Doing a Dana 44 axle swap.. What do I need??

[mumbai]

I could get a stripped Dana 44 housing for $500.. I want to know what additional parts I would need to swap it in for a Dana 30 on a Sahara...
Also how much more $$ I am looking at in terms of parts and labour (I dont think I have the necessary equipment to do this on my own..)

Appreciate all your help..

Thanks..

[4will]

How stripped is it? No shafts, R&P, brakes, diff cover - just housing?

What about mounts? Is it a 44 setup for your JK?

I just saw a thread, on this site I think, talking about setting up R&P. There was discussion of about $1000 for R&P installed. I don't have any experience out here with the cost of setting up the R&P but you'll have a few hundred bucks in just the R&P plus all the other parts. That's not counting a locker.

I'm sure others will have some more accurate info but there's alot to be added to a bare housing.

[mumbai]

Its completely stripped... Just housing. It still has the mounts for the control arms and track bars, etc... It will need everything from shafts, gears, differentials, and what not..
I have been looking at individual prices and it doesen't look like I would be able to pull it all off at the same, so this would probably end up being a long term project with getting parts over time as cash becomes available..

[Haku]

That seems like they are asking too much for just a housing. To me, thats a mid range price for a complete stock Dana 44 axle. Not sure what side the differential needs to be on Jeeps(looks like Driver drop from a quick, but they are common enough in both configurations that you should be able to find one for cheap. I know Scouts came with them, as well as Jeep wagoneers and a bunch of domestic 3/4 and 1 ton vehicles came with these too.

I mean, here is a matching set of axles, driver drop, Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear for $400 and they are complete axles.... http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=185943

To me, if it is truly a completely stripped housing, that is worth MAYBE $100 and that is pushing it. I guess it might be worth more if its a newer housing out of a Rubicon or something, but even then its not worth $500. The one I posted above would need some reworking, but comes with most of the stuff you need. Weld on some brackets, re-gear(you will probably have to get a different carrier, but thats solved by getting an ARB or Detroit since it replaces the whole assembly), and maybe throw a locker in it and you are good to go. Its already a flat top one, so high steer is easy to do too. Buying an axle piece by piece will not only be a long and drawn out experience, but I would guess that its gonna cost you more too.

I know Jeep guys think their parts are made of Gold sometimes, but $500 is just a silly asking price for that housing.

[mumbai]

It is a Rubicon housing from a 2007+ Wrangler, so it would be a direct swap.. But will have to buy all the other bells and whistles...

[Zukrider]

i agree $500 is way steep for a housing. but, its a good way to go since you can pick the parts you want. that being what diff you want, whether a locker or open or limited slip. also what ratio and level of strength in the shafts. could be possible that your brakes and such will work on this one, but i have no idea!

personally, i would wait for a parting out Rubi and snatch that front end out!

[RidgeRunner]

$500 seems like a lot of coin for a bare D44 housing, even if it is from a JK. You'll be in it quite a bit when it's done. When you start pricing out shafts, carrier/locker, R&P and set up, outers, breaks, hubs, exc, and labor to put it all together; willing to bet you'd be well over $2k using new parts. If you are resourceful, do alot of the work yourself, and find used parts, you might keep it under $2k.

[RidgeRunner]

It is a Rubicon housing from a 2007+ Wrangler

Not sure if the new rubicon axles were full d44s or not, someone else can verify I'm sure. The old ones were d30/44 hybrids.

[cfr]

Read up on jk-forum.com or jkowners.com. This has been discussed at length. If you want a 44 for the front, either get a full Rubicon D44 from brakes to brakes or do the ProRock44.

[Java]

get these and build them:

http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=185943

[Haku]

get these and build them:

http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=185943

REPOST!!!.....hahaaaa

I guess my question is, is it worth $1-3k to just be able to bolt it in? I'm sure there are bracket systems to do this, and even if there isn't you can make them or adapt universal ones to do the same job.

I've never done one of these swaps so I don't REALLY know what the complications are, but from doing stuff on other axles and pricing things out, I know it adds up VERY fast. I mean, an ARB locker alone will cost you $800, plus another $300 for gears plus a $300-500 install fee. I would guess that axle shafts will be $400-1000. Not sure how stripped it is, but that is before you add in all the knuckles and hubs and brakes and all that stuff. I think upwards of $3-4k is more realistic, and thats if you get it all used and at great prices. I mean, without even taking steering, brakes, and such into account, and going in the "middle of the range" area, you are already into the $2500 territory. Not really saying where you should go, but if it were me I would go with the $400 axle that already has all the baseline parts you have, add some gears and a locker, adapters so your current wheels fit and $100 in brackets to weld on. As long as you are methodical and think it out, its not all that hard to figure out where to put the brackets and such. I guess that is the older Toyota guy in me coming out though, as even the kits for stuff on my rig require thought and planning, rather then just bolting stuff on like a lot of the kit for modern offroad vehicles.

I guess the REAL way to go would be to get a complete axle from a Rubicon that is being upgraded to 1 tons or something like that. Might be worth making friends with some of the bigger Jeep fab shops around like HCP and Crane among others and see what they do with the Dana 44's when they swap in a Dana 60.

[mumbai]

Yea I have been pricing things and it looks like about 2-3K in parts and labor.. It looks like a no go on this deal.. I might just be better of beefing up my Dana 30.. I saw this ad and just wanted to get an idea on what it would take..
Thanks for your help guys...
Cheers...