What kind of axles and tcase should i replace my Dana 44s with?

[65malibu]

I am looking at beefing up my axles and replacing my np203. I have a 72 blazer with Dana 44 front and rear. I have a 350ci/350hp motor with a th350. I will more than likely be running 35's. Mainly around town driving, but a few trips a year to the mountains of colorado for weeklong camping/offroad trips with my jeep buddies.

Should i just stick with Dana 60s front and back and an np 205?

Or should i be looking for a newer model chevy truck 2500 to rob the running gear from? What are the axle names i should be looking for? What transfer case should i look for? What year models of trucks/tahoes/suburbans should i be searching for?

Sound off on your experiences/preferences please. Thanks.

[duallyjams]

The 72 Blazer should already have a no205 from the factory.
Unless you are upgrading to a high horse power engine or plan on rock crawling you can use what you have unless you have left over money you need to spend then here's a list
D60 front air or e-locker chrome molly axles 52" springs
nv4500 with a twin stick np205 or a np203,np205 doubler
14b with a air or e-locker 63" springs

[Chevy1TonFun]

I agree with duallyjams. You should have a NP205 and Dana 44s are perfect for 35s and rolling around town. Upgrade to a D60F and 14Bolt Rear, ONLY IF you are going to do some hard wheeling.

[65malibu]

I am not very familiar with the nv4500 transmissions. Is the nv4500 only available in standard? if so, is there an alternative to the nv4500 that is comparably as tough but in an automatic version?

[JDeere550]

agree with chev1ton dana 60 front with crossover steer, gm dana 60's came in the 1tons around late 80's early 90's(anyone, correct me if i'm wrong) and 14BFF rear (chevy 3/4 70's -90)!

[Mike C]

You need to find out what you have first, and then decide how much $ you want to throw at it.

'67 trucks had Dana 44 in the rear, and maybe some '68. 12 bolt should be in the back of yours. If you are only doing light trails/mud your stock setup should be more than sufficient for 35" tires and auto trans.

As mentioned already, the factory t-case in a '72 should be a 205. The TH350 can be built more strongly and that is the most cost effective way to go. The next upgrade would be a TH400/205 combo.

Dana 60 was in the front of K30 trucks from '77 to '87 and in the "old" body '88-'91 trucks. But every hard core offroader in the country is looking for the SRW Dana 60 for their project which means at least $1000 unless you happen to get a smokin' deal somehow.

Most cost effective way to get some beef in the axle department would to buy a 3/4 4x4 Suburban. Early ones had full float 14 and Dan 44 while later ones had the semi-float 9.5" and 10 bolt front. The SF 14 is significantly stronger than a 12 bolt while the 10 bolt is about the same as the 44. Obviously, gear ratio needs to be same F and R.

[65malibu]

i did get lucky and found a 78 3/4 ton truck and robbed the axles and transmission/tcase off of it. The rear was a 14b (i assume it is a full float?). The front is unfortunately a d44 (i think). the tcase is an NP205.

So should i beef up the guts of both internally? add kingpin knuckles to the d44 front and do the high crossover steering?

I assume my current tcase is an np203 because i think it only has 4hi, 4lo, and N.

[Mr. 250r]

If your on 35s and not driving hard at all just maybe a few times a year save the axle money and put it elsewhere unless you have a gold mine then go crazy =-p

[lukefalls]

Originally Posted by 65malibu

i did get lucky and found a 78 3/4 ton truck and robbed the axles and transmission/tcase off of it. The rear was a d60 14b (i assume it is a full float?). The front is unfortunately a d44. the tcase is an NP205.

So should i beef up the guts of both internally? add kingpin knuckles to the d44 front and do the high crossover steering?

I assume my current tcase is an np203 because i think it only has 4hi, 4lo, and N.

D60 14B? Those are two completely different things. The Dana 60 rear is extremely uncommon in the rear of GMs. It is identified by a 10 bolt cover. The cover looks like a Dana 44, just bigger.

A 14B has 14 diff cover bolts. If its a Full Floater, it has 5 bolts holding the pinion into the front of the diff. Also, it'll have 8 lug hubs and the hub will protrude past the wheel mounting surface (WMS).

