Jump to content

I got my waggy 44


Recommended Posts

My buddy called me Saturday and said the local pull and save had an 87 wagoneer with the front end still intact ( he's looking for one too but he's out of work so he can't build anything right now). So Sunday I get there first thing and someone had started to pull it and left, springs were taken down and most of u bolts were loose. Make easy work to get it the rest of the way out. I almost got it for 23 bucks because the lady entered it as a rear bumper but was corrected and I ended up getting it for 90. SCORE!

But its going to be a bit before I can do anything with it because we just bought a house (but that's good cause its got a shop with power out back) and my wife is 6 months prego and family is first.

Tonight I tidied up my shop a little bit and started to cut the old brackets off. It was going well until I took the guard off to get to the shock bracket next to the diff. I'm so used to having a guard on at work that I totally spaced it and gouged my knuckle through gloves on startup. After an hour it wouldn't stop bleeding so we ended up going to the docs for a couple stitches. This axle is gonna be expensive if this keeps up!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

here's the progress I've made so far. Not sure which direction i want to go with leafs or recently ive been thinking hard about linking it.

but at this point im just going to sit on it. Im going to find gears, ive got my eye on a set of 4.56 on a detroit tru-track for $150 on craigslist. in a couple weeks ill check and see if the guy still has it. i know its not ideal to keep stock gearing but it will do for now.

 

1545952_10201946197269504_1824041484_n_z

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're going to run two different gear ratios? What size of tire do you plan on running? You should really look at going with 5.13. Rugged Rocks sells the 5.13 for our rear axle for $120 less than it was before. That should let you run 35" tires and still keep your speedometer on point. Don't cheap out on your gears. Regardless of what people say running two different gear ratios causes binding and tire wear. If you ever need 4x4 for snowy roads you're creating a very sketchy situation. The binding will cause your truck to slide. It would be one thing if you were .01 off but .07 off is no good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The pathfinder should be 4.63, on the plate inside the engine compartment should say something like HG46 or 43 (which would be 4.37) I would also recommend going with the 5.13 gears. Personally I think I'm swapping both of my axles for Dana 44 so I can run the exact same gears. More wear if they are mismatched, your tcase will not like you either, but if this is going to be an offroad rig (more than 75% off road) you would be fine but if it's going to be your dd, I would look into other options, just my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just checked on my break and it does say HG46. I don't plan on running 4wd on the street. Growing up in the inland NW, even now I don't bother to lock my hubs until there is several inches of snow on the ground. Its still an auto so its a dog all the time so I know running 35's with stock gearing is just a matter of time before the trans lets loose. But I've got an explorer cooler on it to help. And I'm already planning on doing a 5 speed swap when it dies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 speed swap is a good idea, I have done it myself on my old 95 pathy after eating threw 2 autos.

 

Does the 44 have selectable hubs?

 

If you ever need 4x4 for snowy roads you're creating a very sketchy situation. The binding will cause your truck to slide. It would be one thing if you were .01 off but .07 off is no good.

I just wanted to add to this, with 4.56 gears in the front and 4.63 in the rear, your ass end will want to push the truck, it will want to kick out, if you do have different gears you want the front to drag the rear. But in the end, it's your call, people have done it in the past and it hasn't been a terrible issue :shrug:

 

On the other note when I told my friend (jeep owner) that my pathfinder came stock with 4.63 gears he gave me the weirdest look :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Waggy 44's should have drive flanges in place of locking hubs. But those are easily taken out and I'll replace them with warn units.

 

With the difference in gears, 4.56's will cover more ground in one revolution than the 4.63? So the front end would pull because in one revolution the front will try to travel farther then the rear? Right? Lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you ever tried shifting a transfer case out of 4x4 when it's bound up tight due to running two different ratios? Running two different' rations is like anything else. It maybe done by others but that don't mean their isn't a price to pay when it's not right. Premature failure of parts will quickly diminish any advantage of cutting corners. That's allot of premature stress on your drive train when you're about to apply allot more stress on it when wheeling.

Ultimately it's your rig and you can try anything you want. I'm just letting you know that it will perform very poorly compared to it being geared properly. You'll feel it even off road. The issues might not seem that bad because the tires will slip easier on dirt, mud, or whatever but... You'll still feel it. It's like driving around with a miss fire. It still runs and get's your to where you want to go but something is wrong and if you fix it you'll realize how much it effected the performance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have absolutely no doubt there is better options then the route I have the intent of taking. But at the end of the day, I don't have the kind of money is takes to put a rig together as "correctly as possible" I'm looking for maximum effectiveness out of the least amount of money spent. I don't take offense to what youre saying because it is right. But I can't afford that, and I'm not about to put anymore more into the ifs if/when something else goes wrong. If I can find a rear 44 that would be awesome, and then I can plan for better gears. But 5.13's aren't exactly a hot uses item and I don't have a grand or more laying around to spend on axles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I run the 4.63 and 4.56 in the red truck I built it worked great in and out of four high and into four low on and off the road

Do you ever use 4wd on pavement (I know this isn't recommended period) but wondering how it did then? If you have that is lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ya I drove that rig to work every day for two years it works fine with that ratio combo. I ran 5.29 and 5.38 in my yota when I built a custom front axle for it also it was a tuff to get out of low on dry ground some times but worked great driving

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the opinion, on paper, just seems like a bad idea, but like I said, people have done it before and haven't had issues plus I like the idea of the rear h233b being a 9.17 ring 31 spline (upgradeable to 33 spline xterra axle) instead of Dana 44 8.75 ring 28 spline (for sh..s and giggles Dana 60 9.75 ring 35 spline Ford 9" ring 28 or 31 spline) the nissan axle is stronger than a ford 9"!... On paper.. I wanted to keep my pathfinder rear axle and throw it in my pick up but the cost of after market parts... Too expensive, too bad the front h233b is a passenger pumpkin....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The difference in ratios aren't great my any means, but passable. and my pathfinder is my wheeler. in the future its not going to be my daily. This is not the first time the front end has looked like this. last time i went out i caught a log over the top of the tire and folded the entire front of the fender back, caved in the rear passenger quarter panel and broke out the passenger rear quarter window and it now has plexi-glass instead. i removed the interior pieces and reached though with the end of a 2x4 and straightened the majority of it back out.

IMG_20130630_210657_799_zpskswxipy4.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...