Narrowing 4x front axle?

[DennyB]

Has anyone Narrowed a front axle?
The one in question is a dana 44.
I'm wondering if there is short axle shafts avaliable and what approx cost might be involved.

Thanks,
Denny

[LONGHAIR]

Yes, it can and has been done. It is rather expensive though.
The feasibility of this will depend upon how much you are looking to remove, tire diameter and intended use.
You will start having clearance problems with the springs (turning radius)
It is best done to the left side (long) axle, this leaves you with a "stock" piece on the weak side. More often than not, the short axle is the weaker link. Plus you only have one custom part.
Shorten the left side and move the entire axle housing over to re-center the housing.
If you are only talking about an inch or 2, you may be better off with changing the off-set of the wheels.

[ryanroo]

in fourwheeler a few years ago they did that. they built a jig to hold the frontend with the C's for the knucles in relation to one another. this allowed them to set their pinion angle to their needs before they rewelded the knuckles on. you can have custom axles built by moser or dynatrac. this can get pricey. especially if you break them often. you can find different dana 44 front end applications and make yours use the off the shelf length shafts to keep price down. hope this helps
Ryan

[LONGHAIR]

Raising the pinion to reduce the angle does not help matters much. It creates a greater difference between the U-joint anges from the axle/transfercase.
This can cause vibrations. It's not as noticable on the front D/shaft because it doesn't run highway speeds like the rear does.

[DennyB]

Thanks for the replies guys.
I originally was going to accomplish this with changing the back space on the wheels. After getting the rear with the stock wheels I can see that there is only about 3/4" +- clearance between the tie rod end and the wheel.
As far as just cutting one side, one of the spring "u" bolts actually wraps around the end of the pumpkin. I suppose that could be relocated though.
At this point it may be easier and more cost effective to fatten the front fenders.
Also a concern is the change in angle for the steering connection.
I will probably change over to a cross over steering anyway to help with alignment issues dealing with the adjustability of raising and lowering the truck (bags?)
-Or-
Find an axel the correct width.
Anyone know of a Dana44 that is about 4-5" less in width than the 72s with the diff on the right side?

I probably could leave it the way it is but I want to get the wheels tucked up into the fenders.

[ryanroo]

im not sure but you could check the width of a J-series jeep truck, some had 44 fronts and they might be a few inches narrower. i am not sure, just a thought. also i may be wrong but if you want to run a constant velocity joint on the front driveshaft the pinion has to be rotated to point directly at the t-case output for vibe free running. correct me if im wrong
Ryan

[LONGHAIR]

ryanroo,
There are 2 reasons why you cannot just rotate the axle toward the transfer case.
First and formost, is the angle of the balljoints. As you turn the housing upward at the pinion, the upper balljoint is angled forward in relation to the lower. You need to maintain that positive caster angle. This will cause serious handling problems when changed.

Secondly, tilting the pinion upward reduces the angle of both u-joints, but not equally. The upper is reduced buy the fact that the lower yoke is effectively higher. The lower is reduced by rotating the pinion to be in-line with the driveshaft itself. These angles get more "mis-matched" with the more adjustment you make. This results in vibration, plus you shorten the life of the lower joint by keeping it from making any angular movement. They have a tendency to seize from lack of movement.

[JIMs70GMC]

Try a dodge front axle. I know the dana60 is narrower dodge to chevy. The spring spacing is almos identical.

[DennyB]

Thanks Jim,
Do you know how much more narrow?
hmmm Wonder if I can change the hub and retain the chevy bolt pattern?

[1969 GMC]

Dodge axles arent that much narrower...my Dodge dana 60 is only 2" narrower than a GM unit. different axle, but the principle should be the same. I believe you can just swap the chevy outers onto the axle and it will work, if that is what you wanted to do. If its 8 lug, then of course you can skip this step.

[TexSparks]

I used a '76 Dana 44 from a Jeep Wagoneer and cut out 3&3/4" out of the long side to fit underneath my CJ 7. It is not easy but can be done with the right tools and attention to the caster. This axle had about the same caster as my original Jeep Dana 30 but be aware that some axles have 0 caster (International Scout for example) and would have to have both knuckles cut and rotated. Measure several times, cut axle tube, grind factory weld from tube/knuckle, remove knuckle and press onto shortened axle tube at correct rotation, weld in place. The axle shaft will then need to be shortened and resplined or as I did, have it cut and rewelded at a machine shop. I know this doesn't sound good but I'm running 38" swampers and the axle has held up great so far. Really should have another axle shaft made at new length. If you are interested in trying it yourself do a search on the web for shortening jeep dana 44.

[DennyB]

TexSparks,
Thanks for the insight.
Do you remember what the stock width of the Wagoneers axel was?

Thanks,
Denny

[TexSparks]

I believe around 61" wheel mount surface to wheel mount surface, Jeep CJ is 56". Check out this site for some additional information www.jeeptech.com/convaxle/

[DennyB]

Great link Tex.
I'm still soaking it up
It has given me more to think about too.
From what I see the trick with this swap that I'm trying to do will be maintaining proper caster and driveability at the variable suspension heights.

[Opper77]

good axle site...

http://www.drivetrain.com/axle.html

[DennyB]

Hey guys,
Just an update.
I found a pair (front and rear) of dana 44s with the 373 ratio I was looking for.
They are from a scout. Pumpkin on the right side and about 59 1/2 - 60" from the wheel mounting surfaces.