It would not make sense to add king pins to a Dana 44. The inner "c" and knuckle would cost way more than a used Dana 60. I just sold two completely rebuilt units with crossover for 1200, jsut to give you an idea. Then you'd still cut the old "c" off and weld the new ones on at the right angle.

[lukefalls]

To beef up the Dana 44, pick up some alloy axles with Spicer U-joints. Rebuild it will all new bearings and seals. Throw on a set of Warn Premium locking hubs. Drive it until you absolutely need a Dana 60.

I am a huge fan of WFO Concepts, so I'll pimp them here: they've got everything you need to rebuild that with crossover. They're answer any questions you may have along the way.

With 35s and reasonable driving, it'll last a long time. I ran mine with 35s for years through the Rubicon and low gears.

NV4500 - its only a manual trans. It is special because it was one of the first "granny low" boxes with an Overdrive. It came behind diesel engines (among other things), so it can handle power. Its not special because it uses very expensive oil, hard to find parts, and expensive. If you resourceful, you can overcome the high cost and hard to find issues. Some will argue that it had reliability issues. I've never had one, but read a ton about them.

[Mike C]

You should do a LOT of reading before you spend any money. You have a lot of misinformation in your posts.

As mentioned, a Dana 60 is NOT a 14 bolt. They are commonly found in 67-72 trucks in the rear of 3/4 tons, mostly GMC's but some Chevy's. The more common axle in that time period is the Eaton drop-out which is very strong, but parts are expensive. Some 1/2 tons had a 6 lug Dana 60 in 67-68 but those are VERY uncommon.

The ubiquitous full-float 14 is commonly available in 3/4 and 1 ton trucks from '73. Factory dually 1 ton 4x4's have a Dana 70 in the rear while the cab and chassis had a 14 bolt.

King pins are NOT the way to go for the most part, that's just the way the 60 was built then, and the 44 ball joint setup is not only sufficient, that's what Ford and Dodge have on the 60 now. FWIW, my MB and M38A1 both have kingpin front axles, but they are not strong at all.

[65malibu]

awesome. Thanks so much for the replies guys.

i am learning a lot here. this is my first 4wd vehicle. I have dabbled in mid 60's muscle cars and tri-five chevys. I definitely dont know half of what i thought i did.

the rear axle i took from the 78 3/4 ton is a 14b with the five bolts on the drive shaft yoke. so that's a great axle right?

i will post some pics of each axle. please help me identify/confirm what i have. Thanks so much.

Front Axle Dif Cover


Front axle steering knuckle


Front Axle Yoke


Rear Axle Dif Cover


Rear Axle yoke

[lukefalls]

Awesome. Pictures help.

You've got a Dana 44 front. I personally believe that the 44 is better than the other 1/2-3/4 ton alternative, the 10 Bolt.

The rear is a Corporate 14 Bolt - Full Floater. Read this! You'll learn everything you want to know about a 14 Bolt.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billav...b_disc_brakes/
AND THIS!
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billav...ble/index.html

[lukefalls]

Oh, forgot to tell you...

You'll have to move the spring perches in a few inches on the axle. If it came from a 1 ton, it'd bolt right in. The 3/4 ton perches are a bit wider.

[65malibu]

Excellent Thanks.

[65malibu]

so should i stick with the Dana 44 front axle and just beef it up when i rebuild it? or should i go ahead and look for a dana 60 front?

again, i will mainly be around town driving, but will do some river trips and colorado rockies trips with jeep buddies. i DO NOT want to break anything in the mountains, so i want to plan ahead as much as possible, but i dont have an unlimited budget.

[Chevy1TonFun]

I'd stick to what you have. You have absolutely no need for a Dana 60. That is for hard core wheel only. Its your money, but it will run you $1000 - $2000 for a D60.

[65malibu]

Sounds good. I need to start researching what i need in order to rebuild the D44 front. Thanks

[lukefalls]

I agree with 1TonFun. You don't need a Dana 60.

Call Trevor or Dell at WFO Concepts. Tell them what kind of wheeling you do. They'll tell you how to build the Dana 44. They WILL NOT sell you anything you don't need. Even if you don't buy from them, they'll give you great advise.

[65malibu]

Will do! Thanks so much for helping me out guys. I'll learn eventually.