Dana 44's on an m1009

[motormayhem]

Hey,
When I purchased my m1009 it had 35" tires and a 4" lift kit. I know that running the 10 bolts with 35" tires is a bad idea so I am saving for axles. I know a guy who has a Dana 44 front end with the matching rear, not sure what the gearing is in it but he wants $400 for the set. Is that a good price? He says they are good axles. Will these axles last with 35" tires 85% on-road driving 15% wheeling. How hard/expensive is it to get a rear locker and how well will they hold up to one? Also what are the best gears to be able to do highway speeds? Finally does anyone know if the m1009 brakes will bolt on the axles?

Thanks,
Miles

 

[gt1009]

I dont think dana 44s are much of an improvement over 10 bolts. If the rear is a 12 bolt or a 14 bolt then you are getting an improvement. I would probably save up for a D60/14B

 

[Dabba]

forget it, d44s are pretty much equal in strength to 10bolts, just save for one tons.

 

[colomil]

I have a 3/4 ton dana 44 front with 3.73 gears and 33" tires. I paid $100 for it as they are quite common. I am not sure what rear dana 44 you are talking about but you will not get much strength increase going from the 10 bolt to a d44. If you don't mind going to 8 lug rims I would suggest getting a 14bolt FF rear and a matching D44 3/4 ton front. If you want to keep the 6-lug pattern, you could get a 9.5" 14bolt SF rear with 6 lug from a k2500 pickup/suburban. I believe these will have metric studs but you will be able to use your old rims. You could run the 1/2 ton d44 front and convert it to the same metric studs for more strength. The detroit locker is available for the d44, 9.5" 14 bolt and the 10.5" 14 bolt with the later being the cheapest and easiest to install (uses old carrier). The 3.73s I use work okay for the 33" tires so you could probably go with 3.73 or 4.10 with your 35" tires. If you do more off road, I would recommend using 4.10. As far as the brakes, the rear axle will just use what is on it and connect up to the existing brake line. The front calipers on your 10 bolt should fit on the chevy d44 but if you are using the larger 3/4 ton rotors, you will need different brake pads.

 

[motormayhem]

I am not sure (I will get more info) but I believe he has the dana 44 front and a 14 bolt rear. with 4.11's in them

 

[Croatan_Kid]

A 10-bolt is actually stronger in certain ways than a D44. Mostly due to larger carrier bearings and differences in the ring and pinion.

A 44 front and 14 bolt rear would be a good upgrade.

 

[motormayhem]

How long will my current 10 bolt last with the 35's and mostly on-road driving. I don't have much to spend right now as I just got the truck so it might be a while (couple months) before I have $400 to spend on axles. Also if I got a Dana 44 front and a 14 bolt rear and added a locker to the back how long will they last with 35's. I'm looking for something that can haul a trailer once and a while (3 times a year) and the occasional off-road (once a month), but also be a daily driver to school.

 

[K45]

Thats tough to say. it all depends how you drive. I would suggest better safe than sorry go with a 1ton set up. Just thinking about if you spend the money on the D44 and it breaks then you will have more invested than a D60 would be (possiably) It is a tough decision. if you are not to hard on those axles you can get around. O yeah what kind of weight are you planing on towing?

 

[colomil]

Given your anticipated usage, the 14bolt/d44 should hold you for a while. Dana 60 fronts are waaay expensive so budget accordingly. You shoule be able to put the 14bolt/d44 in for under $300.

I have a 14bolt from a 1-ton with 3.73 gears you could have for 100 bucks but you are a little far from me.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

A Chevy D44 and a 10 bolt are a wash as far as stength goes. The only reason to swap one out for the other is if one has upgraded parts or you're getting the gears you want or 8 lugs to match a rear axle. This is in the front.

A rear D44 isn't GM and is a waste. A D44 and 14 bolt rear would do you fine for your purposes. Find a set with some 3.73 or 4.10 gears and you'd be golden with those 35's. The front sees less stress unless you're hard core wheeling so take it easy and think and you should be fine.

 

[motormayhem]

I would be probably be towing around 1500 at the most. I am thinking that I will try and get my hands on dana 60 rear if the 10 bolts hold out till I have some $$. I found a guy on CL whos ad says:

" Parting out 86 Chevy Blazer.

6 Inch lift.
Dana 60 rear possy (sp).
Dana 44 locker."

Are those axles good or will they just give out? Sorry to keep asking but this is my first real 4 wheeler so i am just learning. Also how do I identify a Dana 60 when I see one?

 

[K45]

This might be a good resource for you to look at for an idea of axles and strength. At the bottom go to the 2nd page for the front axles. If you are able to get a matching set thats good. I will say of what I have seen 14 bolt rears are more common and alot cheaper than the dana 60. Hope it helps good luck

http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/154_0708_weakest_to_strongest_axles/index.html

 

[AJMBLAZER]

What he said. Chear and easier to just find a set of 3/4 ton Chevy axles. There was a set on the local Craigslist recently with 4.10's for $500.