Doing a 52"/56" swap, Q's left after a year of research and contemplation.(noob here)

[Guitar.Slave]

I've read everything on the web twice, watched the vid's. Going for a rig that can haul gear, and a quad or two (in bed) as far as the trail is wide, and still haul horse food. (thats not necessary, just a small future possibilty, it can always be delivered). My packs are 6 and 8 leaf so I'm not concerned too much with softness, and good shocks should help with that. I've got my plan except a few things like:

home made weld on brackets, pre made weld on ones or bolt on for shackle hangers and the like. weld on I've read leaves a small window for error on the welds, bolt on not so much. Best route?

cut and mount new multi-hole axle perches where necessary vs. shim the axle and ez-inch. is there a better choice for a dual purpose rig?

where are greasable bolts/bushings REALLY effective and should be implemented?

Cross over or stock steering? hydro assist? I've heard the two sides and bump steer sneaks into both scenarios. Cross over seems to be the route but I've read where stock has been modified effectively.

with 37's does the d44 need trussed or would reinforced C's cut it? (trails hard if needed, not racing or jumping)

Flange vs CV vs double cardan vs U joint on the driveshafts? (I might have repeated the same thing with a different name there, excuse my noobness)

and with new shafts, is a tranny/transfer drop necessary? haven't read about it yet, but i know it can surface unexpectedly. would clocking the transfer be something to think about at this point as well?

Experience, theories, ideas, all welcome and thanks in advance. Would really like to get the "personal opinion" narrowed down to a pin point.

[andrewmp6]

If you want to run 37s i would skip the dana 44 for a dana 60.37s are the limit a dana 44 can handle with a ton of upgrades even then you can still break stuff.What brackets to run are up to you im lazy i would go bolt on.Steering cross over would be better off road then the stock set up.Hydro assist or not is up to you but if your gonna ride hard trails/rock crawling i would use it.

[Guitar.Slave]

a 60 will have to wait, they want 1000-1500 for one around here so it sounds like trussing and reinforcing the C's is the option. thanks for the input!

[boonedogs72]

Have a dana 60 and dana 70 rear I'll make you a good deal on and I'm local

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by Guitar.Slave

I've read everything on the web twice, watched the vid's. Going for a rig that can haul gear, and a quad or two (in bed) as far as the trail is wide, and still haul horse food. (thats not necessary, just a small future possibilty, it can always be delivered). My packs are 6 and 8 leaf so I'm not concerned too much with softness, and good shocks should help with that. I've got my plan except a few things like:

home made weld on brackets, pre made weld on ones or bolt on for shackle hangers and the like. weld on I've read leaves a small window for error on the welds, bolt on not so much. Best route?

best route depends on you. are you a competent welder? if so, i would probably weld em. can you make a set of brackets yourself that are acceptable and match your expectations? if so i say make em. i like making my own stuff, but some times its quicker to buy. if you dont want to make or weld them, i am sure bolt on is fine.

cut and mount new multi-hole axle perches where necessary vs. shim the axle and ez-inch. is there a better choice for a dual purpose rig?

i dont know what you are starting with and if you will need new perches or not, but if so i would rather position the axle that way than with adjustments with shims or zero rates. i dont have anything against either when used properly, just if you can make it all happy with a new perch, it will look cleaner.

where are greasable bolts/bushings REALLY effective and should be implemented?

not necessary IMO. i run poly bushings in about everything. they may squeak, but i cant hear it.

Cross over or stock steering? hydro assist? I've heard the two sides and bump steer sneaks into both scenarios. Cross over seems to be the route but I've read where stock has been modified effectively.

this comes up from time to time. my opinion is to run the crossover if you are planning trails, and/or have lift over 4-5" BUT, in order for it to be as good as it should be, a properly designed panhard bar would be part of the system. it will make the truck feel much better on the street and perform at its capability on the trail. with a panhard done right, bump steer should be non existant. and the loss of steering under flex that happens with stock push pull will be gone. the stock system works great as a part of a leaf spring set up when the geometry can be maintained. that gets hard with to much lift or flex. i would do hydro assist. i helps tremendously and takes a lot of stress off the frame at the box.

with 37's does the d44 need trussed or would reinforced C's cut it? (trails hard if needed, not racing or jumping)

you can gusset the c's and put a truss on it, but with a fullsize and 37's expect to be doing repairs. the guts are going to blow up if you are hard on it at all. i would say the amount of cash required to make it live in a trail truck is more than the price of a d60. at least to me. even if you use a truss, the housing may go away and gusseting the c's wont save the ball joints from dying. i would gladly go without hydro assist and get a 60 first. i like to use the throttle without thinking about what may break. its not to say that a 44 cant work and live, but you will be repairing something occasionally. even driving super easy and no parts break, BJs will go away much quicker just because of the extra stress from the trails and tires.

Flange vs CV vs double cardan vs U joint on the driveshafts? (I might have repeated the same thing with a different name there, excuse my noobness)

upgrade to 1350 cv in the front with a 1350 at the axle and run 1410 rears in a fixed rear style would be my recommendation. again, to many upgrades in other parts of the truck that feed the front axle will make a 44 the weak link, so take that under consideration. you may need to grind some of the yoke on the cv to allow for full droop, depending on where you get the shaft.

and with new shafts, is a tranny/transfer drop necessary? haven't read about it yet, but i know it can surface unexpectedly. would clocking the transfer be something to think about at this point as well?

this will really depend on lift height. if it is reasonable then stock mounting is fine. dropping the case or clocking it down will make it more at risk for injury from the the trail.

