Dana 44 inner c cut and turn

[Yeller]

@TheLimeRanger what’s your location?

 

[lars]

Seems to me that a list of people and shops that can perform the cut and turn, in the form of a stickie thread, would be a good idea. Since this topic comes up so often.

 

[jamesroney]

Seems to me that a list of people and shops that can perform the cut and turn, in the form of a stickie thread, would be a good idea. Since this topic comes up so often.

If I were smart, I'd just build a bunch of used housings that are cut for a 3.5 lift Bronco. But you kinda have to twist the track bar mount too. And the coil cups start to bow a little.

Problem is, if you are going to all that trouble, you might as well go High Pinion. And a little wider.

Somebody ought to figure out how to put Bronco inner C's on a JK axle. Oh, never mind...Tom's has them in their catalog. only $4800.

Unfortunately, I won't work for money. But this building axles for free is getting silly.

 

[Yeller]

Unfortunately, I won't work for money. But this building axles for free is getting silly.

Glad to know I’m not the only slow one that since no one can afford our labor we work for free

 

[DirtDonk]

The factory 44 in my 71 was about 1 3/4° positive on one side and 2 1/4 on the other side, if I remember correctly.
That was with 7° bushings and, about 2 inches of lift. Might’ve been 3 1/2 inches of lift, but I think I did my only alignment check before I put the 3 1/2 springs in.
Been a long time! Wonder if I still have the print out… that would be a nice find for me, as it’s been so long the numbers could be way off in my memory. But I do remember them being very low.

 

[DirtDonk]

But either way, we’ve talked about this ad nauseam for as long as we’ve been on Internet forums. Far lower caster than expected.
Both with the 30 and the 44 front ends.

 

[Oldtimer]

My version of "Nifty Tool"

Linear Motion Shaft, 1/2” X 18” https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/130/1356/6061K43
Drill Bushing, 0.5" ID, 3/4" OD https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/130/3008/4315A91
1 1/8"-12 Bolt https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/130/3569/92620A270

Drill & Ream .501” hole thru bolt & cut 1” long, screw into upper ball-joint threaded hole.
Add couple layers of masking tape to bushing OD to snug up in lower ball-joint taper.

 

[Yeller]

I usually just use my propeller protractor against one of the machined surfaces set at the degree I want and rotate until the bubble is level.

 

[TheLimeRanger]

@TheLimeRanger what’s your location?

im on Long Island. theres a shop in MA called Mitchell differential that looks like they could probably do it, and one in CT called Ct. Axle and spindle. was hoping for someone a little closer to home if possible.

 

[nvrstuk]

i was skeptical also. i thought for sure those bushings were in backwards, or they werent 7° bushings, so i took it apart, they were in right and they were 7°. I just drew the short straw on the dana 44. the guy welding it probably did it on a friday at 4:45 and wanted to get the hell out of there! ive reached the point where ive had enough of it driving like crap, now i just need to find someone to do it. i dont have the skillset to take this on myself. i know where this goes though, well, while im doing this, i might as well go to an overdrive transmission, and if im going to do that, might as well change the gear ratio's lol. i need to focus!

... and don't forget that you "might as well" put in one of my strokers too!! WTH right??

Have a great week! To me the "best Bronco" is the one you built... do it the way you want.

 

[widowmaker77]

Wow!
I Stopped receiving notifications about comments being added so
I thought this post was dead a couple weeks back. I’m glad all of you chimed in
So
I’ll give an update on what I did and it’s probably wrong but it’s the way I went about it. I sorta followed what @bax did when he cut down his full-size Dana 44
Sooo Against some of you guys sugeestions I ended up cutting the wedges off. I really felt like I was digging too deep in the tubes trying to Cut the weld out of the c while working around the wedges. After all was said and done I did dig into the housing quite a bit so I removed both c’s . I welded these areas in. Checked the tube straightness to be sure
It didn’t draw and all seems good there. I’ve added some pics of the c’s after I removed

Next I toreDown my 77 axle because I need to use some pieces from it to get this 73 built. Before I took it out I took some reading at the inner c with my angle finder. It apppears I had 2*of castor with 7* bushings and duff 3.5 coils.
Installed the 73 housing and took painstaking measurement multiple times to be Sure i have the wedges the same amount out from the housing as they were before i cut them. Set the pinion angle to what I think is good and tacked the wedges in place. I Was going to Post some pics of
The driveshaft vs pinion angle but I guess I forgot to take some. I will take some tomorrow and post . Not sure if it’s right or not but with the axle at full droop there’s no binding at the cv shaft.
Now… I have the c’s back on the axle tube but my angle finder started sticking so I don’t trust the readings I’m getting. Went and bought a Klein digital angle finder and will use it.
Here’s where I’m having some issues and could use some guidance. I keep getting inconsistent readings. Where is the the best place to set this angle finder in order to get repeatable numbers??

