My new rear axle.

[Weasel]

Pick this thing up the other day from a buddy. In the process of removing the old spring perches and shock mounts (under a YJ), sand blasted the housing, new calipers, new brake lines, new diff cover, POR 15 the entire housing, new seals, welding on new spring perches and shock mounts.

Specs:
Dana 44 High Pinion (High Speed)
Dana 50 gears and pinion
Spool
Moser Shafts
Monte Carlo Disk brakes
5x4.5 bolt pattern

Cool thing about this axle is the diff and gears. Talking with the guys that built it a Dana 60 ARB or similar locker can be installed giving you the option of 35 spline shafts.

On to the pics.

It's going under the Jeep as is but when the D30 gets replaced it will be getting 5.13 or 5.38's, selectable locker depending on how the spool works out, and real axle shafts. The Mosers will work for the time being.

Oh and if you see the line on the diff cover bolt hole, that where the tap broke off.

 

[Phil]

If it's a D44, even a high speed (wtf?) one, how do you propose to get a D60 locker in there?

Or do you mean a 35spl D44 locker?

Come on now.

 

[xjjeeper19]

Just a question, but I thought a Dana 50 was just a D60 housing with D44 gears? But then again I don't know anything...

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

ha. looks like a low pinion turned upside down... which indeed it is hence the need for the support bar connecting the axle tubes together since somebody didnt know to drill the spotwelds out of the center housing and then slide them out. They just cut the axle tube and rewelded it together.

But it guess it would work like that. Pinion bearing lubrication should be intersting ,but i'll work.

 

[xjjeeper19]

ha. looks like a low pinion turned upside down...

Pinion is on the wrong side of the ring gear for that to happen

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

oops my bad! okay now i see it is a hp housing but a "front" hp housing put in a rear application. And hopefully they put "rear" application gears in it. Otherwise the axles will want to move opposite- one forward on backward(fighting eachother). But still should have drilled out the spot welds on the center section and slid the tubes out then slid the rear axle tubes in place and welded them on.

 

[JeepFreak21]

oops my bad! okay now i see it is a hp housing but a "front" hp housing put in a rear application. And hopefully they put "rear" application gears in it. Otherwise the axles will want to move opposite- one forward on backward(fighting eachother). But still should have drilled out the spot welds on the center section and slid the tubes out then slid the rear axle tubes in place and welded them on.

Wrong again sir... that would only happen if it was flipped.
Billy

 

[RCman]

oops my bad! okay now i see it is a hp housing but a "front" hp housing put in a rear application. And hopefully they put "rear" application gears in it. Otherwise the axles will want to move opposite- one forward on backward(fighting eachother). But still should have drilled out the spot welds on the center section and slid the tubes out then slid the rear axle tubes in place and welded them on.

Ummm... What? :twak:
What the heck do you mean by "rear" gears? LP? There are LP front axles as well, just like HP rear axles. Oh, and LP gears will NOT fit a HP axle if that is what you were trying to get at...

 

[JeepFreak21]

Just a question, but I thought a Dana 50 was just a D60 housing with D44 gears? But then again I don't know anything...

The ring gear about 9" (whereas a 44 is 8.5")... it doesn't look like the housing had to be clearanced

I'm not sure how a D60 ARB would fit... or what benefit it would be over a 35 spline D44 unit (w/ Dana 50 gears???)...

I'd be leary of using a high pinion axle in the rear unless it was super beefy (relative to the tire size obviously) or a TruHi9. What size tires are you gonna run?

Billy

 

[Weasel]

Wow the comments..

This thing was built locally but I don't know that much about it yet. I was told it's a high speed 44, no idea what that means yet though. Ring gear is bigger then a 44 pinion is slightly. It is a true high pinion axle, the brace was put on after the axle tube weld cracked about a year and a half ago. Really no need as it was rewelded decently but more of a just in case.

This thing was built prior to the 35spline 44 stuff and was built with the intention of sticking D60 lockers and shafts in it. Is the D44 35 spline shafts 1.5"? They have built a handful of these things and the rigs have been running 37-39" tires with no problems.

