Dismantling Dana IFS 44

[broncotough]

hi everyone. new to broncozone. And happy to be here. my problem is this. my 96 bronco has a 6" lift 35" tires. the lift is from rough country and bolted on in about 8 hrs. 6 months later i got a wicked death wobble. most of the bolts are backing out. so i got a welder. since i got the welder i wanted to lock the front. im having a difficult time removing the diff. i know it has c clips holding the axles in. it seems like the diff pulls out with the axles. but how do pull the axles out thru the spindles (which are stuck). as with everything this is snow balling

 

[Justshootme84]

after you pull the hubs and rotors, you will need to unbolt the spindles. They are a real bear to get off of the knuckels. Some folks use a slide hammer, others use a rubber mallet. Don't mess up the threads for the hub bearing lock nuts. After the spindles come off, the driver's side outer & inner axleshafts and u-joint will just slide right out. On the passenger side, take the outer shaft, u-joint, and intermediate shaft out as one unit by pulling them apart from the inner shaft at the slip joint, where the rubber boot is clipped on. Once thaose are out of the way, the short, pass-sde inner shaft will come out with the carrier when you unbolt it and pull it out the back. JSM84

http://northwest.2bigbroncos.org//technica...ont_dana44.html

 

[broncotough]

after you pull the hubs and rotors, you will need to unbolt the spindles. They are a real bear to get off of the knuckels. Some folks use a slide hammer, others use a rubber mallet. Don't mess up the threads for the hub bearing lock nuts. After the spindles come off, the driver's side outer & inner axleshafts and u-joint will just slide right out. On the passenger side, take the outer shaft, u-joint, and intermediate shaft out as one unit by pulling them apart from the inner shaft at the slip joint, where the rubber boot is clipped on. Once thaose are out of the way, the short, pass-sde inner shaft will come out with the carrier when you unbolt it and pull it out the back. JSM84
http://northwest.2bigbroncos.org//technica...ont_dana44.html

thanks for the info. chiltons/haynes dont give to much info this. I was hoping to not remove the spindles since they might as well be welded on. ive been hitting them with a 12lb sledge and 2x4. they wont budge. im going to heat im up with a torch, and try again.

 

[Broncobill78]

Here's the manufacturer's manual for the D44IFS straight from Dana/Spicer. Everything you want to know about disassembling the axle. Probably worth saving a copy of it to your hard-drive.

D44IFS_manual.pdf

 

[broncotough]

thank you so much for the manual. very descriptive. unfortunatly these spindles are very stuck. i've heated these to the point they glow. hosed them then heated again. beat them with the sledge. even tried lifting the truck by the spindle hoping it would just snap off. ill try again tomarrow. i thank you both for your help.

 

[Broncobill78]

I've used the combination of heat & a slide hammer in the past. Don't know that it helps you any but it's about all I can offer /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[broncotough]

tried again today. lots of heat, lots of banging. tried the slide hammer. removed the 5 studs that went thru it. finally after 4 hours all i got was i bit of a buzz. all in all not a bad day. i think i need to give up. how hard would it be to swap in 8 lug. in the future I plan on puttin the 10.25 in the rear. I dont mind the 44 ifs but I dont want diffrent bolt patterns. again i thank you for suggestions.

 

[Broncobill78]

Unfortunately the 8-lug deal is a real bear of a project. There's no way to do it with ford parts. The D50 and the D44HD both have the 8-lug pattern but you can't swap the knuckles over for reasons discussed in this thread here:

http://broncozone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17479

If you really want 8-lugs up front you *can* do it using Chevy parts, here's a good write-up on it:

http://www.off-road.com/trucks4x4/article/...l.jsp?id=198393

 

[broncotough]

you talked me out of it. Ill just have to save up for those dual d60s ive been dreamin about.

 

[Justshootme84]

Don't know of any reason why the spindles would be stuck other thtan neglect and rust. Be sure the inner bearing locknut is removed, and the axleshaft is free to move. Have you tried using a screwdriver or chisel to wedge under the back edge? I've had to do that before. IF you mess up the 96 ones, new ones are outrageous (like $200) due to the ABS sensor slot. You ca noften find used ones for $50/pair.

 

[Broncobill78]

Damn, now I feel bad because I'm still raining on your parade /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> While dual D60's certainly have the cool factor locked down, you might want to give it some thought. I've *done* two D60 front end swaps and honestly don't think I have another one left in me. Swapping in a D60 front end is a b*tch (for me at least) and I'm not sure today that I ever really had a good reason to do it other than to brag that I HAD a D60 up front. Setting a D60 up to work with radius arms is just one big expensive pain in the a$$, I honestly *won't* do it again, I just don't beat my trucks that hard anymore. 20yr olds beat their trucks, 40yr olds have learned how to drive off-road. I just don't need that kind of overkill anymore. You can slide a D44 straight axle under there for a whole lot less bull$hit and $$$$ and you can upgrade the straight D44 with chromemoly axleshafts, HD U-joints and 8-lug rotors. An upgraded D44 will easily handle 38" tires and anything larger than that creates instability issues with short wheelbase trucks like the Bronco.

