the 608.9 building a stronger dana 44

[dusty]

The 608.9
My Front 60/44 hybrid + some build begins:
Since i got a couple of PM's recommending i post a seperate thread regarding this I guess Im going to start one. there isnt a whole lot to cover and i was posting pictures in my jeep build thread but what the heck. heres my bonified full on polished turd for a front end. As it comes together i'll post pictures.

wasnt sure what to call it there is nothing that rolls off the tongue like 609, or 60/44....but its not entirely a 60/44 hybrid its more imho with a jk44 R&P which is a different animal in many regards with the d60 sized pinion shaft, larger ring gear and deeper cut gears it deserves a little more consideration.

So Im going to call it a 608.9 since its a hybrid running a ring gear is 8.9" and its being matched to D60 outer parts
For my application i needed a low pinion front end, im doing a low slung sua build on my old cj and wanted a lp sua housing that would fit that part while looking clean and somewhat deceeiving.
I was eyeballing a 609 but for the money and parts that i already have this seemed like a fun alternative. My .02 is the RD147 and the RD99 air locker shares many 35 spline parts and also share similar size. dana 44 locker and the pinion offset of the D44 was a little better than the 9" for my passenger side front low pinion application .........the hypoid on the 9" is better for more tooth engagement and stength but the new cut on the jk gears seem to make up for a little of that.
Anyways a 3rd member drop out front end is so 2002...... if im going to be sticking to my old school build i got have it look the part and a dana 44 housing just looks like 1992 and therefore nothing special and a slightly modern upgrade with a tiny weenie run of the mill D44 girdled cover keeping it togehter and as a mask hiding thebeefed up internals. Anyways I already have dana 44 housing so cost wise its a wash until you add the additional cost of a custom 9" housing and a high strength low pinion drop out, pinion supoport/skid.......

Hat tip goes out to Jantz enterprises for coming up with the Jana ring and pinion kits. Jana 54, Jana K4, jana 76... etc. point is with our rear dana 44's or front 44's the ring and pinion is always out weak link or you have to gout and source a new axle and cobble something. this doesnt fit everyone but it opens some doors..... and so hence the purpose of my build to actually show via pictures what the real potential gains might be. and to document what could be done

So this is the way the parts have fallen together:

So dug I up a Dana 44 front housing (3" tubes with 1/2" walls) and low pinion

Picked up a new 4.88 JK Dana 44 8.9" ring in pinion (maybe not a ford 9" ring and pinion but close enough and an improvement over a 8.5" lp D44) and install kit. through carl with Jantz enterprises
picked up a front dana 61 for cheap to steal most my parts from
Welded on the D61 king pin C's
chased down A 35 spline dana 44 ARB high speed carrier
Set it up so the short side shaft out of a chevy D60 can always be ordered or used and made the long side shaft the custom unit.
Axle seal for the 3" D44 tubes with 1/2" walls to 35 spline shafts Napa #15292
did a little bid of shaving to the bottom of the 44 housing
What i'm expecting this to end up being is Good clearance, lighter weight, stronger than a dana 44, close to a 609 in strength and in a package that is fairly decieving on the outside.
i'll have no doubts about running sticky 37's or 38's on this setup. granted ive picked my tire size and configuration just saying. sure the front 60 or 61 would have been ideal if i was going to go really big but this way my setup keeps the rig a sleeper somewhat. and since its in a lighter rig (401 powered CJ7 with 133:1 gearing) running smaller 35" tires for the time being, im SUA because im stubborn, i wanted to maintain clearance for now with smaller tires yet have confidence that as i increase to my sticky 37's the R&P wont be an issue and this seemed like it would be fun and it would fill the middle of the road bill without being a rock catcher.

thats where things are at right now my self dubbed 608.9 is starting to come together.

[dusty]

pictures speak louder than words

left to right Dana 60 4.88, JK 4.88, std D44 4.56
the dana 60 snout does have a small pop out on the snout which makes it look even taller in the stand up picture, hence the side by side shots which tell a little more




some close ups:
4.56:1 std dana 44 pinion on the left, 4.88 JK dana 44 pinion on the right
since i was an idiot and for got to rotate JK 44 pinion is on bottom, std dana 44 on the top




---------------------------------------
And for comparisons sake a 4.88 JK pinion on the left and a 4.88 dana 60 pinion on the right
or since i was an idiot and for got to rotate the picture the JK is on top dana 60 on the bottom
the pinions are the same diameter the jk just caught the light flash and looks larger but they are the same. 24 spline (jk) vs 29 spline (D60)