As for the locker fitting, don't have one on hand so I couldn't tell you, thats what I was told by the local guys the put this thing together.

Oh and I got it for 500 bucks. And I'm going to run 36-37's on it, when it gets regeared, right now it has 4.56's.

 

[Root Moose]

This thread makes my head hurt.

WTF is that axle?

 

[87xjco]

O/K I'll take a stab :rof:

Looks like a front HP44 center section retubed.

If so it most have the reverse cut ring and pinion gears. But it will be using the coast side of the gears when driving forward.

Just like a LP44 or LP30 does when used in a front application.

Pros:
better ground clearance

35 spline locker could be used

Should have the same pinion oiling system as any stock HP44

Cons:
Questionable strength since it's using the coast side of the ring gear

Custom axles needed unless the tubes were cut for the same length as a stock shaft combo

 

[Gravesdiggerxj]

Terry,
it looks to me like a Ford High pinion Dana 50 front diff (like from an excursion or superduty)
(The OP explained it has a larger ring gear and slightly larger pinion, if I'm reading that right)

that has been retubed to be used as a rear diff

similar to the CRD or Tera 50's

 

[87xjco]

That makes sense, looked like kind of small tubes coming out of the center section.

Still riding on the weak side of the gears but if they're bigger then a HP44, maybe they will hold up well.

 

[Weasel]

O/K I'll take a stab :rof:

Looks like a front HP44 center section retubed.

If so it most have the reverse cut ring and pinion gears. But it will be using the coast side of the gears when driving forward.

Just like a LP44 or LP30 does when used in a front application.

Yep pretty much. Chatted more with one of the guys that knows more about this axle and it was built before the new options of 44 lockers with 35 splines. Actually it was built probably close to ten years ago before anyone was even talking about 35 splined stuff.
The high speed is referring to the numerical lower gear ratios, 3.73 and down, or where ever the carrier split was. Anything that will fit a D44 gear set with that carrier will work with the D50 gears.
I did misspeak on the locker as the D60 ARB would not fit, a D50 would but you only get 30 spline shafts. A D60 lockrite will fit with some massaging allowing you to run 35 spline shafts. Thats what they did with this axle back in the day and there are two running around town with 38/39's and hold up just fine.

 

[Root Moose]

If an open D60 carrier will fit (required by lockright) then the clearances inside the housing must be quite close.

Any chance that some selective die grinder work could make it fit without weakening too much? Re-add material on the outside of the housing maybe?

JAT

 

[Weasel]

Terry,
it looks to me like a Ford High pinion Dana 50 front diff (like from an excursion or superduty)
(The OP explained it has a larger ring gear and slightly larger pinion, if I'm reading that right)

that has been retubed to be used as a rear diff

similar to the CRD or Tera 50's

Not a Excursion but probably a Ford Housing (don't think it's a superduty). And it's not a 50 housing, it's a 44 Housing. D50 4.56 Gears.

If an open D60 carrier will fit (required by lockright) then the clearances inside the housing must be quite close.

Any chance that some selective die grinder work could make it fit without weakening too much? Re-add material on the outside of the housing maybe?

JAT

The lockright took some work, I will have to talk with the guys that have it in their rigs to find out exactly what had to be machined. They did have some housings that they were milling out to fit larger gears at some point but I don't know whatever happened to that idea.

 

[Root Moose]

So do D50 gears normally fit in a D44 housing? (sorry, not up on D50 tech)

 

[JeepFreak21]

So do D50 gears normally fit in a D44 housing? (sorry, not up on D50 tech)

:dunno: but the ring gear is a half inch bigger.
Billy

 

[xjjeeper19]

:dunno: but the ring gear is a half inch bigger.
Billy

Does a D44 housing have a 1/4in clearance all the way around? If it does, I think the D50 gearset will fit with out the need to clearance. I've only worked on one D50 and that was in a 99 superduty, never thought about stuffing those gears in a 44.