Need help from experienced D44 SAS'rs

[ohe_boy]

When dealing with a full width axle (out of a 78 bronco) what are the pros and cons of leaving them full width (off-road wise)? How do full width axles handle on road as a daily driver? And if you chop it 6" why only on the passenger side and not 3" on both sides?

Can any experienced SAS'rs help out a fellow Exploder!!

 

[james t]

Pro's-
Wider track width means alot more stability offroad. Sidehills dont feel as tippy. In theory, this same "extra stability" will work onroad also.

Wider track width keeps rocks/obsticles off the body. With the tires hanging outside the body more, you are less likely to get body damage.

Staying fullwidth Ford D44 means you can find cheap stock replacement shafts to carry as spares. If you cut it down to EB width, your only choice is either stock EB axles (weak, they suck) or aftermarket (expensive).

Fullwidth on an Explorer "looks cool".

Con's-
Wider track width means you may get hung up more often in tight areas. This usually doesnt have merit in today's offroading, since everyone is wheeling with someone on fullwidth the trails have gotten wider. This was an issue back in the 90's when everyone ran Jeeps and Jeep-width rigs, but not so much anymore.

You may not be able to get away with driving on road in your area because of the tires hanging out so much. States are different. Here you could daily drive an X on fullwidth and would never get pulled over. Dont know about Hawaii though.

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When you cut down the truck D44, you do it all on one side (6" off the passenger side). This is because the driver's side is the same length on the Early Bronco as it is on the truck/big Bronco. If you were to cut 3" off of each side, the pumpkin would be all up in the radius arm mount on the drivers side. It wouldnt leave room for any type of suspension, and you would have to get custom shafts made for it. Cutting 6" off the passenger side makes the housing an exact copy of an EB housing, and thus you can run off the shelf EB length aftermarket shafts.

 

[ohe_boy]

How would the driveshafts line up?

Just a thought....the axle on the full size bronco...is it only 6" longer on the passenger side and the same width on the driver side compared to the early bronco and Explorer?

 

[james t]

The driveshaft lines up fine.

And yes, the fullsize bronco/truck has the same length shaft as the eb on the driver's side, and yes the passenger side is about 6" longer.

 

[ohe_boy]

a guy at a local 4x4 garage told me that a 77 bronco would be a better axle swap then the 78. Whats the major/main differences besides cutting the axle?

 

[Robb]

The '77 is low pinion, with the weak ujoints on it. It is nice width, and will have disc brakes, but HARD to find these days.

 

[ohe_boy]

Would it be a good sas axle? I've read on the forum that the low pinion is weaker than the high pinion, is it because of the u-joint? Could I replace the stock for a CTM ujoint?

I have a Ford 9 and a D44 from a 78 bronco which I was planning on doing my SAS with. Cutting down both axles seems like a lot of fab work. I know some one who is willing to buy both axles off from me and I was going to use that money to buy a 77 D44 to make installation easier. should I do this? is it worth it??

 

[Robb]

The difference between hp and lp is in where the pinion shaft enters the differential (high or low), and how the pinion gears meet the ring gears. High pinion will allow for greater overall clearance (and less driveshaft angle), and because of how the pinion "drives" the ring, it is stronger while the truck is moving forward (opposite in reverse).

The ujoints are on the axle shafts, and connect the inner shaft to the outer shaft. The early Bronco D44 shafts ('71-'77) only allow the use of 260X joints, which are weaker that the 297X joints used in the late SFA Bronco ('78-'79). The EB shafts can be ugraded to allow the use of the bigger joints.

Is the '77 EB axle a good candidate? Yes! It is a stong axle, especially with upgraded axle shafts, and is already disced, unlike most EB D44s. If you can get your hands on one (very rare), it is a great alternative.

 

[ohe_boy]

Ok, if I can find one maybe I'll do this. By upgraded axle shafts, is chromolly shafts what you are thinking of?

Do you know of anyone who had done a '77 D44 sas? or maybe just a EB SAS?

This guy I know has a friend that is a early bronco fanatic. He is the one that I could grab a EB D44 from. IF HE CAN"T FIND A 77 D44, would a '71-'76 be just as good of a SAS as the 77.

 

[rino351]

ahh jaws did a EB swap (a 76, but still EB):
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89476

 

[ohe_boy]

thanks rino351! At least one other guy did a EB SAS!!!!!

 

[ohe_boy]

The driveshaft lines up fine.

And yes, the fullsize bronco/truck has the same length shaft as the eb on the driver's side, and yes the passenger side is about 6" longer.

Wouldn't the axle stick out 6" longer on the passenger side if you leave it full width (as if the axle if off centered)?

 

[james t]

Wouldn't the axle stick out 6" longer on the passenger side if you leave it full width (as if the axle if off centered)?

Nope. It would still be centered... the radius arm mounts are still the same distance away from the knuckles. It just moves the pumpkin over a tad further away from the center of the truck.

 

[ohe_boy]

How would the driveshaft handle off road if the pumpkin and t-case is not in line? How bad of an angle is it?

 

[rino351]

from everyone that has full-width, the angles aren't bad at all. especially since you're going slow on a trail, I don't think it would cause much stress compared to a cut down 44

 

[rino351]

ohe- here's a list of bookmarks I've made for my sas, I hope they can help you. I have both full width, and cut down, and EB:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89476
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125471
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131813
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100935
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110076
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64719
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77699&page=1&pp=20&highlight=sas

I know you could find those on your own, but I think we are going after similar set-ups. These all have helped me greatly, but I'm still debating myself about full width or cut sown or EB, so these threads have helped.

 

[james t]

Fullwidth..... fullwidth...... its soooo much nicer.

 

[ohe_boy]

After taking some measurements between the D35 TTB and the full width D44, it seems that the drive shaft will only have to move about an inch or so to the right as it goes from the t-case to the pumpkin (axle). IS this right? Installed full width of course!! And if you cut down the axle 6", then it seems that the drive shaft will have to move approx. 4 " to the right as it goes from the t-case to the axle. Is this right?
If this is correct, then it seems a whole lot safer to leave it full width.

Also, when going full width, I hear terms such as "space in the coils and space out the bracket..." What does this mean and how would you do this? I believe this is done in order to line up the coil springs form the frame to the axle?!?

Just doing my homework before I take any action on my SAS. So please bear with me with all these questions. Maybe it'll also help some other future SAS.

 

[jrgaylor]

You are correct, The spacing out of the coil buckets has you putting material between the coil bucket and frame and moving the lower coil spring mount in and redrilling the holes.

 

[ohe_boy]

How do you move the coil spring mounts? Are they still sitting on top the radius arm mounts?