This gives a pretty good idea of the multiple size similarities between the 60 and the jk
jk is on the left dana 60 on the right

Whats interesting is the depth of the teeth on the JK pinion are the same as the dana 60..... i was quite shocked holding the jk R&P next to the 60 R&P, the only difference is length of the pinion and the diameter of the ring gear. but the surface area of the teeth on the ring gear, and the surface area of the teeth on the pinion and the depth / amount of tooth contact is the same. it is a significant difference from a std dana 44 pinion to ring gear relationship.

to build a 609 i was going to have to buy a aftermarket nodular 3rd member, $300 +/-, a ruffstuff housing $600 +/-, and a pinion gaurd $60+/-. On top of all my other parts.
this way i will be in this front end a smidge less than $2k and that includes buying the new ARB and new R&P. Hat tip goes out to Carl at Jantz enterprizes for figuring out the bearing and spacer combo to make the JK r&p fit a std LP housing via his jana 4k kit. Sure i could have done a 60 but looking at this R&P i think i'll be fine if i jump up in tire size ever, plus with my 401 its a little extra peace of mind, it may not be a 60 but it sure is alot closer in strength to a lp dana 60 front or a 609 than a std dana 44 or run of the mill dana 60/44 hybrid would be and i get the lighter package, clearance and the different factor.

jk and d60 pinions, obviously the dana 60 pinion teeth are still a little larger but the jk and dana 60 are much closer in size

dana 60 ring gear there is more meat but pretty close

jk ring gear

[dusty]

Very Rough numbers for comparisons sake:

609 low pinion
Dana 61 for shafts, C’s, knuckles, spindles and misc other parts. $300
3rd member Nodular drop out $310 shipped http://www.amazon.com/G2-Axle-Gear-6.../dp/B004PHB7N8
Pinion support, yoke $120
Ring and pinion $220
Bearing kit $130
Ruff stuff Housing $675
Axle tube Seals $40
RD99 ARB $975 shipped
Narrowing/ welding $200
$2970.00

Dana 60
Complete axle housing $750 +/-
Narrowing/welding $200
Ring and pinion $220
Bearing kit $130
Diff cover $110
ARB RD167 $1050 shipped
$2460.00

608.9
Housing already had but cost of a housing is $100
Dana 61 for parts $300
Narrowing and welding $200
Ring and pinion $210
Jana k4 kit with bearings and seals $250
RD147 ARB $925 shipped
Axle tube seals $40
Diff cover (already have) $110
$2125.00

My cost minus cover & minus housing is at $1915.00 tecnically minus the welding too but figured id leave that in there to make the comparison fairly close.

Wagoneer Dana 44 std
Housing $100
Ring and pinion $210
bearings and seals $125
RD109 ARB $875 shipped
Diff cover $110
Alloy shafts $400
CTM joints $375
$2195.00 +/-

And for the high pinion comments and crowd
If i could fit a high pinion heres how i would have looked at it: obviously a ford dana 60 high pinion would have run +/- $200 of what a low pinion housing costs + more work flipping it around.
609 Tru High 9 style
Dana 61 for shafts, C’s, knuckles, spindles and misc other parts. $300
3rd member Tru high 9 drop out $2629 + $50 shipping
Ruff stuff Housing $675
Axle tube Seals $40
Narrowing/ welding $200
$3594.00

call it a 6054 or 6050 or whatever you want to call it because one you stuff a 9" dana 50 R&P in there it ceases to be just a 44
high pinion dana 44 F250 Housing cost is $200 +/-
Dana 61 for parts $300
Narrowing and welding $200
dana 50 Ring and pinion $210
Jana 54 kit with bearings and seals $250
RD147 ARB $925 shipped
Axle tube seals $40
Diff cover (already have) $110
$2225.00

There are ways to get it lower via shopping on all of these used ctms or cheaper over stock alloy shafts.
Saving $500 to $1000 goes a long ways towards other parts and upgrades and i am by no means claiming im a genius and have the right idea doing this combo but just thought id throw some numbers up for the sake of comparison. my numbers could be missing something feel free to correct me but thought it was worth adding the info into the thread. granted the hypoid on the 9inch gives it a strength advantage that should be noted but i think there is wiggle room and a balance to between cubic dollars spent and strength needed.

if you can't find a cheap dana 61 there is always buying some c's and knuckles and parts off the forums

[dusty]

as more comes together and i get around to snapping more pictures i will but i figured this will get a few minds turning as to how someone else might be able to use this info front or rear to beef up the major weakness of a D44 especially if you already have alloy shafts or any other upgrades

[76FSChief]

Subscribed as I was looking at the Jana stuff as well.

