Hey guys, new to this forum so forgive me if this has been covered a time or two. I did a search and couldn't find anything that particularly applied to my situation. As the title says, I need to beef my 44 up and I think I'm going to need to go all out. Heres what I have going on: Ive got a 75 W100 with 91 W250 Axles (4:10 gears, 8 lug, 60 Rear, 44 Front) I run 35s now and would like to run 37s in the future. I also just finished a 511ci stroker that has got plenty of juice. Its backed by an NP435 and 241 combo. Ideally, I know a D60 would be nice, but I can't seem to find anything for less than $1000. And thats for a rusty piece of lawn art that needs gears and seals and bearings and who knows what else. At that point I may as well just get a Curry 60 but I don't have the scratch at the moment. So, the option I have for now is to work with what Ive got. My question is, what can I do to this ball joint disconnect 44? Ive already gotten rid of the vac system and have a Cable Disconnect but Id like to get rid of the cast turd on the housing, maybe clamshell it, gusset the knuckles and getting some locking hubs. Ive also been looking at RCVs shafts, they're GRIP but still cheaper than a 60. Id also like to convert to crossover steering while I'm under there. So, question is, can I build a 44 to handle the weight and abuse of a 550hp Big Block and 37s? Or am I going to have to grenade the thing and save pennies for a Kingpin 60?

Thanks ahead of time for any help.

 

It really depends on how you drive and what type a traction control you run. If you are heavy on skinny pedal you will be pushing things pretty hard. I don't have personal experience with RCV shafts but they are the go to shaft in offroad builds for their strength. If you have manual hubs you should be able to find aftermarket support such as Warn which is much stronger. One thing not mentioned would be to strengthen the housing with a truss. I have been pounding on my Jeep 44s running 35" tires with electric lockers in the rocks for a few years with no failures. Granted my Jeep has considerable less HP. My brother has been running lunchbox lockers in his Dana 30 with 33" tires, 4.56 gears and a 4:1 t case. He did break stock axle shafts but replaced them chromoly and had no other issues since. You should be able to make it work and keep your eye out for a good deal on the 60 (I have had same issue with only finding the gold infused ones) What type of use does this truck get?

 

Thanks! I’m not set on RCVs unless I can make sure the housing will support the weight. Maybe ChroMos would be a better option. The Truss is a good idea too. The truck doesn’t see too much off road abuse anymore, it used to be my wheeler but I’ve since restored it. It’s going to see some snow wheeling this year but the rocks are in the past. It sees more towing and blowing Chevys away on the highway these days.