Anyone Full Float a waggie rear end?

[Dan Stewart]

I know for an early jeep 44, you can bolt on the spindle sfrom a dana 27 or 30 and get custom shafts made to create a full float setup. I had the Warn kit on my old axles, and now with the waggie rear I would like to have that setup again. Main problem is the 4 bolt flange on the end of the wagoneer 44 housing. I was thinking bout possibly making a spacer plate with holes to bolt onto the 44 housing, and flange holes to bolt a spindle on the spacer. Only real issue i have is now the assembly is being supported by 4 bolts, unles i machine the spacer with a lip that will index where the original wheel bearins go. The rest of it would be dana 44 spindle , hub and brakes. And ucstom shafts. But I am curious if anyone else has done a full float with a waggie dana 44 axle.

[joe]

And you want to do this why?
Main benefit of a FF rear over a semi-floater is hauling capacity. The FF supports the weight on the axle tubes rather than the weight supported on the axle shafts of a semi-floater. You planing to haul mega loads in your FSJ?
A plus to the rear FF though is if you flat tow your rig to the trails...add manual unlocking hubs and unlock them for towing. Other than the tow thing I personally think the only gain you'll get is knowing by spending big bucks for zip nada you'll a best get the warm and fuzzy feeling of supporting the US of A economy....<shrug>?

[Dan Stewart]

I actually want to do it because it is much easier to service the bearings, and if a shaft happens to break, you can pul the shaft and then still beable to drive off. I had the WARN kit on my CJ and i loved it. Jsut would like to do it with the waggie axle. And doing disc brakes is easier becuase you can bolt on a front disc brake setup. And have the same brake parts front and rear so that you can keep a spare and know it will work on any corner.

[k7mto]

I've not done it on a Waggy 44, but I'm planning on swapping my CJ's AMC 20 Warn FF kit over to a Scout 44. I just need to get the 44 spindle and have shafts made. The rest will bolt right up.

I ran the FF kit in my 20 for about 5 years. I never broke an axle, but it was reassuring knowing if I did, all I'd have to do is pull it (or unlock the hub) and keep driving.

[The PIG Smith]

Here is an article about how to build a Full Floating Ford 9" Rear end.

Building a Full Floating Ford 9" Axle

I would guess that the same tips, tricks and techniques would apply to building a Full Floating Dana44 rear end.

[Dan Stewart]

That is kind of how i was thiking bout it. Instead of cutting off the original flange. Machine a spacer like that, but instead of welding it to the housing, it bolts to original housing flange, and the index presses into the location with the original bearings go. Then there will be another set of flange holes that the spindle bolts to. To seal it you will RTV the spacer to teh housing flange, and then use teh gear oil in the diff to lube the spindle bearings. Just need to find somebosy with a lathe or CNC

[k7mto]

The Warn FF spindle is machined to fit into the recess where the bearing race normally fits. It just uses an o-ring to seal it and also uses diff gear oil to lube the bearings. Here's a shot of the AMC 20 FF spindle fresh out of the axle tube so it's a bit dirty. Sorry for the blurry pic, but you can see how it works. I suspect the Warn 44 spindle would be cheaper than having a custom flange made to bolt another spindle to, but I'm not sure.

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=1443&stc=1&d=1155766794

[Dan Stewart]

I always wondered how the later WARN spindle worked. I do not think Warn sells the spindles seperately. If they did, that would defiantely be the easiest bet. Could go really butch adn weld the spindles to a 4 bolt 3/4 inch piece of steel, but that would be difficult to get right on and perfectly straight

[scotty]

i personally would not waste the $$ on a 44, you may end up with unlockability and a stronger axle sahft,but your 44 will always have a dana 30 sized pinion and it will never be any better than that.

when modifying/bulletproofing an FSJ, your hard earned dollars are much better spent by simply purchasing an axle that is allready full floating,if you want the benefits of a FF axle. the dana 70 and GM 14 bolt are as strong with 10.5" ring gears and 1.5" shafts from the factory,and you can shave one from mild to wild and actually have more clearance than a 44 if you wanted to.

you cannot beat the "beef per $$ spent" aspect of a gm FF 14 bolt.for the cost of buying a kit or fabbing a FF 44,you could prolly buy a 14 bolt,convert the front to 8 lug,buy new wheels and still have some $$ left over