[Stuka]

I can vouch for the JK D44 R&P's being a lot stronger than normal D44 R&P's.

Now if only the JK axle housing were not made of pot metal :/

Looking forward tot he build. Jana has some great combos.

[dusty]

there is some grinding that has to be done, very small to clear the ring gear getting past the gasket flange and then the slots for bearing head race so a small amount of die grinder work is invovlved. biggest PITA is the setting of the pinion shims and spacers. the JK R&P does fit and essentially turns your measly lp dana 44 into a dana 60 rivalry.

Granted that is an exageration because the 60 carrier will always be paramount but gone are the days of worrying about your pinion or ring gear breaking ......... the 35 spline arb is now my concern and since the RD99 that guys run in 609 ford 9" front ends is no stronger this is looking like a lower dollar more cost effective way to beef up for less money.

anyways pictures to follow when i get around to a download. took the better part of an afternoon (2 hours or so) to setup up a pattern with an open carrier and no spider gears but we got it to take

[jeeping1974]

I thought about a simular build but using the Jane 54 kit and a HP D44.

Can't wait to see how this turns out.

[Stuka]

...the 35 spline arb is now my concern and since the RD99 that guys run in 609 ford 9" front ends is no stronger this is looking like a lower dollar more cost effective way to beef up for less money...

Personally I would not go with the 35 spline ARB. The axle spline count is higher yes, but the carrier side strength is compromised. And there have been many people that have strength issues with it.

Personally I would go 30 spline with some good alloy RCV shafts.

[dusty]

Personally I would not go with the 35 spline ARB. The axle spline count is higher yes, but the carrier side strength is compromised. And there have been many people that have strength issues with it.

Personally I would go 30 spline with some good alloy RCV shafts.

I contemplated this also but the problems have predominately been with crash locking which is the same problem that plagues the 9 inch 35 spline RD99 that alot of guys use in many 609 builds. what i found interesting is the case and the spider gears in the dana 44 unit are are slightly larger than the ford 9 inch unit due to the 3rd pinion bearing forcing the use of a smaller case. with the crash locking, its typically related to guys engaging and appling throttle without allowing the locker gears to seat up. It was interesting doing some research for this in a rear end application i would agree with you that the 35 spline locker would be more exposed to crash locking and torque loads that most front ends never see. It also appears that the RD99 has less engagement 2mm vs the dana 44 RD147 i was told engages to a depth of 3.5-4 mm. compared to the old RD36 dana 60 ARB that used to engage to a dept of 6-7mm and the new RD167 dana 60s only engage at 3.5-4 mm. another nice thing with the RD147 is it shares alot with the 32 spline 1.41" JK arb that can be used for the rear 2007+ jeeps. the dana 44 case is definately not a dana 60 case but it is an improvement over the 9 inch ARB's.

for affordability sake the stock dana 60 shafts resplined on only one side made this a very affordable option. plus the 35 spline locker is already here and i dont have an extra $1300 to spend on RCV shafts unfortunately. interesting idea i was shooting for some off the shelf ability in this build. hence keeping with stock dana 60 35 spline 1.5" shafts resplined and having the ability to interchange or order it up without any "unique" parts.
But thats a great idea for others who might already have thier hands on a 30 spline arb

[dusty]

and for the sake of visuals
Super dana 60 HP 4.88, vs std dana 60 HP 4.88 vs JK rear LP 4.88
Just to recap: i'll be running the jk 8.9" R&p cryo'd for the front and the HP dana 60 10" super dana 60 R&p cryo'd for the rear. the ARB's used are an RD147 front and RD35 rear.