 

[widowmaker77]

Ok here’s where I ended up with my driveshaft and pinion angle.


I can’t seem to post multiple pictures in the order like I need to so I’ll just make multiple post!!

 

[widowmaker77]

After looking at the tool @lars and @Oldtimer posted I made one of my own with some hydraulic plugs I drilled out and tapped for 3/8 all thread. Nothing too fancy but with the bevel and the oring on there they fit pretty snug

If anyone is interested in these I can get part numbers for them. The plugs are already drilled out in one end with a 5/16 hole so I just drilled straight through that hole then tapped 3/8” threads in there. Thats all the “machining” it took to make them

 

[widowmaker77]

So after measuring and tapping on the c’s several times back and forth, I figured out you have to out the angle finder in exactly the same spot every time or you will get all types of different numbers. BUT here’s what I have so far on the castor degree readings
Driver side


Passenger side

So any input from you guys that have done this
Before is greatly appreciated before I tack these c’s in place
One more Of the driver side

 

[Yeller]

Is all of the weight on the front axle? If it is your good, if not I’d check it at that point, it will increase. If the weight is in weld it 7* is more than most call perfect but I don’t think it’s an issue. My bronco is at 11-1/2* and another vehicle I have is at 20*, the tires on it lay over like a road grader lol. But they both drive very nice.

 

[widowmaker77]

Is all of the weight on the front axle? If it is your good, if not I’d check it at that point, it will increase. If the weight is in weld it 7* is more than most call perfect but I don’t think it’s an issue. My bronco is at 11-1/2* and another vehicle I have is at 20*, the tires on it lay over like a road grader lol. But they both drive very nice.

Yes sir all the weight is on it. Can’t see it but the axle is sitting on jack stands.
I’ve been contemplating on going a little less castor in case I decide to put a set of duffs trex arms on it in the future. Not sure if I should or not. If I leave it at 7 and I decide to go with the other arms I’d have something like 11 1/4*. Would that be too much for tire wear?

 

[jamesroney]

Yes sir all the weight is on it. Can’t see it but the axle is sitting on jack stands.
I’ve been contemplating on going a little less castor in case I decide to put a set of duffs trex arms on it in the future. Not sure if I should or not. If I leave it at 7 and I decide to go with the other arms I’d have something like 11 1/4*. Would that be too much for tire wear?

No you won’t. If you go with the “other arms” the only thing that has to change is the wedges.

As long as you are at your lift height, your caster will always be 7, and your pinion will always be 16. Where the radius arm points is all in the c-bushings and wedges.

Weld it.

 

[Yeller]

Yes sir all the weight is on it. Can’t see it but the axle is sitting on jack stands.
I’ve been contemplating on going a little less castor in case I decide to put a set of duffs trex arms on it in the future. Not sure if I should or not. If I leave it at 7 and I decide to go with the other arms I’d have something like 11 1/4*. Would that be too much for tire wear?

You can always put degreed bushings upside down to reduce caster. As for tire wear I don’t find it to be a problem but my truck gets a lot of trail miles which wears them pretty flat.

 

[widowmaker77]

No you won’t. If you go with the “other arms” the only thing that has to change is the wedges.

As long as you are at your lift height, your caster will always be 7, and your pinion will always be 16. Where the radius arm points is all in the c-bushings and wedges.

Weld it.

Yes sir. I appreciate all the help.

You can always put degreed bushings upside down to reduce caster. As for tire wear I don’t find it to be a problem but my truck gets a lot of trail miles which wears them pretty flat.

I gotcha. I don’t know where that line is supose to be for too much castor. If there even is one.

 

[Yeller]

Yes sir. I appreciate all the help.

I gotcha. I don’t know where that line is supose to be for too much castor. If there even is one.

I’m sure there is, and at some point it cuts into turning radius and the tires just lay down on their sides instead of creating turning action. Mine wound up at 11.5 because the axle was built for a full hydraulic steering system, my target for that is always 10-12 degrees having driven it that way for that last 12 years I have no issue with it. The one that I have that is 20, I have no idea what the the thought process was, I didn’t build the axle, just set the pinion angle and built thr suspension, caster came out there and decided to try it. It drives like it’s on rails, but get few enough miles that I can’t comment on tire wear, it might get driven 300 miles a year and far less than that the last 6 or 7, I built it over 20 years ago and if it has 10000 miles on it would be a high estimate.