Hunting for a Dana 44

It is indeed the angles. The 8.8 looks like to me like it's a "low" pinion axle where as the Dana 44 has its pinion centered relative to the axle tubes. Also it's offset more to the side which probably doesn't help. Secondary is the fact the axle tubes are super thick and it's hard to have enough room to route my slightly larger than stock exhaust over it and the ground clearance at the center of the diff is less. But yes, as Irun said, my DS angle is extreme to the point of binding at droop, plus the double carden joint gets very hot just street driving. I want to lessen the angles by 1) Dana 44 with a higher pinion 2) SS SYE and 3) 1.5" MML over the 1" I currently have.

The ECG489 didn't offer the Eaton locker unfortunately.
 
SkylinesSuck said:
It is indeed the angles. The 8.8 looks like to me like it's a "low" pinion axle where as the Dana 44 has its pinion centered relative to the axle tubes. Also it's offset more to the side which probably doesn't help. Secondary is the fact the axle tubes are super thick and it's hard to have enough room to route my slightly larger than stock exhaust over it and the ground clearance at the center of the diff is less. But yes, as Irun said, my DS angle is extreme to the point of binding at droop, plus the double carden joint gets very hot just street driving. I want to lessen the angles by 1) Dana 44 with a higher pinion 2) SS SYE and 3) 1.5" MML over the 1" I currently have.

The ECG489 didn't offer the Eaton locker unfortunately.
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You might try contacting ECG to see if they'll build one for you with an Eaton? I'm under the impression these axles are custom built per order?
 
I know the 8.8 is hated here but my sport had 3.07 when i bought it. Never been around a jeep tj before but 1 look at the plastic fill plug tiny diameter tubes and then 3.07 gears and then ability to buy a 8.8 with 3.73's disc brakes and limited slip, the alignment is perfect and I still am super happy for the cheap swap. OK, Jerry, tear me a new one
 
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SvtLdr said:
Doesn't the Dana 35 and Dana 44 share the same axle tube?
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Yes, just a tiny bit over 2.5”. I think it’s 2-5/8” to be exact per FSM. If they were prone to loads of problems, I’m sure we’d know by now.

D35s also do not have “plastic” fill plugs.

Personally I also can’t fathom a world where an 8.8 factory limited slip is ideal, nor are 3.73 gears. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.
 
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Not ever jeep needs 37's and 4.88's. 31's and a a lot of trail and highway miles, 3.73's are fine and dandy, and not all of us need to dump a $1000 on a E-locker that you may use twice a year on a trail rig. But do a you want. Throw away 1700 to $2000 building a dana 44
 
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There is some good info in there, but as usual, the "universal truth" pushed by some is more good for them, their type of wheeling, and their setup, but not everybody has/does exactly what they do. An 8.8 is a good, strong option on the cheap for somebody sticking to 4" of lift or less and no tummy tuck.
 
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sam53 said:
Not ever jeep needs 37's and 4.88's. 31's and a a lot of trail and highway miles, 3.73's are fine and dandy, and not all of us need to dump a $1000 on a E-locker that you may use twice a year on a trail rig. But do a you want. Throw away 1700 to $2000 building a dana 44
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FWIW, I built my Super35 for $1,500. That includes gears, E-locker and Revolution shafts as well as heavier brackets for the lower arms. I did all the work/ welding myself and with friends so I saved a lot on labor.

I also use my lockers an average of 5 times per wheeling trip and around 10 trips per year. You can do the math if you want. I'm not implying that my wheeling is typical. Just wanted to mention it for the record.
 
Wanna come to Minnesota to get one? I will be selling a Dana 30 and Dana 44 later this year once they come out of LJ2. They are 3.73's.
 
someguysjeep said:
i'm not diggin the new name.

this is the listing in kent.......i'd wanna see the other side with the carrier straps.........but if you look at the end of the diff the tube does not look 90*.
i could be wrong

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/344292163749122/?ref=saved&referral_code=null
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new team names that won’t offend anyone


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SkylinesSuck said:
It is indeed the angles. The 8.8 looks like to me like it's a "low" pinion axle where as the Dana 44 has its pinion centered relative to the axle tubes. Also it's offset more to the side which probably doesn't help. Secondary is the fact the axle tubes are super thick and it's hard to have enough room to route my slightly larger than stock exhaust over it and the ground clearance at the center of the diff is less. But yes, as Irun said, my DS angle is extreme to the point of binding at droop, plus the double carden joint gets very hot just street driving. I want to lessen the angles by 1) Dana 44 with a higher pinion 2) SS SYE and 3) 1.5" MML over the 1" I currently have.