Experience, theories, ideas, all welcome and thanks in advance. Would really like to get the "personal opinion" narrowed down to a pin point.

my thoughts

[andrewmp6]

But a truss and plated c won't stop you from breaking the ears off the stub shafts or busting u joints left and right.If you want a dana 60 cheaper find someone that parts out the cucv military trucks they used a dana 60 front.Or a dodge dana 60 will fit with these http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/Dod...apBushings.htm

[obijuan]

37s are fine for a Dana 44. 60s are overrated and hydro assist kicks ass, but not necessary. Crossover does excellent for my truck. 4" lift.

Tuff country 4" front springs handle better on road and flex very well off road as well. A shackle flip for the rear and stock 52s do really well, 56s see no major gain other than load capacity.

I kept breaking front cv shafts so now I am running a single 1350 superflex joint at pinion and tcase.

I have all my cases clocked flat. Stock is fine. It's wheelbase dependant.

[K5owner]

Originally Posted by obijuan

37s are fine for a Dana 44. 60s are overrated and hydro assist kicks ass, but not necessary. Crossover does excellent for my truck. 4" lift.

Tuff country 4" front springs handle better on road and flex very well off road as well. A shackle flip for the rear and stock 52s do really well, 56s see no major gain other than load capacity.

I kept breaking front cv shafts so now I am running a single 1350 superflex joint at pinion and tcase.

I have all my cases clocked flat. Stock is fine. It's wheelbase dependant.

Going from 4 inch Procomp front springs to 4 inch tuff country ez-ride springs was night and day difference..offroad. On the street the tuff country springs are too soft in my opinion for a street truck. Even when running a sway bar and disconnect links. Mine have considerable sway around turns. Which is fine as these trucks aren't sports cars but when towing or hauling a decent load this is scary and downright dangerous. I should have gone the HD version instead of the ez-ride. Here is a good chart for comparison. http://coloradok5.com/springratetable.shtml

[obijuan]

I have a BBC and the tc springs did sag a bit. That may contribute to my firmness, but I'm satisfied with how they handle with thick 56s in the rear.

[ryanroo]

the whole dana 60 vs d44 argument is forever ongoing. i like my 60s. i have never broken one. i have done A LOT of repair work on 44s in the past and never on housings or c's. its always diff gears, R&P, stubs or axle joints. locking hubs have been an issue as well. this is all on trucks with 35s or smaller. there are a lot of parts in the aftermarket that make all of this less of an issue, but by the time you add them all up i would rather chase down a 60. as it is, nothing i own doesn't have a 60. i would run a 44 with 37s, but i would be doing so knowing that with my "release the 454 powa" attitude to obstacles it would be something to repair.

[Guitar.Slave]

Thanks everyone!. great info here, D60 will be justified when the 44 breaks, I'm running a 292 pushed out to a 312 or something like that, We'll see if the torque is enough to break it.

Panhard bar and hydro assist seem like the most important things to add ATM.

So far the roughest I can think I'd want to push it is a trail I managed with 33's, but I've had the steering lock up in flex ( snapped a front leaf, replace with sdtrucksprings.com spring and just two months ago i realized this lock was from having only a half inch of clearance from the tie rod... another push for 52's), had a 'V' between boulders and came within a half inch of the frame.

Now of course there's the "watch this" and "let's see" occasions and the wheelinbug always wants you to go further. and the times when things change, trees fall, rocks slide, mudhole is deeper than expected when the next step up in upgrades would have made for piece of mind or avoided the break.

BooneDogs72: thanks for the offer, but I'm pretty happy with what I've got planned and have already detroit locked eaton ho72, "hd", if you still got them in a while when either the bug makes me itch or when i break something, I'll be PM'ing you.

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by Guitar.Slave

Thanks everyone!. great info here, D60 will be justified when the 44 breaks, I'm running a 292 pushed out to a 312 or something like that, We'll see if the torque is enough to break it.

Panhard bar and hydro assist seem like the most important things to add ATM.

So far the roughest I can think I'd want to push it is a trail I managed with 33's, but I've had the steering lock up in flex ( snapped a front leaf, replace with sdtrucksprings.com spring and just two months ago i realized this lock was from having only a half inch of clearance from the tie rod... another push for 52's), had a 'V' between boulders and came within a half inch of the frame.

Now of course there's the "watch this" and "let's see" occasions and the wheelinbug always wants you to go further. and the times when things change, trees fall, rocks slide, mudhole is deeper than expected when the next step up in upgrades would have made for piece of mind or avoided the break.

BooneDogs72: thanks for the offer, but I'm pretty happy with what I've got planned and have already detroit locked eaton ho72, "hd", if you still got them in a while when either the bug makes me itch or when i break something, I'll be PM'ing you.

You built a 6?! that is awesome.

[obijuan]

Post pics of the 292. Stat.

[andrewmp6]

Its not the engines power its the weight of the wheel getting jammed up that's when you break stuff.I have seen jeeps running the stock 4.0 and 37s break a gm dana 44 in the rocks.

[Guitar.Slave]

PO built it, i got the truck with 20k on the 6.
And as soon as I get it back I'll take some good pics for you guys, of the engine for obijuan, and the truck as I need to get them on here anyways.

Thanks for the advise andrewwmp6.

[Guitar.Slave]

is it required to pay to post pics? I follwed the FAQ page about how to post and it says the admin have not allowed me to. Sorry everyone

[obijuan]

Use photobucket and use the URL link pasted here.

[74CustomK20]

No any member can post pics. I have a hard time because they are so big but cropping helped out A LOT.

[Guitar.Slave]

Well I signed up for photobucket to help with the cropping and whatnot, finally got some good weather and I'll get some pics up on Monday.