I'm starting to piece together some parts for my Trooper Project and I have sourced a Front Chevy 6lug D44 with a broken inner shaft for $100. It has a open diff and 4.10's I can probably get it's partner 12 bolt with an auburn posi and a granaded ring gear for around $100. Should I look for a different rear axle to go with the D44? I'm going full width and the D44 is 69" wide. Is there any Rear D60's out there that are semi-float 6 lug? I've heard of people taking a 8lug d60 and cutting off the hub flange and grafting on ford 9" parts to make it a semi-floater, that way you can run 35 spline shafts and drill them to 6 lug pattern.

Oh, I'll be running a 4.3 and 35's so I think the D44 will hold up <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

i'd pony up for some chromo shafts and good ujoints in the front, just to be safe. you could always swap on some 8 lug stuff too and then get you a 14 bolt, d60 or sterling rear. if you go with a 60 rear you will want to upgrade to 35 spline. it's not too expensive and the strength difference is more than worth it. you know you won't stay with 35's forever <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

i know a bunch of people will probably bash on me here some, but i think a lot of your breakage issues will depend on your driving stye, i have had my d44 front and suzy 12bolt rear combo running 37 inch mt/r's for a solid 2 years now and both have survived many a thrashing in these mountains (NC) with flying colors. Some of the the other guys on here can attest to that from callaentee. Anywhoo- do plan to upgrade to d60 and 14bolt ff just for my own pleasure, but i am completly confident in my rig as its sits now. I think the most popular vote for the rear is the 14bolt ff. there are more upgrades for it than you can shake a stick at and you probably cant drive a few miles from anywhere without finding one lying around. Again this is just my 2 cents and there are many others on here whos knowledge far outweighs mine, but i belive if you take your time, build it right, and learn how to choose the right lines for your truck, a d44 will handle 35's jsut fine.


ps. i conqured the waterfall (straight up) at callaente with 4.56s, welded front, lsd rear, and no teras all pulling 37's, but what got me up with was some smart driving and some dang good spotting <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/evil.gif" alt="" />

For 35's a 14b is not a good way to go in my opinion. It's too low. A 35" tire would barley get it off the ground even after shaving it. I think the D60 8 lug is probably the best option and up grade the d44 to 8 lug. Not all d60's can be upgraded to 35 spl. axles. I had a Ford d60 with 30 spl's and It couldn't be upgraded according to several sources I iquired with. But I think a 30 spl 60 would probably hold up just fine.

Now to up grade a d44 to 8 lug, what do I need? Hubs, caliper brackets, rotors, calipers....what else? Unless I can get all that stuff for under $100 I would be better off just buying a 3/4 ton axle to begin with.

ditto... not for 35" tires. You'll hold up just fine with a D44 class axle, even with moderate aggressive driving style. I would only consider more axle if you already see yourself wanting to go to 37"s and beyond.

The chevy 12-bolt, strength wise, would be a ok choice. not my favorite axle, but given the right price... sure, why not.

what year Trooper do you have? have you thought of sticking with the isuzu 12-bolt (i'm assuming thats what you got)? I also assume you're looking for a rear axle to match the width of that full size chevy D44 front... have you thought about searching for a Waggy D44? should be able to find this under $200 easy and you wouldn't have to touch the rear. the Isuzu 12-bolt is pretty comparable in strength to a D44. or do you want a fullsize track width?

-Rob

i agree that the 14bolt and 35's would be too low as well, i guess i was just assuming that bigger axles meant bigger tires coming <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

It's an '88. I'm looking to go full width for stability not only off road but on road too. I would like to be able to pull a medium size travel trailer and have no issues with towing. I figure increase the wheel base 6" and full size axles I should be good to go.

what's a medium sized travel trailer to you? The trooper doesn't make for a great tow vehicle and I would say SAS'ing does little to help that (in fact, I'd be more apprehensive evaluating factory tow limits on a modified SAS suspension). if it was me, I wouldn't be towing much more than you average small pop-up camper, say around 3,000lbs, on a regular basis.

-Rob

I have a Dana 44 with Detroit locker and a spooled chevy 12 bolt on my D-50. I run 35" tires with a small block 350 and the Muncie SM420. I haven't broken anything in 5 years and I am not easy on my rig. That combo has been bullet proof for me.

I knew that would raise some opinions. I'm talking about a 16' Feather Light. I'm pretty sure they only tip the scale at around 3500lbs. I used to tow a 19' bass boat with my '89 Trooper and had NO issuses. That includes pulling and stopping. The Trailer I will be pulling will have brakes. Most Pop-ups weight only around 2800 lbs., some even less.