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would this be a upgrade worth it?

what axle?

  • dana 60

    Votes: 19 73.1%
  • build a toyota

    Votes: 5 19.2%
  • stay with what i got

    Votes: 2 7.7%

  • Total voters
    26

crewchi

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2008
Messages
136
Location
Osburn ID
First things first here are the details on my buggy. It weighs 2900lbs and im running a warmed up 4.3 vortec and 37 sticky krawlers. My front axle is a toyota/44 hybrid running chomoly shafts and ctms. I havent been breaking to many axles but i also take it easy when i need to. Now here is the question, im thinking of upgrading to a 60 but then i thought about building the most bad ass toyota axle instead with 30 spline shafts and 6 shooter knuckles. I would love to stay toyota since im also running a high pinion third member with a prototype eaton e-locker. Let me know what ya think.

Most of my wheeling is local and the blackhills, The hammers, and racing in montana 100mile baja races.
 
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I vote 60, no matter what you put in that yota axle it will ultimately be limited, with a 60 the sky is the limit, and someday you may want to upgrade to an LS and then you would have to get a 60 anyways :D
 
If you're going fast you should keep unsprung weight in mind. I'd build a really light, but strong HP 60 for the front and be done. There's always fabricated 9's with fabricated 60 knuckles too if you really want light and can live with a 9". No point in ditching what you've got for all toyota though, i don't think the benefits will be worth the hassle.:stirpot:
 
First things first here are the details on my buggy. It weighs 2900lbs and im running a warmed up 4.3 vortec and 37 sticky krawlers. My front axle is a toyota/44 hybrid running chomoly shafts and ctms. I havent been breaking to many axles but i also take it easy when i need to. Now here is the question, im thinking of upgrading to a 60 but then i thought about building the most bad ass toyota axle instead with 30 spline shafts and 6 shooter knuckles. I would love to stay toyota since im also running a high pinion third member with a prototype eaton e-locker. Let me know what ya think.

Most of my wheeling is local and the blackhills, The hammers, and racing in montana 100mile baja races.

Build a 60.
In my YJ, I'm running Warn Chromoly 30 spline shafts with CTMs also. Yeah, I'm a heavy turd compared to you. But Toyotas & D44s are kinda maxed out at 30 spline shafts. If you build a 60, the common shaft is MUCH beefier at 35 spline, with 40s being available. You'll get a lot of Peace Of Mind running (virtually) unbreakable axles.
I've started gathering the parts to upgrade my turd to a 60 for that very reason.
Your's is a SWeeeeettt buggy. You'll add a 100 pounds by the time your done, but it'll still be light.
 
what are you breaking on you toy/60? i have one in the front of my sammy that has been good to me. the ring/ pinion is what i blow. you wont get a better toy front then what you have. i'd look into the spider 9's, virtually a oversized toy. third. or better yet take the front you have now and put a 9 center in it?
 
Garrett-
Have you considered buying 30 sp CTM axles? It might also be worth considering checking the ELocker and see if you could re-broach the side gears to a larger spline. You could then do some surgery and run 60 outers.

If you wanted to start from scratch and had an unlimited budget there is a new option from Dynatrac worth considering.

The new ProRock 44 is a high pinion housing designed much like the ProRock 60 and has a smooth bottom and is shaped for better ground clearance than a stock 44. It has a unique cover like a PR 60. It uses the 'Next Gen' 44 gears that have a slightly larger diameter ring gear but a much stronger, larger diameter pinion shaft. With this you could add a 35 sp Dana 44 ARB and use all 60 outers. You could have a very strong (but kinda spendy) front end without all the weight of a 60 and great ground clearance.

Scott
 
a 60 would be best, most expensive, most heavy, most mods needed.

A toyota is gonna need a diamond housing to be raced and has a wimpy ring.

My question is, why the front axle you have now? how did that come to be?
Who would take the shittiest part of a D44 and combine it with the shittiest part of a toyota?

Just put toy knuckles and shafts on a D44 center. presto, light, good gears, strong tubes/housing, tighter/smoother turning that ujoint shafts.

Good luck getting a productive answer here to the toy,44,60 debate.:beatdeadhorse:
 
Been there done that. Built a toyota axle(broke it), polished a 44(broke it again), and now a 60 and have no regrets. That being said alot of money was spent polishing both inferior axles and they broke, will never be as strong, etc, etc. Do it once do it right.:;
 
Hi All:

Build a front axle using a Land Cruiser diff and Longfield Dana 60 CVs! :D

A Diamond housing would probably be best, but a modified stock housing might be modified/beefed-up to do the task.

Good luck!

Alan


First things first here are the details on my buggy. It weighs 2900lbs and im running a warmed up 4.3 vortec and 37 sticky krawlers. My front axle is a toyota/44 hybrid running chomoly shafts and ctms. I havent been breaking to many axles but i also take it easy when i need to. Now here is the question, im thinking of upgrading to a 60 but then i thought about building the most bad ass toyota axle instead with 30 spline shafts and 6 shooter knuckles. I would love to stay toyota since im also running a high pinion third member with a prototype eaton e-locker. Let me know what ya think.

Most of my wheeling is local and the blackhills, The hammers, and racing in montana 100mile baja races.
 
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Thanks for the insight guys. I was leaning towards a 60 anyways i just hate to have to change my rear axle to match r/p ratio. To answer some questions that were asked.

The reason i have the toy/44 is when i lived at home and worked for twisted customs i got a smoking deal on the hi pinion third member with a detroit and a rear third member with a lockrite. So i wanted to do something different and Jason Paule and i decided lets try to build a toy/44 since we had piles of spare shafts from all the wagoneers we had lying around. Just so you know i think South Dakota is where wagoneers go to die. They are everywhere! So we built the axle and it has done good for me but im tired of being careful when i front dig!

Second answer
I have already gathered the knuckles and uni bearings wilwood brake rotors and mounts and spidertrax bearings to build a toyota 60 so i could go that route but im still stuck with a small r/p but i have never broke my r/p in the front. The worst part is there isnt enough room to broached to 35 spline so i would be running 30 spline inners. But yet again i only seem to break the whole ears on the shafts. Maybe i will just sell my front and rear end as a package deal later this summer and when its so hot outside i will build 60's. So maybe after may i will have some pretty bad ass axles for sale.:D
 
60's:awesomework:The toys you have would be cool under a rig with less power But for what you do with your rig the 60 is just better. Build it right and run the hell out of it with no worries of busten:beer:
 
Been there done that. Built a toyota axle(broke it), polished a 44(broke it again), and now a 60 and have no regrets. That being said alot of money was spent polishing both inferior axles and they broke, will never be as strong, etc, etc. Do it once do it right.:;

x 1 billion
 
I just went through this debate over and over with friends and wrote the pros & cons down a few times. :mad:

My issues werent strength related, it was width & gearing:booo:


Toyotas (for me my main issue is width , by the time I get the width I need I'm into a housing & longs for $1500+, let alone the gearing wont work for me)

D44 (again gearing)

Rear 9" (would work)

D60 front (I bought a dodge kinpin& there are limitless options, I have my ideal gearing to put my zook back to stock:cheer:)

My biggest reservation about 60's was weight, but when it comes down to it, the stability will be a huge bonus!!:awesomework:
 
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