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can anyone tell me if the dana 44 rear end would be stronger than the s-10 ? i do know the axles on the one i looked at were 30 spline and looked to be pretty beefy. it was missing the carrier though . it doesn`t use c- clips either. i also was told some ho.s-10 s came with a 8.5 inch rear end with posi. does anyone have the info on those .

The dana 44 is about as strong as a 10 bolt GM rear. I do not know what the s 10 has. If you want to do a comparison of the 2 check the following : axle diameter and splines, ring gear diameter, and pinion spline and diameter.Bigger will most often be stronger.
Phil

the dana i looked at was a 8.5inch ring gear 30 spline axles. i just checked a cataloge it says 26 spline on the pinion. the one i looked at in stock length was about 2 inches narrower than the luv rear . i will have to look in to it further to see if it might be another option.i just noticed the pinion shaft dia is smaller than a 10 bolt. but it is larger than a 9 inch.
terry

What application is it out of, a Jeep? Another concern is axle retention (for us drag nuts) does it use c-clips or positive axle retention?

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LUV Truck Desserter!
76 Daily driver (SOLD)
73 LUV (rusting away at the moment)
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63 Nova
74 Camaro

ya it`s in one of those dj-5 mail jeep for some reason most of them came with posis in them. maybe so they wouldn`t get stuck so easy in mud or snow.anyway the only real down fall i see on them so far is a really strange rim bolt pattern . oh axle retention is positive no c-clips yea.

The pinion spline count on a 9" rear is 28. Maybe a bit smaler in diameter than the other, not sure. But rembmer that the 9" has an additional bearing supporting the pinion head making it much stronger.
My suggestion to anyone installing a V8 is to find a used 9"(with disk brakes if possible) and having the housing and axles narrowed, with spring pads welded where ya want em. then at least you would have a rear that can be upgraded later for tons of HP.
Phil

I plan to take Phils advice, and just spring for the 9". I think I remember looking into the 44 a while back, but I don't remember what I found. For some reason though I think someone steered me away from it, as it was known to be weak in some way. I think the 4x4 V8 Jeep fanatics broke them pretty easy for some reason. But I would recomend looking into it if it is affordable.

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LUV Truck Desserter!
76 Daily driver (SOLD)
73 LUV (rusting away at the moment)
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63 Nova
74 Camaro

a 44 can handle plenty of power. they use the same center section on vettes and a few other performance vehicles with a V-8, My bro had a Datsun pickup with a 327 and about 350 horse with a teeth shattering TH350 trans. It held up fine for years with a tranny that barks the tires when you're idling thru a parking lot.

Anonymous, That's cool - and I think an S-10 rear would hold up to even that abuse. The real question here I think racelife is asking, will it hold up to something like a 500HP small block, with a loose converter on slicks, with maybe a shot of nitrous thrown in? My feeling is the 44 would be stronger than an S-10 rear, but then again the stock LUV rear is probably as strong as an S-10 rear! Just not as many gear choices for the LUV rear.

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LUV Truck Desserter!
76 Daily driver (SOLD)
73 LUV (rusting away at the moment)
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63 Nova
74 Camaro

WELL MAYBE I`LL HAVE TO BE THE LAB RAT ON THIS AND GIVE IT SHOT. I CAN PICK ONE UP FOR THE SAME PRICE AS AN S-10 REAR. ABOUT 125. WELL AT LEAST IF IT BREAKS THE AXLE WILL STAY PUT.

The biggest problem with the jeep was if it had flanged axles.The one piece axle doesn't give any problem.The 2 piece Axle has a big nut that tourqes at about 300 Ft.pound.
I forgot I had one laying by the barn out of a 75 CJ 5 untill I read this topic so I am putting under the Luv.I already have it bolted in and am going to try and go back to the strip Friday.This one has 30 spline axle and no C Clips so Maybe I can get all the way down the strip this time.Wheels are the same as a Ford truck 5 on 5 1/2.Its getting 2 white spokes for now.
Mini spool from Jegs $96.00 and I am sure you can have the axles redrilled.I had this rearend under a Jeep with a 350 and 33x10.50 tires and it never gave any problem and it got its share of abuse.
It is also about 2" shorter than the S-10.A plus all the way around for me.For about $100.00 plus the new brakes I am going back on the road and strip.

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the one that i looked at had ne piece axles. but i missed out any way it sold before i got back to it. keep me posted on how it works out for you. i hope you keep it going in the right direction this time. let us know on your times too. terry

I ran into some small problems and I am not going to be done by this weekend.Since I am going to have to wait I am going to go ahead and put all new bearing and seals.And go ahead and get my axles drilled and just do it one time and be done with it.
I am going to get some time off in the next couple of weeks so maybe I will get it back together soon.

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stripped and just a memory!

I am going to use the Dana 44 just to move the truck around untill I can get a 9" done.
The Dana 44 would be a good choice for someone,they are 30 spline axles no taper,and about 2" shorter than a S-10 rearend. Just move the mounting pads.
The problem I had was my centerline wheels was bought with the S-10 rearend in it and they were going to be close on the frame.If wheels are bought with the correct offset of the jeep rearend you can get as big a tire as possible under the Luv without moving the frame.
I decided to go ahead and tub because if I have to move the frame or by a set of wheels I am going to go all the wayand tub it.
My son has a S-10 so I sold him my wheels and tubbed it this weekend.
It is movable but now I have to buy more tires and wheels and after I get them I have to get the 9" done.

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stripped and just a memory!

cool you have to post pics when your done. i can`t blame you for doing it the way you want or need to the first time.it`s cheaper in the long run. i`m putting a 406 with a small roller 10.5 comp. ratio. i don`t think tubs & big meats will be needed. besides the budget has a choke hold on that. i will give that rear end a try when i find another one.thanks for the update. terry

Pics are in the Photo Gallery (projects Scott Howard)

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stripped and just a memory!

I also sent some pictures of it getting the Big Block

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stripped and just a memory!

my luv runs 9.80s on a dana 44. its holding up to 200 hp nos. mines out of of a 69 us mail jeep