educate me on solid axles

[TylerZ281500]

someone educate me on solid axles please. im look for something cost effective and im not finding any d44 hp or hp d60;s from fords that arent already built up. my question is id prefer kingpins, balljoints i could live with. its an everything truck so im thinking a 60 would be best overall. now chevy outers swap on ford axles correct? and then you use the ford knuckles and such? does anything like chevy outers interchange with a 90s dodge axle. can you convert ball joints to kingpins? i basically want to keep driver side drop with about 6-7 inches of lift with a 4link and coils.

plan is to run 37's with a little space between, 3/4 rear springs. bronco coils up front i beleive should work, 4 link and then springs id measure after. limited offroad use nothing super rough just rough dirt roads and occasionally mudding other than that its a dd. so if anyone has any advice or helpful info id appreciate learning.

 

[jps4jeep]

If you plan on keeping the front light weight (ie stock motor, bumpers etc) and simply just a daily driver, a hp d44 from a F series truck from the 70's will be fine in stock configuration.

If you plan on wheeling the truck, plan on lockers, plan on a heavy winch bumper, winch and or a big block diesel swap, a D60 would be ideal. Now the ball joint 60 versus king pin is a unique arguement, personally I would just pay for the king pin axle, but the ball joint 60 axle is not all that bad for light wheeling durability. I wheel with a couple guys running BJ60's from mid 90's F350 running 37-42" tires, wheeled hard and the ball joints have not been an issue.

Regarding your suspension choice, research building a 4 link. I am currently putting a solid axle in my 98 but I am using radius arms with a trac bar, for what I anticipate using the truck for, this will allow for adjustability while also remaining simple to set up. I've built plenty of link suspensions, mostly in jeep vehicles, for something that is a daily driver, especially on a steering axle, really dialing your link design is critical. I have not tried to package a 4 link on a gmt400 frame, I know there are people here who have and let them chime in on mount locations and how hard/easy it is to package the suspension on the chasis.

 

[TylerZ281500]

yeah i know way to many thoughts going through my head at once.

front will be different bumper and lsx 6.0 eventually for now i wil be keeping stock appearance and the 383
the only wheeling i will be doing is mudding and the ****** dirt roads round here.

any pics of you radius arm setup, i went the other direction with that because i didnt want to use a panhard or whatever its called for front applications.
70s ford ho axles around here are high dollar because thye are built to sometone elses application, so i asked if i caould use a dodge and change outers or use a ball joint and convert it because i can find one for cheaper and all i really need is the housing depend on what axle it is

 

[jps4jeep]

not really high dollar, the market will bear what the desire is. I paid $250 for complete hub to hub D44 and D60 from a 78 F250. At this point I do not have any new photo's. I will soon, so keep an eye on the thread I started, but thats the best I have to offer now. Be Practical, if "muddin" and daily driving is your plan, D44 will be completely fine. Heck, I ran a 40" TSL on a LP D44 in my jeep for many yares, pretty much stock, locked with yukon shafts and super joint, beat hard without issue ( I am a throttle junkie.)

 

[TylerZ281500]

d44 for mudding and dd with 37's will do fine? i was told otherwise ill take a gander at your thread and subscribe to it.

whats the difference between an old dodge d44 and ford one besides the higher pinion. i know the ford axles i can swap the chevy outers to maintain that bolt pattern but could i and would i want to do that to a dodge axle if they would work?

the one issue i have is that in michigan finding a good 70s d44 or d60 that isnt built up is almost impossible and secondly its almost impossible to find one thats stock for a semi decent price

 

[ChrisAU]

Excellent source of OBS SAS info:

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/general-discussion/offroad/59097-solid-axle-conversion-tech.html

 

[outalne94z71]

d44 for mudding and dd with 37's will do fine? i was told otherwise ill take a gander at your thread and subscribe to it.

whats the difference between an old dodge d44 and ford one besides the higher pinion. i know the ford axles i can swap the chevy outers to maintain that bolt pattern but could i and would i want to do that to a dodge axle if they would work?

the one issue i have is that in michigan finding a good 70s d44 or d60 that isnt built up is almost impossible and secondly its almost impossible to find one thats stock for a semi decent price

ford is a driverside drop, chevy and dodge(93 and older) is passenger side drop and will not work with your transfer case.

35's really should be your limit on a fullsize with a d44, anything bigger and you start having breakage issues far more likely.

old dodge 44(pre 94) can also have the knuckles out swapped on.

any sas you do will need a drag link due to the lateral force of crossover steering wanting to shift the frame rather than turn the wheels, all factory coil/radius arm/4 link setups have them.

a late 70's ford d60 really in the long run is the way to go, just makes for one less thing to worry about breaking, any sas is not cheap but can be done for a reasonable price if you use leaf springs and factory brackets instead of that crazy priced oru kit, heck even d60's are getting cheap with this economy, i just got a axle for spare parts and only paid $300 and have seen a couple more chevy dana 60 axles around $450-500 on craigslist, you may need to do some driving to get a deal.

 

[TylerZ281500]

how about newer dodge axles? i heard the whole center disconnect is undersireable or causes issues but they seem to be drivers drop as well.

 

[TylerZ281500]

info on ford superduty axles of the late 90's early 2000's? also on a mostly street vehicle whats better greaseable poly bushings or heims?

 

[outalne94z71]

how about newer dodge axles? i heard the whole center disconnect is undersireable or causes issues but they seem to be drivers drop as well.

bend easy from that cad unit and unit bearings dont like big tires, was ok years ago when napa had lifetime warranty on bearings but now its not worth the trouble and they are too wide.