The ECG489 didn't offer the Eaton locker unfortunately.
Click to expand...
An 8.8 and a Dana 44 both have the same exact hypoid offset at 1.5", meaning the pinion is 1.5" below centerline of the ring gear in both axles. The Dana 60 axle used to have the highest, low pinion axle, pinion with 1.125" hypoid offset. But, with the new axle from Dana in the JT's and the JL's, known as the advantek series, the Dana 44 Advantek now has a hypoid offset of just .75". There may be some Toyota axles that are around that or better than a 60, but I haven't found info published anywhere on it. There's a good page on the truhi9 webpage that lists hypoid offsets for various axles

The only driveshaft gain you'll get from a 44 is your pinion will be centered instead of offset like it is with the 8.8. I'm in the same boat you are with the 8.8, but I've already got the SS SYE and a TT above the frame. Don't have any vibes but I kill driveshafts pretty fast. I'm hunting for a Dana 44 Advantek as getting a centered pinion and raising it 3/4" will be just what I need, though finding even a bent one for less than a grand is proving difficult
 
Trevlaw said:
An 8.8 and a Dana 44 both have the same exact hypoid offset at 1.5", meaning the pinion is 1.5" below centerline of the ring gear in both axles. The Dana 60 axle used to have the highest, low pinion axle, pinion with 1.125" hypoid offset. But, with the new axle from Dana in the JT's and the JL's, known as the advantek series, the Dana 44 Advantek now has a hypoid offset of just .75". There may be some Toyota axles that are around that or better than a 60, but I haven't found info published anywhere on it. There's a good page on the truhi9 webpage that lists hypoid offsets for various axles

The only driveshaft gain you'll get from a 44 is your pinion will be centered instead of offset like it is with the 8.8. I'm in the same boat you are with the 8.8, but I've already got the SS SYE and a TT above the frame. Don't have any vibes but I kill driveshafts pretty fast. I'm hunting for a Dana 44 Advantek as getting a centered pinion and raising it 3/4" will be just what I need, though finding even a bent one for less than a grand is proving difficult
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Just eyeballing it, it looked like a noticable difference in how high/low the pinions are too me, but I trust you when you say that. So compared to a normal Dana 44, the only difference is the side offset of the pinion? That's discouraging but also confusing at the same time as many run TT's and 4" of lift with stock Dana 44's from what I've been told. How much lift do you have? Did you have any mechanical interference with your driveshaft at full droop?
 
SkylinesSuck said:
Just eyeballing it, it looked like a noticable difference in how high/low the pinions are too me, but I trust you when you say that. So compared to a normal Dana 44, the only difference is the side offset of the pinion? That's discouraging but also confusing at the same time as many run TT's and 4" of lift with stock Dana 44's from what I've been told. How much lift do you have? Did you have any mechanical interference with your driveshaft at full droop?
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I'm probably pushing about 4.5"-5" of lift in the rear, with the drivetrain tucked high enough for a flat belly, a 20.5" long rear shaft and the axle shoved as far to the side as my UCA's allow to help with the offset pinion. I was able to get 8" up and 6" down with my old shocks with no driveshaft bind, but I did have time woods clearance the double cardan to get 35* of misalignment

But my setup is probably a good bit different than yours, what exact problems are you having with the driveshaft?
 
It esploaded 😫

Killed my evidently not Tom Woods shaft shortly after getting my TT installed. Autopsy pointed to mechanical bind which broke the centering pin killing it from just short street driving while trying to dial in the pinion angle.

I had a local shop make me a new shaft which they clearanced. Very minor to no vibes now, but the double carden gets too hot to touch for more than a second or two even from a 4-5 mile drive. Also, looking at it up close, I can see where a little more clearancing needs done as there are some slight marks where it's tickled itself inside the carden joint again (probably from one small off-road "excursion" in my front yard just enough to flex it a little). I have about 4" of lift in the back. I'm planning to lower it to 3" (and remove the rake), get a little more mml, and do the SS SYE and maybe this Dana 44, but now you have me questioning it.
 
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