dana 44 and ford 9

[benny]

i picked up a set of bronco axles.. 44 front and ford 9in rear. im trying to fiqure out what lockers to run cause ive heard bad about arbs in the 9in and what not so im trying to see if anyone is running arbs in a 9in..

[Kodiak Spirit]

I gotta throw my opinion in on this one, put a Detroit locker in that Ford 9 and you will be happy, as for the front 44, you will want to upgrade the axleshafts to stronger ones, so if you want to go with a front locker/arb/ox/etc; plan on changing those axles when you do that so you don't have to change spline counts or anything. I know a couple of guys that have done this exact swap, and it works good, but those front bronco axles <believe it or not> don't really do what we do.

[benny]

no give me all the opinions you have because i dont know a ton about the 9in. il admit. no my only problem about running a detroit in the rear is that its still going to be driven on the road alot. and i dont want tires cherpin and what not.. so would it be worth my money to get a FF kit for it..

[pdw]

I gotta throw my opinion in on this one, put a Detroit locker in that Ford 9 and you will be happy, as for the front 44, you will want to upgrade the axleshafts to stronger ones, so if you want to go with a front locker/arb/ox/etc; plan on changing those axles when you do that so you don't have to change spline counts or anything. I know a couple of guys that have done this exact swap, and it works good, but those front bronco axles <believe it or not> don't really do what we do.

Benny,
I agree w/Kodiak Spirit-a Detroit in the 9" is IMO the best option.

I had a Detroit in my old D35 and now I have a Detroit in my Currie 9". I have had very little of the "Chirping" that you mentioned, even while driving on the street. Every so often the Detroit in my old D35 would unlock while simply driving down the street, but nothing to be concerned---I mean every so often---like rarely.
***But remember that ANY typ of locker is not going to drive like an open diff. Even the ARB is going to act like a tight/new limited slip even when it's deactivated.***
Also, I have an Aussie locker in the front D30 and I can't turn into a parking spot w/o disengaging the clutch. If I don't then it locks and unlocks repeatedly-it turms into a jerky click-clack event that is better left unseen. So, whether it be a "lunch box" locker or a full on Detroit locker, things are going to change. You simply adjust your driving to suit.

[Kodiak Spirit]

benny, is your TJ a stick or auto? that will make a big diff. in locker, cause with a stick you can work the clutch and make the lockers do your bidding, if you have an auto, they will allways be under torque so you will have a bit more of the chirping...

[Elusive]

***But remember that ANY typ of locker is not going to drive like an open diff. Even the ARB is going to act like a tight/new limited slip even when it's deactivated.***

Not true.
ARB's are sompletely transparent when they are off. You can not tell they are anythinng other than open.

I have not heard anything bad about the 9" ARB, ubt it's only a couple years old, it's possible they did have some issues with it.
I'd run detroit rear/ ARB front or just use a d-44 rear axle.

[freewaydan]

I have a Detroit in my D35,barks on just about every corner i take.I have a truetrac in my D30,with my automatic, you just have to adjust how you drive, and hold on for the wild ride.....

[miguelitojeep97]

lol I have a detroit in my rear D44 with a 5spd and 48s. when i pull a tight u-turn i can hold the driver side tire in the air, like a trophy truck!

[pdw]

lol I have a detroit in my rear D44 with a 5spd and 48s. when i pull a tight u-turn i can hold the driver side tire in the air, like a trophy truck!

Wow! I've never tried that, but maybe I make my U-turns at a lower speed than you do......But then again could that the difference between coils and leaf spring suspension?

[Long&Low]

I've been running those axles in my Jeep for over ten years. I've had little to no luck with lunch box lockers in the D44. However, I've been running the same Detroit EZ Locker in the 9" for ten years and have had no issues.

Upgrade the front axle shafts, you should get the non-necked down front shafts and the bigger u-joint versions the stock EB stuff used the Spicer 5-260x that are weak.

I would also look at upgrading the front brakes to the GM/Wagoneer style as the early Ford units are extremely prone to only gripping on the inner side of the disc. You can do this using the Ford rotor, hub, and then the GM/Wagoneer brake brackets and calipers. Most of the "real" / older D44 stuff from the knuckles out are somewhat interchangeable.

OX or an ARB would be my best advice for the D44.

YOu can pick up nice used Detroits off of e-bay for the 9". Plus look at upgrading the rear axles to at least the 31 spline variety, you prolly have the 28 spline ones. Easy way to tell is the EB with 10" rear drums have 28 spline axles, the ones with 11" drums will have the 31 spline axles.