Waggy D44 ?'s

[dventoza]

I just picked up some late 80's waggy dana 44's and I was wondering if the rear is a c-clip axle or not. I havent tore into them yet but I would like to know before I get started.
Thanks

 

[Corey Y]

Waggy Dana 44 rears are non C-clip. They will have a retainer plate by the brake backing plate with about 4 nuts/bolts that hold the shaft onto the housing flange.

 

[mark]

No D44 (that I know or heard of) are C-clips.


thats should make it easy.

 

[dventoza]

Ok, Should the axles pull out with ease or do you need a puller of some sort? I took off all the brake components and the bolts that hold the axle and brake backing plate and the axles dont want to seem to budge.

 

[Fordzuki]

You can use a slide hammer, or block of wood and hammer, or a chain and a brick...... the bearing will fit tight in the housing, so you'll have to convince it to come out somehow.

 

[1980cj5]

If it came out of a late 80s waggy is it a 44 or a model 20? Neither one should be C-clip.

 

[dventoza]

You can use a slide hammer, or block of wood and hammer, or a chain and a brick...... the bearing will fit tight in the housing, so you'll have to convince it to come out somehow.

Ok thanks for the help!

If it came out of a late 80s waggy is it a 44 or a model 20? Neither one should be C-clip.

It is a 44. I ran the BOM# with the dana website.

 

[dventoza]

The axles came right out with a slide hammer!! Thanks for the help!!
Now that I got the axles out I noticed that one axle is about 2 inches longer than the other.. Is that normal? I measured for the yoke to the end of the housing on both side and there is a 1/16" difference which make me believe that this is a centered diff and not a offset one but I didnt know the axles shafts were different lengths.

 

[NotMatt]

Yep, normal for one to be a bit longer. The differential itself is not perfectly centered, it's offset a little bit so that the the actual pinion is centered (or close to it).

The offset wagoneer 44's are VERY offset, you would notice it.

 

[dventoza]

ok I just wanted to make sure I didnt buy a offset diff. haha Thanks

 

[mark]

If the shafts are different lengths, you have what it called and "offset" diff. In your case what they actually did was "center" the pinion yoke, but since the shafts are not equal length it is called offset.

Some are even more disproportionate, like 6" different between shaft lengths.

A "centered" diff will have equal length shafts.


Not a big deal if it does what you want/need. Only down side of an "offset" diff is that you'll need to have two spare shafts rather than just one.

 

[dventoza]

So lets say I wanted to order some chromo's form superior or a company that sells them, would I have to specify that one shaft is shorter or are all waggys like this?

 

[mark]

Give them the BOM number.

Or use that BOM number to get the specs on the shafts and order them that way.

 

[dventoza]

Well I want to do a disc brake swap in the rear and the online kits are extremely to expensive for me so Im picking your brains for some junkyard swaps. I would like to keep it 6 lug also! So what shuld I look for for the disc swap on my rear waggy dana 44?

 

[mark]

Well I want to do a disc brake swap in the rear and the online kits are extremely to expensive for me so Im picking your brains for some junkyard swaps. I would like to keep it 6 lug also! So what shuld I look for for the disc swap on my rear waggy dana 44?

6-lug late 90's 1/2T Chevy rotors (IFS)
weld on caliper brackets (AA-mfg or other)
chevy calipers and pads.

No guarantee, but that's where I would start.