newbie question....89 bronco axle

[craiganblank1]

I was under the impression that 89 bronco'z had dana 44's under the front. On trucks the other day the guy said that 78-79 were the only years with solid axles (dana 44's) Are dana 44's not solid axle? Do 89's not have them? thanks.

 

[Roadkill]

There are several versions of the Dana 44 axle. The two versions used on big Broncos were the straight axle version on the '78-'79 Bronco and the TTB setup used from '80-'96. The important part is whats inside; ring and pinion and the rest of the "guts" of the axle. Other truck makers also use versions of the Dana 44 also. For example, my '95 Dodge Ram had a straight Dana 44 in front, but the differential was on the passenger side as apposed to the drivers side like the ones used in the '78-'79 Bronco.

 

[craiganblank1]

Ok.. That explains a lot. SO is the axle in a 1989 a good axle? Is it something that I need to replace later? I dont' ever plan on going over 35's and a 4 inch lift...

 

[Roadkill]

There are as many answers to that question as there are guys with Broncos. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I guess it mostly depends on how you plan to drive it. Most sources say that 35" tires are as big as you should go with the D44 TTB but I have seen pictures of rigs with much bigger tires on them so you should be OK there. The advantages of a straight axle over the TTB are strength/reliability (fewer moving parts), travel (flexability), and it eliminates the alignment problems (and resulting tire wear problems) of the TTB. A staight axle swap or "SAS" as it's also called, is pretty complicated and can get expensive to do it right. I've only seen one "kit" offered to do it from JBG. It's pretty expensive at $1800 and you still have to get an axle somewhere. If your good at fabricating, you can put together your own kit. There's lots of info on that in the Tech sections here on Broncozone and also on Miesk5's page and the tech section at FSB.

I have had no problems with either the TTB on my Bronco (other than tire wear) or the straight D44 that I had on my Dodge. Like you I never plan to run tires bigger than 35" so, even though I would really rather have a straight axle, the SAS is the last thing on my long list of plans for the Bronco. It will be quite some time before I get around to it. (if I ever do /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> )

 

[craiganblank1]

Thanks for the info. Same here on the sas. It is probably last on my list right now. I have a lot to do before that. I will probably rid it till it breaks when it comes to the axles. Thanks for the help.

 

[Justshootme84]

Roadkill has a great reply to your ?, as your 89 Bronc does have a Dana44 front axle. It is a TTB (twin Traction Beam), which is a forerunner to IFS(Independent Front Suspension). The gears are termed "reverse rotation" for the way the pinion and ring gear work to deliver power from the driveshat to the axles. If you plan to add a suspension lift and larger tires, you should aslo consider changing gear ratios front and rear. For 35" tires, a 4.56:1 ratio is most common, That will mean getting a new carrier for the ring gear in the front D44 TTB, so you should consider that when adding a limited slip or locker for added traction. JSM84

 

[Dagger_91Beast]

Just a quick thank you to Roadkill and JustShootMe. I just purchased (yesterday) my first Bronco, and while I've worked on Mustangs and other muscle cars in the past, this is a whole new game. Running through the forums I'm slowly piecing together what I've bought (91' XLT, 35in tires, alarm, locking Warn hubs, 302 w/Auto, frnt double shock hoops, 456 gears front and rear, full Detroit locker in rear) but most of this is still greek. Both of your descritions have helped out a lot. Thanks.