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Dana 44/60 Axle Swap

16K views 85 replies 25 participants last post by  fuzzy89 
#1 ·
So ive had my jeep for about a year and a half now and a axle swap was always on the plan of upgrades and in just the past 3 weeks have i came up with the axles that i liked.:D the donor vehicle is a Ford F250 Ranger which is also donating its T-18 and NP 205 to the cause:thumbsup: Heres what i have so far ive got the back axle out and the Dana 60 bolted in for test fit and hae the front out and the Dana 44 tore apart for rebuilding
 
#59 ·
fuzzy89 said:
The D rings are 5/8 and the buttweld on the steering linkage has a schedule 40 sleeve 6in long 3in on either side of the weld.
That's not even the biggest issue here fratis pointed our your steering. That weld on the pitman arm looks like you used a little 110v welder to glue it together. Then ground down the weld to make it purdee. The things you should never skimp on are steering and braking. There are plenty of guys that can help you out here. Please let us help you fix your steering problem before you take it out on any public road.
 
#61 ·
welding: I'm a welder and I have a 110 mig and a ACDC stick welder
a 110 is fine for somethings say sheetmetal light steel but when you want
things (LOL) to stay together you use a stick welder and not 6011 ether.
you use 7018.You should not weld a pitman arm. Spend the money and do it right, don't cobble it together.
 
#64 ·
I know you said you are a "welder" and all, but isn't the pitman arm cast ductile iron and requires preheating and a nickel rod?

Nothing is wrong with a 6011 rod when used correctly. To say use a 7018 rod and stick welding when you want things to stay together tells what kind of a "welder" you are.

:welder:
 
#62 ·
fuzzy89 said:
theres about 20 passes of weld on it laying one bead then wire wheeling it then laying another weld and so on
Oh well then carry on then. I don't know what I'm talking about.... 20 passes are you kidding me??
 
#65 ·
Ok... I couldn't go on anymore. That thing you call a pitman arm, is a deathtrap. If my boss ever saw me do anything like that, it would be my job. I have no idea where the person who "welded" that up, learned it was ok. What you did was make a piece of steel out of copperwire. This makes no sence. I agree with using smaw rather than gmaw. But this takes more patience, judging by those weld jobs, there has to be a lack of. If at all possible, smaw with 7018 or 7024 rod. If you really mean buisness. Or use a 240 V gmaw with .035 wire, I would run at least 25v and 454ipm wire speed. You will penetrate and fill with enough wire to avoid undercut. If you need to grind you don't know what you are doing. I build winch tractors and use this setting to weld 3/4 inch plate. But do NOT fill with passes to make a chunck of steel. The weld will not hold up. If you insist on trying to destroy someones life, go to a gravel pit, open her up do a few turns, see what happens. I hope you need an inspection after you are done.
 
#66 ·
G30SFF250 said:
I know you said you are a "welder" and all, but isn't the pitman arm cast ductile iron and requires preheating and a nickel rod?

Nothing is wrong with a 6011 rod when used correctly. To say use a 7018 rod and stick welding when you want things to stay together tells what kind of a "welder" you are.

:welder:
You are right, but a 6011 or similar rod is for light duty work. Not for this. And yes in normal situations, preheating and stabilized nickle rods should be used... but it can be done with a mig or stick. We don't weld much cast, but we preheat the part to 600° first. A nickle rod should be used though, but really, look at the pics and tell me its not a waste of time explaining how to do it properly. Its expensive to get everything, and requires a lot of time to heat and slow cool so it doesn't crack.
 
#72 ·
These guys are trying to help you get it right and not kill yourself.

Ignore them at your own risk.

All you needed were leftovers from your local steel yard and 20' of 1.5" 1/4 wall dom and 4 Weld in bungs.
Pittman arm from a wagoneer, and one CORRECT high steer arm with studs and cone washers.
Save a life, do it right.
 
#73 ·
ratmonkey said:
these guys are trying to help you get it right and not kill yourself.

Ignore them at your own risk.

All you needed were leftovers from your local steel yard and 20' of 1.5" 1/4 wall dom and 4 weld in bungs.
Pittman arm from a wagoneer, and one correct high steer arm with studs and cone washers.
Save a life, do it right.
x2
 
#74 ·
Yes I'm a welder and my words were a joke. "Stick things together" LOL

I was being funny and welding certain things are not.
 
#75 ·
ratmonkey said:
These guys are trying to help you get it right and not kill yourself.

Ignore them at your own risk.

All you needed were leftovers from your local steel yard and 20' of 1.5" 1/4 wall dom and 4 Weld in bungs.
Pittman arm from a wagoneer, and one CORRECT high steer arm with studs and cone washers.
Save a life, do it right.
xxx3
 
#78 ·
ive done three pitman arms. it has a better chance of holding up because the arm itself is one continuous piece with consistent material. strength is all about consistency. butt welding two objects together with a bunch of filler and obvious seams just naturally raises concern.
 
#81 ·
Hoobah said:
What method of welding are you using to attach the D rings?
From what little I know about welding i'm guessing stick welding?
Are there any pros and cons to mig welding opposed to stick welding?
As far as I know mig is good for light duty stuff and stick is for bigger/thicker metal. At least from my own back yard adventures so don't quote me. I'm also interested to know.
 
#82 ·
Stick can be stronger if it is done right. If you take a close look at the picture of the pitman, it obviously has undercut. The spots where you can see where his beads are, that is undercut. If you had 0% undercut, then it is stronger than mig. But with any undercut, your strength just jumped out the window, just like that pitman arm will soon. Also, stick is used when welding outside has to be done, no gases to blow away in the wind.
Go ahead and keep with your build as you will anyway, I am not going to continue to explain how this monstrosity is going to more than likely cost lives.
This is the only time I have ever given up on a Jeeper, well, A Jeeper knows when they are doing something wrong and dangerous. Your call, not mine. Good luck, hope you don't kill someone.
 
#84 ·
well been running for about 3 weeks now and finally found some tires close to home and after about a hour and a half of putting them on rims by hand it looks alot better(our tire machine is too small)

Before


After


Dad finding this is easier than tractor tires


In the light
 
#85 ·
i chucked a few things together when i did my build and regretted it a few months later... since then ive gone out and spent the couple hundred bucks extra and got parts that belonged together. if your going to half *** something its not worth doing. looks like you got a great jeep now that its running and driving and youve had a taste of the new setup, i would slowly start chipping away at things that need to be redone,.
 
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