that failure rate , with the d30 it replaced the gearset was starting to become a yearly maintenance item, along with the ujoints, the shafts, the bearings, the balljoints, etc, etc
I'm sure the powerstroke has a good few more Twerks than my tired old 4.0 as well haha

 

[fl0w3n]

What am I missing, is swapping a pinion yoke to 1350 not possible on the older Dana 44?

I had assumed you guys were talking about stub shaft joints and the issue being the knuckle isn’t big enough for something larger, but then you started talking 797/1310/1350

 

[u2slow]

The jk and 50ttb (and old 44hd even) use something like a 1350 joint in the knuckles.

Doesn't a solid Dana 50 use a 1350 yoke on the pinion? That would also fit a 44 pinion? I believe the pinion itself is the weak link; not so much the yoke.

 

[arse_sidewards]

The jk and 50ttb (and old 44hd even) use something like a 1350 joint in the knuckles.

Doesn't a solid Dana 50 use a 1350 yoke on the pinion? That would also fit a 44 pinion? I believe the pinion itself is the weak link; not so much the yoke.

It's really a shame Ford never made Dana slap a flange with their typical 4x4.25 bolt pattern on the front axles like they did the 60/70/80 or we could just run that plus whatever flange yoke we want.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

What am I missing, is swapping a pinion yoke to 1350 not possible on the older Dana 44?

I had assumed you guys were talking about stub shaft joints and the issue being the knuckle isn’t big enough for something larger, but then you started talking 797/1310/1350

Talking axle shaft joints. JK stuff can fit 1350 joints vs the old D44 797s. Not sure what yj/tj/xj/wj ect can fit. JL is 1410!

The SD D50 is 1480 just like the pre 05 D60s.

 

[fl0w3n]

Didn’t realize that, that makes more sense.

I’m following for future ideas of non-tons beefy upgrades

I need to do a deep dive one day and see if the RCV shafts that are in my WJ D30 will fit anything else. RCV says no but im wondering if that’s just because of “factory” compatibility

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Didn’t realize that, that makes more sense.

I’m following for future ideas of non-tons beefy upgrades

I need to do a deep dive one day and see if the RCV shafts that are in my WJ D30 will fit anything else. RCV says no but im wondering if that’s just because of “factory” compatibility

30 spline?

A HP D44 with gusseted D30 outters would be a decent build. Or if you can source Currie or dynatrac C's.

The more bling option would be to order a c to c housing from either.

Oooorrrrrr, just go 9" center

 

[fl0w3n]

30 spline?

A HP D44 with gusseted D30 outters would be a decent build. Or if you can source Currie or dynatrac C's.

The more bling option would be to order a c to c housing from either.

Oooorrrrrr, just go 9" center

If you’re footin the bill sounds good to me

I forgot to count the splines when I had the shafts out. Bought the whole polished 30 turd for like $800, too good to pass up.

 

[Mattygwheeler]

Talking axle shaft joints. JK stuff can fit 1350 joints vs the old D44 797s. Not sure what yj/tj/xj/wj ect can fit. JL is 1410!

The SD D50 is 1480 just like the pre 05 D60s.

My wife runs 1350 chromo axle shafts in her JK d30, few months back got all bound up and blew the front r&p and a rear axle shaft at the same time, front shafts survived. Post 05 f250/350 d60s are 1480 until 2018 when they went to 1550, post 05 f450/550 got the 1550 shafts from factory..But 1550 shafts will fit in any post 05 d60s...

 

[YotaAtieToo]

If you’re footin the bill sounds good to me

I forgot to count the splines when I had the shafts out. Bought the whole polished 30 turd for like $800, too good to pass up.

If you junkyard a hp44 housing with a trashed C or something, it wouldn't be too bad. Although if it's working for you now, I wouldn't mess with it. Or slowly gather parts for the build.

My wife runs 1350 chromo axle shafts in her JK d30, few months back got all bound up and blew the front r&p and a rear axle shaft at the same time, front shafts survived.

I think the jk axles get a bad wrap because they're in the jk which get really heavy by the time they hit the trail. Throw those axles in an older jeep, Toyota, ect and I think they're pretty decent.

Post 05 f250/350 d60s are 1480 until 2018 when they went to 1550, post 05 f450/550 got the 1550 shafts from factory..But 1550 shafts will fit in any post 05 d60s...

I think 1550s came in some F250/350s before 2018.

Also the F450/550 shafts will not fit the F250/350. The bigger trucks are a lot wider, so obviously the shafts are longer. The newer 1550 shafts from a 250/350 will work though.

 

[350TacoZilla]

I think the jk axles get a bad wrap because they're in the jk which get really heavy by the time they hit the trail. Throw those axles in an older jeep, Toyota, ect and I think they're pretty decent.

I can see this being a decent junkyard swap for older toyota and jeeps that weigh half as much as a jk. Mainly heard about the JK tubes bending because they were apparently a thinner wall tube though I don't have first hand experience with them. Plus lets not forget how many guys bought JK's that have 0 clue how to wheel and just bounce over obstacle's or bind them up and gas it to get out type of deal.