Opinions on running a rear Tj dana 44 spooled

Rich1 · Jan 22, 2008

I'am a daily driver / weekend offroader. I picked up a 01 Tj and have mildly built it up little by little as money allowed for it. it's currently;

4.0 with a auto, stock 231 t-case

dana 30 up front open, dana 44 in the rear 3.73's

sitting on a skyjacker budget flex lift 4in, and exact measure 32inch M/T tires

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I drove for years on / off road with a fully welded rearend, i actually like the fact that i know the rear is locked fulltime, no if's or slips or that funky feeling on the freeway when it unwinds as a locker does, the racheting / etc.

ANYHOW...

my question;

SET UP AS DESCRIBED ABOVE, opinions on running a stock Dana 44 w/ a spool?

will it explode - fail - or wear out bearings faster than normal?

should i just weld the fawker instead of a spool?

========= :corn:

gasman1 · Jan 22, 2008

Weld it till it breaks that put a spoolin.

KarlVP · Jan 22, 2008

If you don't have the money, weld up the spiders and call it a day.

Here we go again. I DD my TJ with a Detroit, it is different, and in the corners you know its there. There are the few select shitty, icy days when it sucks but otherwise, it's just fine.

IMHO, spool it and do it right. Ain't nothing wrong with a spool and you don't have the torque loading and unloading of a locker.

Or weld it and drive it until you can afford a spool. :awesomework:

Rich1 · Jan 22, 2008

KarlVP said:
If you don't have the money, weld up the spiders and call it a day.

Here we go again. I DD my TJ with a Detroit, it is different, and in the corners you know its there. There are the few select shitty, icy days when it sucks but otherwise, it's just fine.

IMHO, spool it and do it right. Ain't nothing wrong with a spool and you don't have the torque loading and unloading of a locker.

Or weld it and drive it until you can afford a spool. :awesomework:

So as a DD - do you think it will cause pre-mature bearing wear?

being spooled as a D44 w/ only 32's - sound like a heavy foot set-up with no worries?

Totalled · Jan 22, 2008

The only thing you should be worried about is rear tire wear...

I drove mine for a year with the 7.5 welded and 32x11.50 SX's and a V8. The axle never whimpered...

KarlVP · Jan 23, 2008

Rich said:
So as a DD - do you think it will cause pre-mature bearing wear?

being spooled as a D44 w/ only 32's - sound like a heavy foot set-up with no worries?

Honestly Rich, You will do just fine. Weld it until you can afford a spool.

Rich1 · Jan 23, 2008

KarlVP said:
Honestly Rich, You will do just fine. Weld it until you can afford a spool.

So........ then,

who's got a welder and wants to melt a huge glob for me?

I'am in the Olympia area

:corn:

Brian H · Jan 23, 2008

Rich said:
So........ then,

who's got a welder and wants to melt a huge glob for me?

I'am in the Olympia area

:corn:

Ill do it for ya this weekend if you bring it over to the shop. Buy a few cans of brake clean and a gasket(rtv) and gear oil. Dont tell anyone that i touched a jeep after im done. :haha:

Jaydog · Jan 23, 2008

One thing PSSSSSSST :awesomework:

Brian H · Jan 23, 2008

Jaydog said:
One thing PSSSSSSST :awesomework:

Do you have an air leak??????:eeek:

NotMatt · Jan 23, 2008

Weld it.

I daily drove my XJ with a welded factory XJ 44 for a few years. No problem. When I sold it, it looked just as good inside as the day I welded it.

I currently run a wagoneer 44 with a full spool, and also have had no issues with it. Bearings are fine, shafts are fine, etc. The only reason I put the spool in instead of just welding it is because I needed a 4-series carrier when I installed my gears, and didn't already have one, so I went ahead and ordered the 4-series spool for 50 bucks more than a new carrier.

Jaydog · Jan 23, 2008

Brian H said:
Do you have an air leak??????:eeek:

Nope, thats just the sound my lockers make :kissmyass:

pokey · Jan 23, 2008

does welding up or spooling a late model rear axle effect the ABS brakes?

Rich1 · Jan 23, 2008

Brian H said:
Ill do it for ya this weekend if you bring it over to the shop. Buy a few cans of brake clean and a gasket(rtv) and gear oil. Dont tell anyone that i touched a jeep after im done. :haha:

Eventually ya'know all these words you've spoken will come back to haunt you... it's just a matter of time until you too, fall victim to a Jeep. Just a matter of time... :tumbleweed:

*Brian...... I don't have a way to transport the thing. it's sitting on my garage floor. i have 220 on the generator - if you could bring the buzzbox over. or ???

I haven't thrown it under yet, was deciding on changing gear ratios. but more or less gave up. 3.73's with 32's is fine. I'll do a t-case gear reduction.

Rich1 · Jan 23, 2008

pokey said:
does welding up or spooling a late model rear axle effect the ABS brakes?

pull the plug / remove the attaching wire to the diff, no more ABS.

Unless you really need that abs, i hear it isn't the greatest for offroad.

pokey · Jan 23, 2008

Rich said:
pull the plug / remove the attaching wire to the diff, no more ABS.

