want to replace my d30 front axle

[PsYcHoBrOnCo]

what other vehicle has the d44 axle the same length? %)

 

[Steve]

71-77 Bronco.

 

[70_Steve]

what other vehicle has the d44 axle the same length? %)

also needs to be offset to the driver's side. As was said, 71-77 Bronco. I have a D44 w/PDB out of a 76 in my 70.

 

[Broncobowsher]

I can only think of one other vehicle that would even be close to the right width, have a drivers side diff and be a D44. But it would cost you more then a Bronco D44 ('71-'77), require a ton of fabrication, and the wheel bolt pattern would be wrong. But the good part is that it would come with a factory locking differential. Give up? Late model TJ Rubican. It would be a lot better just to find a Bronco D44 and put that in.

 

[broncnaz]

Everyone wants a D44 but the question is do you really need one? If your plans are to rock crawl and tires over 33in then yes you need one although there are a few people running D30's and 35 in tires with no problems. If your staying with 33in or below tires and mild offroading you may never have a problem with the D30 and can keep a eye out of a good deal on a D44 in the meantime.

 

[PsYcHoBrOnCo]

.

well i am going to go with 35's or 36's with a low lift and really cut & butcher the fenders, if you could only see the heap i just bought...lol, not really pretty. i could get really serious and use a d60 frt and rear from the wrecking yard i work in, but im am wanting to keep my fab cost as low as it can be...so i will be looking for a d44....any help in this would be greatly appreciated!

1. should i get a lift first or build axles? %)

 

[broncnaz]

I'd go with the lift first as theres no differance in lifts between a d30 and d44 plus it gives you more time to search for a D44 als check the classifieds here someone is almost always selling a D44

 

[PsYcHoBrOnCo]

if i lift it first and say i put 35's on it what is going to break?

 

[mtkawboy]

Dana 30s will barely handle near stock size tires if they are in perfect shape and if they are the original kingpins bearings they are junk, you can bet on it. No way to lube them and they have whats left of 35+ years of original grease in them. I wouldnt waste a minute of my time on them again. This is from someone who did once. Others may disagree which is fine with me, been there, done that. They are not one of Fords better ideas

 

[broncnaz]

Probably axle shafts right at the ujoint but if your careful you may never break a single one. Also the R/P are not the strongest on D30's so theres alway the possiblity of stripping it out. but with care you can go a lot of places with zero breakage.

 

[Broncobowsher]

if i lift it first and say i put 35's on it what is going to break?

When my 30 died, this is what went.
Spider gears had a couple teeth missing. One side gear was completely stripped, the other had 3½ teeth left. Pinion gear looked perfect. Ring gear had 40 broken or cracked teeth (one still looked good). Axle shaft seal leaked. Axles were still good. U-joints were sloppy but intact. Upper kingpin lost its guts and the tire was leaning over.
Even with all this damage it still worked. I pulled it apart laughing my ass off at everything that was wrong. I had just returned from the cinders and I know the 4WD was working, I have seen the video of it on Arizona Classic Bronco vides volume #3. Even have a cool shot of spraying the camera with cinders.
I knew something was wrong afterwards when I was trying to get to a lunch spot and had a hard time going up a hill. My brother asked why the front tire on his side wasn’t spinning. I looked and the drivers side was spinning at the same speed as the rears. I parked it. Did the group picture. Got stuck in the bottom of the bowl, put it in 4 WD (or maybe it was 3WD, who knows) and drove out. Put her back in 2WD, unlocked the hubs, went home and found the chunks.
That was the death of my D30. The D44 has exploded one U-joint (same size as the D30 joints) that led to the updating with chevy axles with 297 U-joints.
At least I got to pull the disk brakes off the D30 and move them over to the new D44 (chevy conversion)
All that was with 33's

 

[PsYcHoBrOnCo]

thats some funny s**t! havent stopped laughing yet......this pretty much answers my question.....i am now looking for a d44. ;D

 

[SaddleUp]

The 70 I bought had the carrier busted in two. Kind of looked like someone stuck a stick of dynamite inside it as it was entirely blasted. I think it had 31" tires on it at the time but can't be sure since it was the PO of the PO that did it. I.E. It passed through another PO that had it sitting in his garage for a couple of years before I bought it.