MoparManiac
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Amherst, NH
I've always wondered why no one has tried using a load bolt yet. Grab a kit from that Jantz guy on Pirate and see how it holds up on something like sunburned's axle.
Dana 30 Build: Sleeve, Truss etc.... for 35's
- Thread starter nosigma
- Start date
foxwar71
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Foxboro, MA
This.
With 33's you can run stock shafts and just add some metal to gusset the inner CD's and such. Add a good cover too. Cheap and fairly reliable. Anything over that and you're gonna be dumping money into the axle and its time to start think about 3/4 or 1 ton stuff. I built my HP60 for a little more then I sold my semi-pimped out stock axles for.
blondejoncherokee
NAXJA Member
- Location
- sacramento
Before you get too committed, open up excel and run a spreadsheet on costs to build a 30 , a 44, and a 60. you will see that in the long run, the real differences will only be the initial costs of the housing , new front rims and brackets between the 30 and the 44, and between the 44 (say a 65 WMS to WMS hp44 use more backspacing so you don't need to narrow it) and the 60 will be narrowing the front on side and shortening one front shaft and maybe/probably get stuck going coil overs on the 60 too due to lack of room for coil buckets.I am assuming you will be going brakes, ball joints, U joints, shafts, bearings, spindles, hubs, lockouts etc on all axles . There are some potential cost savings on the 60 too. run a 35 spline lunch box and 35 spline stock shafts and U joints.
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- Location
- Hammertown, USA
don't forget the cost of 5 new wheels, and either new rear axle shafts or a whole new rear end, depending if you go 5x5.5 or 8 lug.
MrSimon
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Downingtown, PA
Not true. Not even close to true.
A mildly built D30 with 33s will reliably take you through 95% of the trails at Rausch Creek. Which is why its such an awesome little axle.
Personally, for 35s and bigger though, I'd look for an already built D44 or D60 second hand. They can be hard to find, but will certainly be cheaper than building up the D30. I've seen locked and geared D44s with alloy shafts and complete steering sell for $1,000. Its rare, but happens.
Heck, you can buy a brand spanking new, bolt-in D44 with lockers, gears, and alloys from Quadratec for $3k ..... that's less than some people have put into the D30s in this thread.
- Location
- San Diego
I'm speaking from experience btw. I had fun wheeling my XJ with just a rear locker on 32s for a few years, bashing through most of the trails. But when my rock sliders were bending and breaking from hitting them so much, plus my friends all upgraded to tons and 40's, it was time for bigger tires and even better trails.
A more built D30 and 35's, like mine, can get you through 98% of the trails and that extra 3% is much more fun and exciting than the rest.
Again, I'll say I have no regrets spending the money on the D30. I just wish I had wheeled it more than I did.
blondejoncherokee
NAXJA Member
- Location
- sacramento
True. I already had my rear shafts drilled for 5 on 5.5 and 5 on 4.5 so it wasn't so bad to pull em and swap studs. And I ran only 2 front rims as 5 on 5.5 and kept the rear at 5 on 4.5, 2 cragar softs 8s for 110$ shipped from Summit Racing. Now Im all legit on 5 on 5.5 with a full spare, but it bought me some time or so of time while I caught up on funds from the damn expensive 44 swap.
- Location
- Patterson, Ca
I found my hp44 with good ball joint, brakes, rotors and warn premium hubs geared 4.10 to match the rear 60 I already had for $150. Wheels were $130 and $100 in brackets. Up and running for $400. Broke a long side shaft and bought a set of Yukon shafts for $500. For less than the cost of rcv's I have a strong setup that cost me less than I put in my 30 that always seemed to fail at the worst time.
CAJJ93XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Roseville, CA
^^isn't your 44 also welded?
- Location
- Hammertown, USA
foxwar71
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Foxboro, MA
- Location
- San Diego
foxwar71
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Foxboro, MA
HP60 - $200
5.38 gears/install kit/carrier - $240
Ten Factory chromos (custom length long side) - $700
Ruffstuff cover - $100
Lockright/KP rebuilds/bearings & seals/lubelocker - $750
NWF high steer arms - $350
Truss/3 link brackets/knuckle plating material - $40
-$2380
C&C 14b - $85
Ruffstuff cover/disc brackets/pinion guard - $180
Bearings & seals - $60
Shaved 5.38's gears/install kit - $450
UBE's/truss/shave job/orb of traction materials - $40
-$815
~$3200, guess I was a little off. I coulda saved money by re-using the wheel bearings and some of the other seals but I just ended up doing everything, coulda got cheaper steering arms and welded the front too. Eventually I wanna get a ARB for the 14b so that'll be more money.
- Location
- Patterson, Ca
My point is there is no reason to dump 2-3 grand into a dana 30 as it will never be as strong as a stock 60. The build over time idea is flawed as I put a 44 under my rig in a weekend for less than some spend on shafts. If you want to run large tires the 30 is the wrong starting point. If I had it to do over I would have went straight for the 60 and saved money. A stock 60 with a lunchbox is stronger than a $3000 dana 30, costs half as much, and is upgradeable from there. Once you start breaking parts of a fully polished turdy, there's nowhere to go. You've burned a stack of cash on an axle that just wasn't the right starting point. My 44 is far from polished and it was cheap. If it starts giving me problems I can upgrade it, or sell it for more than I have in it and replace it with a 60.
- Location
- San Diego
You did pretty well...
Add 1000$ to anyone in SoCal looking for an HP60...
I estimate the cost of my 30 at about $6k... If I had paid retail, and that includes gear install labor
CAJJ93XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Roseville, CA
so that's not the actual number? what do you actually have in your D30..
- Location
- Hammertown, USA
6K?
what, did you tip everybody 100% and ship the parts through China and back?
or are you estimating the way i estimate horsepower
- Location
- San Diego
:roflmao:
now that I am on my computer I can do it a little better... not all of the parts are exactly the same so its hard to get exact pricing.
ARB-$1000
4.56 gears w/master install kit- 500$
Warn hub conversion with warn inner shafts- 1500$
CTM U-joints- 500$
spare inner/outer warn shaft~ 800$
Vanco 16" kit with BM pads- 1100$
Labor on installing gears~ 600$
Labor on installing locker- 200$
Currie Upper JJ kit- 100$
total: ~$6300
I lucked out and bought the shafts/hubs, locker, and brakes from a friend who was upgrading and got a screaming deal. about half what they are worth.
overall I have probably 4k$ into it including labor.
but I don't usually advertise that as the price i "built my 30 for" because most people can't get that kind of deal.
I also have a Ruffstuff Cover that I won at a
event and an Artec truss. so that adds another 200$. and several hours fabricating CA skids, shock mounts, sway bar mounts.
and some people may consider the savvy/currie ultimate steering part of the 30 build since you can't run it on any other axle (unless you built an axle the same width with the same steering arm setup. which I don't know why you would do...) which is $500.
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