super 60, std 60, jk 44 all are 4.88's then there is a std D44 R&P 4.56 ratio




jk and super 60 on top
std d44 and std dana 60 on bottom

jk 4.88 vs std dana 44 4.56


No more R&P pictures till the install jsut since i had all of them sitting hre i figured it was good to post up

j20 housing before the knuckles got welded on. somewhere i have a picture of the knuckles welded on when i find it i'll post it
yes those are 1/2" thick 3" tubes



the napa seal i listed above is a double lip seal that fits a 1/2" wall 3" diameter tube. as to the stock outer shafts..... cost is a major factor right now, i could easily drop big bucks on 35 spline hubs, alloy inner and outer shafts. this way i'll run the 30 spline plastic hubs and 30 spline outers for this year jsut to get up and running and keep the fusable link in one of the easier to reach spots.
obviously lots of clean up left to do but i finally found a couple of picutures of the knuckles welded on




inner axle shaft lengths will be 14-3/4 short side and 32-1/2" long side. 63-7/8" wMS to WMS with the 5 on 5.5 hubs on there. i wanted 63.5" but it tacked up square and lined up with the bar perfect at this width and cutting it al back off to correct 3/8" want worth it. unfortunately no stock shaft options since i insisted on using a j20 housing and the cast in spring perch. if i would have been willing to slide the pumpkin over away from the spring a touch an inch or two i could have ended up with a longer short side and using a stock ford short side shaft. but the cast in perch looks cleaner

[KaiserMan]

Okay, I didn't read the whole thing, but if you had a D61 why not just re-gear it to match what ever you need? You can run low gears in one with a ring gear spacer.

Wouldn't it be much stronger and cheaper than your hybrid?

[dusty]

making it fit in the Housing

1. The JK gears do fit in low pinion housings front and rear, the casting need to be clearanced a some with a grinder on the top side and bottom. we used 2 washers stacked them to get a 1/4" high stack on the existing ring gear and spun it around to see where there were clearance issues.
2. As the JK gears are thicker, the kit uses a 3 series carrier, aka a carrier case for ratios 373 and down. Also, the ring gear bolt holes in the carrier had to be drilled out to 1/2”
3. Now setting the carrier and ring gear assembly aside, we needed to notch the pinion bearing head shoulder to provide clearance for a punch to be able to remove the pinion head race as they are very narrow compared to the stock std dana 44 bearing race. Two small notches at 2 O’clock & 8 O’clock with a die gringer is all that’s necessary.

after that you install shims and a specer as per carl's instructions to achieve a shim pack nearly 1/4" tall. on the top half of the pinion jk's use a crush sleeve. carl's kit includes a spacer to avoid the crush sleeve issues.

[dusty]

Pinion Head bearing Cup

26823

Pinion Tail bearing Cup

HM88510

Pinion Head bearing Cone

26882

Pinion Tail bearing Cone

HM88547

Lots and lots of, you'll have to make a spacer or two and more shims but it fits and its a big upgrade

[dusty]

Okay, I didn't read the whole thing, but if you had a D61 why not just re-gear it to match what ever you need? You can run low gears in one with a ring gear spacer.

Wouldn't it be much stronger and cheaper than your hybrid?

I should say that you should read the whole thing, my build of this front end is for a cj7 that is SUA on smaller tires 35's currently and will be on 36's / 37's and so i wanted higher clearance at the pumpkin and less weight than the D61 was offering. to equal the same clearance as my 35's and a D44 i would have to run 38.5's on the D61 or shave an inch off the bottom, build a custom cover and run 37's to have the same ground clearance and still be heavy. In my case wanted to build something different and show a few people a different option with their existing low pinion dana 44 housings. The dana 61 would have been beefier but... to assemble the d61 with 4.88's i would need two of the the ring gear spacers + 4 series arb + std 4.88 ring and pinion which meant the ring gear would be above the index lip of the carrier and so i would be relying wholly on the bolts to keep it centered plus there was some housing grinding to do also and if i was to run the ARB and 4.88's inside the 61 i plus if I was doing it i was going to shave the housing on the bottom, build a custom diff cover and would have to do some interior grinding to clear the ARB and the ring gear since there is some casting material in the way either way i opted to build a sleeper front end that to the naked eye will be misleading on the trail.


A return response might be:
-why do people build 9 inch front ends when a 60 is arguably beefier and cheeper?

-its kind of like the why build an AMC V8 vs just dropping a SBC debate that goes on there are many ways to do it. this is just a different take that has multiple applications.



alot of guys probably wont use this info to build king pin D44 front ends in fsj's but for the budget minded who are getting ready to regear their stock drivetrain they might be able to use it strengthening the R&P and later add alloy shafts and not have to fab in new axles. I think this will be applicable especially for guys with stock dana 44 rear ends on mildly built rigs since they can keep the 3 series carrier they probably have, drill out the ring gear bolt holes and stuff a much stronger R&P into their existing housing, later add alloy shafts and be in alot better shape than they would have been. alot more so than a stock D44 R&P back there with bigger tires and keep the 6 lug look.