Not to say you can't or shouldn't use a front D60, but having done it twice (once with coils & once with leafs) I honestly doubt the merits of the swap for all but the most extreme uses. The straight D44 is a much better swap for the D44IFS, in my opinion anyways. It's cheaper, easier and upgradable to handle anything up to 38"

 

[Yardape]

Damn, now I feel bad because I'm still raining on your parade /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> While dual D60's certainly have the cool factor locked down, you might want to give it some thought. I've *done* two D60 front end swaps and honestly don't think I have another one left in me. Swapping in a D60 front end is a b*tch (for me at least) and I'm not sure today that I ever really had a good reason to do it other than to brag that I HAD a D60 up front. Setting a D60 up to work with radius arms is just one big expensive pain in the a$$, I honestly *won't* do it again, I just don't beat my trucks that hard anymore. 20yr olds beat their trucks, 40yr olds have learned how to drive off-road. I just don't need that kind of overkill anymore. You can slide a D44 straight axle under there for a whole lot less bull$hit and $$$$ and you can upgrade the straight D44 with chromemoly axleshafts, HD U-joints and 8-lug rotors. An upgraded D44 will easily handle 38" tires and anything larger than that creates instability issues with short wheelbase trucks like the Bronco.
Not to say you can't or shouldn't use a front D60, but having done it twice (once with coils & once with leafs) I honestly doubt the merits of the swap for all but the most extreme uses. The straight D44 is a much better swap for the D44IFS, in my opinion anyways. It's cheaper, easier and upgradable to handle anything up to 38"

So are you saying a straight axle d44 hd is easier to install than a 60? Thats what I get out of this post.

 

[Broncobill78]

No, what I was saying was that for *me* at least a standard D44 (not an HD) is an easier swap (HD's are usually leaf-sprung & that puts you back in the same boat as using a D60). I prefer the front coils over the leaf spring arrangement so for me that rules out swapping the stock D60 and just using the leafs. To make it work with coils it needs the radius arms & that was the part of the project I found tedious. Maybe Spicer sells those little C-bushing horns all by themselves now but they didn't when I did my swap so I had to cut up a donor axle to get them (fortunately it was a 76' axle so the horns weren't cast in as part of the axle-tube) and then build a jig to line everything up for welding.

If I were swapping out a TTB front end tomorrow I'd rather use a standard D44 axle & upgrade it with moly shafts, better U-joints & HD knuckles. I can find a D44 more easily than a D60 and I won't pay nearly as much for it & it's already set-up for radius arms. For me that just makes it an easier swap. I'm in South Florida, it's a two-day drive to get the the nearest hill more than 200ft high. There *are* no rocks to crawl on. I don't need the strength & overkill of a D60 just to play in the mud & run trails. If I were doing anything ******** then sure it's the way to go. I guess it also depends a lot on the tools/equipment you have available to you & your skill at fabrication. I know there are guys who can knock out this swap in a day & think nothing of it, it took me the better part of a week (most of which was spent cutting, grinding, aligning, pre-heating & welding those stupid little horns) and I know one guy who struggled thru it for almost a month and he still wound up with one of the scariest driving trucks I've ever made someone stop & let me out of. Sorry if that didn't come across well in the post, I just think that if you're replacing a TTB then a D44 is an *easier* swap. Admittedly you still need to upgrade it to run 38's & such, but for me that's an ok compromise compared to the cost of a D60 and screwing around with the fabrication for the radius arms. It just seems like every time someone mentions a straight axle swap we're automatically talking about a D60, I was trying to point out that a D44 is maybe an easier swap and upgradable to handle whatever he wants to use it for without resorting to the expense & time involved in swapping the D60. Additionally, not everyone has access to the tools (mainly a torch & welder) or the skill to use them. Welding stuff onto your front end isn't a newbie project, your welds have to be *good* & not everyone can do that right away. A D44 swap is something that's easier & more achievable for for a lot of guys. You can use a grinder to take the rivet heads off the radius-arm brackets & then drill new holes and use bolts to put them on the 80-96 truck and from there the rest of a D44 swap is a bolt-in. Once again, sorry if that didn't come across the way I wanted it to.

 

[broncotough]

i dont think ill go bigger then 38". my wife uses it daily. ive had d60s stuckin my head since living in arizona (less mud more Rocks). id imagine the straight 44 would weigh less. the most abusive thing for this truck is take off and landing. pretty sure that had something to do with my suspension sagging and the death wobble. i like your idea. thank you

 

[broncotough]

Don't know of any reason why the spindles would be stuck other thtan neglect and rust. Be sure the inner bearing locknut is removed, and the axleshaft is free to move. Have you tried using a screwdriver or chisel to wedge under the back edge? I've had to do that before. IF you mess up the 96 ones, new ones are outrageous (like $200) due to the ABS sensor slot. You ca noften find used ones for $50/pair.

ive been very careful not to damage the spindle or the sensor. ive been saturating them in pb blaster every few hours. i cant make another attept a getting them off untill monday. if they wont come off then, i give up. truck was very clean when purchased, honestly not a scratch or tear on it at 98,000 back in 2007. florida has not been good to it as there is now surface rust on the frame and such. never thought it would fight back like this.

 

[broncotough]

finally got the passenger side

 

[Yardape]

Dude, pound the studs out first. Pop them through with a punch

 

[Broncobill78]

Dude, pound the studs out first. Pop them through with a punch

Cool, good to see you're making progress. Yardape's right though, knock the studs out on the one that's left.

 

[Yardape]

Every single one I have taken apart I have popped the studs out first, no trouble. Have never been able to get the spindle out, ever without first removing them.