Unless you really need that abs, i hear it isn't the greatest for offroad.

Just something to think about Rich. You said this is a daily driver / wheeler. If you were to get into an accident what would your insurance company or theirs say about the "modified" axle or the "modified" brakes. I bring this up because I have been there. When I sold my old flatfender my insurance guy "suggested" that I part it out since I didnt have any kind of degree in vehicle engineering and we had pretty much built the rig fom scratch. Theres a lot of liability involved with modifying vehicles that are used on the road.

Rich1 · Jan 23, 2008

pokey said:
Just something to think about Rich. You said this is a daily driver / wheeler. If you were to get into an accident what would your insurance company or theirs say about the "modified" axle or the "modified" brakes. I bring this up because I have been there. When I sold my old flatfender my insurance guy "suggested" that I part it out since I didnt have any kind of degree in vehicle engineering and we had pretty much built the rig fom scratch. Theres a lot of liability involved with modifying vehicles that are used on the road.

my red tj came w/ optional ABS

This Green Tj - was factory released w/ out ABS

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so umm, all is stock, even the swapped in dana 44 from a tj non ABS too.

but, you do bring up a good question, most after market bumpers are liable to create a case on thier own. big stingers / box tube... etc.

factory bumpers are made to crush / give way during a collision.

Now, as far as my agent and me are concerned, if It's my fault during a collision, then it's my fault. but my rig, falls in line with state / city & DMV / state patrol specs... so I'll be sitting pretty in court. on the other hand, if i get hit and it's not my fault... just like a hot rod custom built anything...

it's all gone... as i do not have a apprasal for what my rig is worth.

so it would be my agent going after the said party for complete replacement of all after market and custom parts.

I try to follow and stick to the law, as a homeowner / husband & dad... i got too much to lose over the little stuff, so i'am legit. but look forward to a truck and trailer deal one day, money is just tight. and i wanted to drive across some of america and offroad too during the summer.

tired of riding bikes, it was fun though. now it's time to do it in a jeep.

So yeah, i'am a daily driver. and meet most state specs. :corn:

TigTorch · Jan 23, 2008

Dont weld it man. There has got to be a better way.

The reason I say this is who ever welds it will most likely use a wire feeder, or probably just as bad stick electrode. You will invariably get one or more pieces of weld spatter loose in the diff and it will end up running through your ring and pinion and pinion bearings and wiping out your 44. If your gonna kill a wrangler differential, why not kill a D35; they die all on their own anyways.

I believe you can buy the those square blocks that have gear teeth machined on one side that replace the spider gears and lock up the diff like a spool (poor mans spool). You just pull out the spider gear cross shaft without breaking down the ring and pinion.

As far as strength, I can't imagine breaking it with those sized tires.

NotMatt · Jan 23, 2008

TigTorch said:
Dont weld it man. There has got to be a better way.

The reason I say this is who ever welds it will most likely use a wire feeder, or probably just as bad stick electrode. You will invariably get one or more pieces of weld spatter loose in the diff and it will end up running through your ring and pinion and pinion bearings and wiping out your 44. If your gonna kill a wrangler differential, why not kill a D35; they die all on their own anyways.

I believe you can buy the those square blocks that have gear teeth machined on one side that replace the spider gears and lock up the diff like a spool (poor mans spool). You just pull out the spider gear cross shaft without breaking down the ring and pinion.

As far as strength, I can't imagine breaking it with those sized tires.

If you really want to weld it right, pull the axle shafts, pull the diff out and remove the ring gear. Makes it easier to clean and easier to weld with the carrier out on the bench, and less likely that you'll get welding spatter in the ring gear/pinion assembly or any of the bearings. If you really want to be anal, you could pull the spiders apart and clean every crevice and nook and cranny with parts cleaner to be absolutely sure you got every last bit of oil out that might contaminate your weld, but I've found a good dousing with parts cleaner is enough.

Of course, at that point, you might as well spend the 50 bucks or whatever and get a mini-spool the replace the spider gears if you're going to have it all apart. :haha:

Rich1 · Jan 23, 2008

NotMatt said:
If you really want to weld it right, pull the axle shafts, pull the diff out and remove the ring gear. Makes it easier to clean and easier to weld with the carrier out on the bench, and less likely that you'll get welding spatter in the ring gear/pinion assembly or any of the bearings. If you really want to be anal, you could pull the spiders apart and clean every crevice and nook and cranny with parts cleaner to be absolutely sure you got every last bit of oil out that might contaminate your weld, but I've found a good dousing with parts cleaner is enough.

Of course, at that point, you might as well spend the 50 bucks or whatever and get a mini-spool the replace the spider gears if you're going to have it all apart. :haha:

Ok....... how hard is it to just slap a Spool in it? and if I have to have everything dis-assembled, why not just throw in a set of 4.10's or 4.56's

Welding it isn't rocket science, as long as it's done right... i've heard varied opinions, heating the metal... before welding?

If it's drained and cleaned out good, wrap foil / canvas / etc and weld...

but, it may be easier than just globbing it - i haven't done any research yet, just thought i'd ask others that may have?