Prime'z D44 Build

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
So here's my starting point
3ydeve4a.jpg


D44 from a mid 80s Grand Waggy.

Current Specs:
3.27 gears
Open differential
Full time slugs
Everything spins nice and freely

Here's where it's going:
5.13 gears
ARB
Auto hubs (if I can find them)
New shafts, u-joints, ball joints, & steering linkage
Best brakes I can get & keep my DR wheels
Retain Nissan ABS
High steer kit?


Those are my goals. Now, how do I get there? Some of the stuff is obvious. But I need some input on the brakes and ABS components. Mainly I want to hear from you guys. What should be a priority and what should I steer clear of. I know wheel spacers are required.

Input?
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Well, ABS simply uses a slotted tone ring and a sensor. So as long as I can find a way to get the tone rings on the axle (there has to be D44s w/ ABS out there) I should be able to reuse the factory sensors. That should be all there is to it.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Hrmm...the only D44's I can find w/ ABS rings are on a mid 90's dodge. The ring seems to be in on the outer axle shaft and that outer is a good 3" shorter than the outer I need. I don't have any problem throwing money into it. But I just need to do more digging. Dynatrac made an ABS retrofit kit that I found in a 4-wheeler article. But no mention of it on their website. The main reason I want to keep the ABS operational is I still want it to drive like the same truck. Obviously it won't because of the solid axle, but eliminating a functional system seems silly to me.

On the High steer...thats why there was a question mark at the end. I don't know if thats in any way required or even a good idea. I fully plan on doing coilovers. I've driven front leaf trucks before. No thanks. heh.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Is the track bar on the Calmini kit linked to the steering knuckles? Because I would expect it to run from the axle tube to the frame. In my experience with solid axles, the steering linkage has nothing to do with the track bar.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
No offense taken. This is why I'm asking these questions.

Actually, yeah, that makes perfect sense. And as soon as I read it I realized that I already knew the track bar and drag link needed to be parallel. Its been a while since I've played with solid axles. Bear with me. heh.

Okay, so that is off the table. No worries. Moving on.

Can we discuss hubs a little bit? I'd really like something that is on demand available instead of having to get out and lock the hubs. But that seems to be impossible on a 44. All I can find are the solid drive flanges which is what the axle has now. And while I understand that eliminates a failure point in a 4wd system, I certainly do not want my entire axle rotating all the time.

On the ABS front, I've emailed Dynatrac about the retrofit. In the mean time, I might pick up and ABS ring and disassemble the axle to see if there's a place it can be made to fit that's accessible to the sensor.
 

Roadwarrior

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Founding Member
Gahhhh I want to understand but I just can't.......The SAS process and such is over my head.


Still fun to read and trying to learn....maybe one day.

Every time I think I know something about it, I am proven wrong. I have been following all of these build just to look and think about what I want to do the one day that this actually happens. Threads like this are nothing but useful to people who do not understand the SAS, yet want to dive into the world of solid axles.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Another question just popped into my head. Pinion angle. Is it worth having the knuckles spun on the axle so that the pinion angle is right in line with the driveshaft? Or is there enough workability in the U-joints to not justify the added expense?

Which also brings another question. The axle I bought has all the bracketry cut off of it already. I read somewhere that you need the factory spring perch for proper alignment for the calmini brackets. Is this going to be more difficult for me to get those brackets in the right position? What measurements need to be done for proper positioning since I have no reference point?
 
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drbandkgb

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Founding Member
It's so easy hahaha...
I figure I will buy the kit.. I want to keep 33s for right now.. I want to SAS to make my front stronger ;) maybe 35s down the road.

I know Allen said you have to move the steering box.. Does anyone have any pix of where you relocate it?
 

Cyclemut

Wheeling
Founding Member
Location
Morrison, CO
Yeah, GrandpaX's setup has to have the steering box moved. The Calmini setup doesn't move it. And he's not sharing pics of where he moves it. 0_o

But, Calmini has also changed their arms now, with more gusseting, I have a set sitting in my garage waiting for my lazy but to install them on a buddy's truck. I think Calmini learns from their customer's experiences and take measures to repair them. If I wasn't impressed with their stuff, you wouldn't see me with Calmini blue on every single one of my rigs.

I should get paid for this! At least a steering kit or something. :D Hi Steve!!! :w00t:
 

Cyclemut

Wheeling
Founding Member
Location
Morrison, CO
Hmmm, auto hubs for the D44. Have to look into that, as I honestly don't know if they make them or not. A slug as you know is one way. Warn makes locking hubs that are nice. That's what I have currently, however once I swap out axles I will be going to a drive slug. Simpler.

Cheers,
Josh

Ford had an auto hub setup. I've replaced several of them, usually swapping them out for stronger (and cheaper) manual hub alternatives. The autos were as strong as Nissan's auto hubs.... so not that strong.

I keep the lockout hubs from a Pathfinder in my truck as spares in case my manual hubs break on the trail. But I'm still IFS (for now).
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Nothing at the moment. Axle is stored under my work bench. As much of a long term project that this is, I'm not in any rush. I've been doing some research here and there. But until I can afford some of the parts I want to put in this thing, it's just going to sit.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
I never bought anything other than the axle. So unfortunately, I don't have anything else to sell.

I've decided that doing the SAS wasn't where I wanted to be with the truck. I've never had a lick of trouble with the IFS other than the limit of articulation. And I decided that the money involved in buildings the axle the way I wanted to would be better spent elsewhere.
 

akuria

Wheeling
yeah. It's not cheap to do the swap. I have to say that I am glad I did it. it drives no worse on the road than when I was rolling IFS (I did remove the sway bars both front and back) and the added strength and articulation is super nice.
 
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