How do I make my jeep look like this?

[tjkj2002]

Im going to shoot for a SFA conversion. I'm not loaded, so I plan on spreading this out over a year or 2 to help with the costs, doing plenty of research and gathering pieces in the meantime. Been doing a lot of reading over on the lost forums for a while now..I think if I take this slowly I can do this properly. I thought to start it would be best to find a decent D30 HP axle and fix that up...get to know it... start from there... I plan on keeping the rear axle as is to save a bit. I'll probably start asking questions over on the lost forums.

If you want to run 35" tires I'd go no less then a HP44 from a '75-'77 F100/F150.


You gain nothing from a HP30 from what you got now.

 

[WickedBruce]

Long travel ifs

 

[tjkj2002]

Long travel ifs

and people think SFA'ing and KJ is expensive,that would be much,much more $$$$.

 

[604KJ]

Thanks TJ, is that what you have too?

I know I've still got a ton of research to do, but could you answer these questions to help me better understand some things?

D44 - Does that have to be from a 75-77 Ford F100/F150? I don't imagine it will be easy to find something so specific out my way.. (what is the reason for this specific choice)
What if I find one from a year before or after?
Can you not use a D44 from a TJ...if you can could that be any year?
When talking about these axles, D30/D44...are they specific to either front or rear, as in you cant use a rear D44 for the front?

What is the best type of setup as far as the suspension goes (Struts, Shock + Coil etc...) and what you choose is it simply just a matter of making it fit, or are specific setups best suited for axles from other specific vehicles?

Can my stock rear axle handle 35's

What are some red flags when looking at a used D44 axle?

Do I keep my front brakes and move over to the D44..?

I feel quite knowledgeable about IFS, since doing my own lift and helping many other friends out with theirs over the last couple years....but this SFA talk is getting me to a whole new level I know nothing about..

 

[tjkj2002]

Thanks TJ, is that what you have too?

I know I've still got a ton of research to do, but could you answer these questions to help me better understand some things?

D44 - Does that have to be from a 75-77 Ford F100/F150? I don't imagine it will be easy to find something so specific out my way.. (what is the reason for this specific choice)
What if I find one from a year before or after?
Can you not use a D44 from a TJ...if you can could that be any year?
When talking about these axles, D30/D44...are they specific to either front or rear, as in you cant use a rear D44 for the front?

What is the best type of setup as far as the suspension goes (Struts, Shock + Coil etc...) and what you choose is it simply just a matter of making it fit, or are specific setups best suited for axles from other specific vehicles?

Can my stock rear axle handle 35's

What are some red flags when looking at a used D44 axle?

Do I keep my front brakes and move over to the D44..?

I feel quite knowledgeable about IFS, since doing my own lift and helping many other friends out with theirs over the last couple years....but this SFA talk is getting me to a whole new level I know nothing about..

All the info you could ever want about D44's and what are good and what is not so good.


Mr.N's Dana Articles to Include 44, 60 information.




Basically the HP44 from '75-'77 fords have weld-on wedges(easy to cut off to weld on other mounts) and 1/2" thick axle tubes.It will have drum brakes but doing a disc brake swap is super simple and fairly cheap(can give you all parts required and places to get them,new parts not used besides calipers).Other years have cast wedges and can have thinner axle tubes.You don't want a D44(or C10 bolt) from a GM product or the Jeeps/Dodge versions as they are weaker low pinion diffs.Also using the wider Ford HP44(67" WMS to WMS) allows the use of separate coil/shock combo,any narrower and your stuck using coilovers.Skip the TJ's Rubicon D44's,low pinion and basically a D30 anyways.JK's axles(both versions) are also not a good choice due to very weak axle tubes.




You can keep the 8.25 but not advised as it's at it's max with 35" tires.Since the KJ's 8.25 is 5" narrower then the HP44 you will have to run spacers,will need to anyways since the HP44 is 5.5 on 5 bolt pattern(new wheels will be needed).The matching rear Ford 9" that came on the same pickups was 65" WMS to WMS so yes the rear will be slightly narrower then the front at 67" WMS to WMS.

 

[604KJ]

Wouldnt having a shorter axle with spacers be an easy weak spot if i want 35's? I want the stance to match front and rear. New wheels are on the list already

 

[tjkj2002]

Wouldnt having a shorter axle with spacers be an easy weak spot if i want 35's? I want the stance to match front and rear. New wheels are on the list already

Yes and no.


I have no love for spacers but severely offset rims do the same thing as spacers(talking 3" or less back spacing rims).




You can always look at certain years of old Bronco's with a narrow HP44,hard to find with upgraded u-joints,weld on wedges,and 1/2" thick axle tubes.Those will be like 62" WMS to WMS but will require coilovers.

 

[604KJ]

So this is completely new to me, what is the difference between having separate shocks and coils vs coilovers?

 

[tjkj2002]

So this is completely new to me, what is the difference between having separate shocks and coils vs coilovers?

Total travel in same given space the separate coil/shock combo will net more total travel compared to a coilover with the same amount of lift.




I'm sitting at the same height as 2 other SFA KJ's that are using 10" coilovers,which have a total travel of about 9.5" of travel.I have 14" of total travel but limit it to 12" due to using 1350 driveshaft u-joint at the front diff pinion,it would hit the radius arm at full down travel.

 

[604KJ]

I'm ok with that, + it will keep things easier for me as far as modding the D44 goes right?

If i were to have a d44 stock width custom built, what would that look like? I found this website.. are these worth it, and how can you tell if theyll fit? http://www.tomsbroncoparts.com/prod...hrome-moly-front-end-rebuilt-wpower-lock-disc

 

[604KJ]

I contacted those guys anyway:

We currently do not have any HP Dana 44’s.... all of the older Broncos (71-77) were a low pinion Dana 44, 78 and newer were high pinions... So, with this being said, the axles you see on our web are low pinions... thanks!