the way i read it, the op is asking if the d44s pinion shaft is longer than an 8.25. the d35 is shorter and when swapping out to a d44 from d35, the drivshaft will possibly be too long. its only 3/4 of an inch, but could be enough to cause problems. when swaping from an 8.25 to a d44, i believe they are the same. but dont quote me on that.