Bent dana 44

[mrchips]

Grab the free housing and have it sleeved and gusseted, should hold up pretty well.

[nikos]

Came across this on another forum. I don't have any idea how much shipping from IN would cost, but it's a D44 front housing off an 04 Rubi . . . FREEEEEEE!!!

http://rubiconownersforum.com/phpbb3...hp?f=6&t=67774

Thanks bro, I hit him up on that. Lets see if he ships it!

[nikos]

That dana 44 off the other forum was bent, so no good! He refered it as smiling. Anyway, pulled the axle off my jeep and yes its for sure bent. I have to check if the axle shafts are still good. Where can I check those. Also theres some rubbing on them from it being bent. God I hope there ok, chromo axles will totally blow.

[aw12345]

roll the shaft on a flat surface and see if it wobbles

[nikos]

Ok thanks, I'll do that. Dynatrac is charging 4k for the pro rock 44. Thats a little steep right now. Plus, I really cant use any of my parts (arb, gears, axles) only the outers. Kinda sucks. I think I'm going to straigten the axle out and have someone I know truss it. It should be fine, I hope! Any thoughts on that move.

[mrchips]

To beef it up, you need to have it sleeved, a tube run in on the inside of the axle tube, and welded into place, will make it allot stronger than an outside truss.

[nikos]

To beef it up, you need to have it sleeved, a tube run in on the inside of the axle tube, and welded into place, will make it allot stronger than an outside truss.

Ok, thanks for that info. I should be taking it in on monday. I'll have them do that.

[mrblaine]

To beef it up, you need to have it sleeved, a tube run in on the inside of the axle tube, and welded into place, will make it allot stronger than an outside truss.

It will make it exactly as strong as an outside truss. If the outside truss is done correctly, sleeving the tube won't do a thing worthwhile and will only add weight.

Besides, the tubes on our axles are already small internally which can be an issue should you ever need just a small bit of misalignment to keep the inner C lined up.

[mrblaine]

One of the reasons I would be considering a dynatrac 44 would be the high pinion and off course its strength. I will have to find out what they want for it.

The second choice like mentioned would be to fix my origingal one, and the truss it to increase its strength. Lets see how much thats going to be.

Dana 60 is realistically not what I need for this jeep.

Nikos, I've been watching this thread for a few days and I'm still confused.

If you do the Dynatrac 44 with your outers for it's strength, you will quickly learn that the next weak point will be the inner C's or knuckles if you jump it again.

You've already admitted just how big of a mistake it was to jump it, so it seems to me that if you plan on making that mistake again, you will need a much bigger axle. Then you will quickly discover that there's not much else under the front end including the frame and suspension that will handle a TJ being jumped.

It appears that most are encouraging you to make something stronger to handle the abuse. I'd encourage you to keep your wits about you and drive like your right foot was connected to the gas pedal through your wallet.

Trussing anything under the front of your TJ will only encourage you to make the same mistake again.

[nikos]

Your right. I've owned this jeep for many years and have been wheeling it knowing full well of its limits and limitations. In this instance, I messed up. In Greece we have a saying that goes something like this: "Those who do not use their brain will have to use their feet."

Thanks.

[Materdaddy]

...drive like your right foot was connected to the gas pedal through your wallet...

Well said! That's some good advice!

(The whole thing was good advice, but I really liked that part) :thumbs_up

[nikos]

How do you change the inner tube seals. How do they come out? I've got the axle apart. I've been careful to mark everything the way it came out. Will I just be able to put everthing back in, or does it need to be re-geared? Thanks.

[curtis]

Check out Stu Olson's Site.

[mrchips]

No you will not need to re-gear, unless you want to now is the time, you are running 35 tires so to bring it to factory spec you should be running 4.88. To remove the seals you need a long rod and push it through from the U-joint end and push the seals out . You could use a socket or such that is the same diameter, but be careful not to damage the surface where the seal sits.
As for installing them there are special tools to install them, and also you will need a case spreader to get the carrier shims in on one side.
Maybe someone on MJR has the tools you can borrow or can help you install the seals and carrier etc when you are done.
Did you remove the pinion gear? If you did you might want to have someone that has knowledge of gear installs set up the preload again on the pinion gear, and check the pinion height as that will effect the contact pattern on the gears after final assembly. Don,t mix up the shims.

[nikos]

I'm running 4.88's so I'm good. Ok thanks. I've got everything marked as it was coming out. I'll have the guys who will straighen it remove the seals and pinion, and maybe they could help me get it back together. Thanks.