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Dana 44 dana 60 swap??

4K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  tbburg 
#1 ·
iv got a set of dana 44 and dana 60 axles sittin around and need to replace my snapped dana 35, will the drive shafts line up? what would i need to do?:confused::confused:
 
#2 ·
i swapped my axles out for a dana 44 front and ford 9 inch rear, when you do the swap you need to cut the spring perches off and then weld them back in the right position.the comanche has a narrower stance so you'll move them in a bit.also measure the length of the nose cone on both axles(in the rear) may need a longer drive shaft.i had to get a new u joint for the rear, the 9 inch has a wider (not larger cup) yoke. local advance auto parts had this (bastard) u joint in stock. its just a matter of having someone there that knows how to look up parts.
 
#3 ·
The rear axle is the easier of the pair to fit:
You'll need to shave all the brackets off the -60, weld on new spring perches in the appropriate position, get new/modify existing spring plates(-60 will have bigger axle tubes then the -35: U-bolts won't fit, and stock spring plates won't fit the new U-bolts) adapt or replace brake lines, adapt the E-brake(if desired), and get the proper sized yoke or a adapter U-joint.

The front axle is a pain:
There is NO stock axle, other then an XJ/MJ/TJ/ZJ -30 or hybrid-44 that will bolt into your truck. Assuming it is a driver side drop axle(some 4wds mount the pumpkin on the left, some on the right. XJ/MJs mount on the left/driver's side)The first order of business is to get a control arm mount on top of the pumpkin. This is cast into the XJ/MJ/TJ D-30 housing, and can not simply be cut off and welded on to the new housing. 'Couple companies make trusses that carry the mount, or you can fab your own.
After that's sorted out, the rest of the control arm brackets/spring perches/shock mounts/track bar mount have to be cut off the -30 and welded on the -44. A more expensive option is to call a company like Currie or Dynatrack and buy a set of brackets. They're expensive, but already cut to fit the larger axle tubes.

The other option is to re-design the whole front suspension, using radius arms, 3-link, leaves, custom 4-link or whatever. This is actually a lot more work to get right then trying to get all the brackets lined up and welded to fit the stock geometry suspension.
 
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