Axle shaft upgrade questions for my D44. HELP!!!

TacomaJD · Jun 17, 2012

Well my truck has had the inner and outter driver's side front axle shafts and u joint broke for a few months now and I'm just now getting around to have time to mess with it. I'm seriously considering a chromoly upgrade so I won't have to **** with breaking stock **** anymore. It's a Waggy D44, driver's side drop with 4:88's, lockrite locker, and Warn lockouts. Not super knowledgable at axle shaft upgrade pro's / cons, best bang for your buck etc...but what I'm looking at is the Nitro D44 chromoly shaft kit and Nitro Excaliber 300M u joints....totalling $780 from East Coast Gear Supply. Is there anything else I might need to consider before doing this? My truck just has the 2.7 3RZ 4 banger, 5 speed, stock t case, with 4:88's. Every time I've broke shafts in the front end, it's only been a result of breaking the u-joint first then proceeding to wad the ears of the stock axle shafts up from the mangled u joint. Don't think I've ever actually had a shaft fail before the u joint. Always ran the Spicer 760X joints with my stock shafts too. Any info will be appreciated, cuz I'm sort of a newbie to axle builds. :drinkers:

BustedKnucklefilms · Jun 17, 2012

I might be a little biased but YUKON Shafts and Joints are where it is at. I ran them in my Tacoma and only broke one stub shaft after years of abuse.
I got a good deal on mine. I paid 400 for shafts and superjoints. Surely there is a supplier out there that can give you a good deal on some.

scottlang · Jun 17, 2012

yukons and super joints call me tomorrow at shop i'll see if i can help 256-547-3668

TBItoy · Jun 17, 2012

Re: Re: Axle shaft upgrade questions for my D44. HELP!!!

Yukon shafts from completeoffroad.com they always had the best prices on them., they list them on the website but don't list the brand name because they are so much cheaper than MSRP. A local vendor might be willing to sell them cheaper tho.

http://completeoffroad.com/i-2882908-1980-92-wagoneer-chrome-moly-axle-kit-w-super-u-joints-24140.html

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tonybolton · Jun 17, 2012

Im running the same waggy axle and got fed up with stock stuff as well. I contacted Robert at RWK Haus Supply and got some lifetime warranty yukons with 760x joints for 450 shipped.

im also running 4,88s with a Spartan locker. After goun to the Yukons....i went through like 6 sets of "unbreakable Warn premium hubs". Switched to drive flanges and been breakage free for almost a year now. Best 450$ ive spent on this heap. This is also still using 19 spline outers.

TacomaJD · Jun 17, 2012

tonybolton said:
Im running the same waggy axle and got fed up with stock stuff as well. I contacted Robert at RWK Haus Supply and got some lifetime warranty yukons with 760x joints for 450 shipped.

im also running 4,88s with a Spartan locker. After goun to the Yukons....i went through like 6 sets of "unbreakable Warn premium hubs". Switched to drive flanges and been breakage free for almost a year now. Best 450$ ive spent on this heap. This is also still using 19 spline outers.

Well, I've been running the 760X joints since I've had the truck and from what I can tell, they have always failed before an axle ear failed. If I put chromoly shafts in, I'm def not going back with 760X Spicer joints. What got me about the Nitro joints is they garauntee you won't break them.

quoted from East Coast Gear Supply's website:
These Nitro 300M u-joints are for off-road use only and should be greased often if driven at high speed. It is the strongest u-joint on the market. These joints are backed by Nitro Gear & Axle with a no questions asked Lifetime Warranty. The trick is you have to break them. We do not have an exact torsional breaking load do to the fact that there is not a shaft on the market that will hold and break the Nitro Excalibur u-joint first. We are working on a fixture to break these (No easy task). Rest assured these will outlive any shaft on the market and your u-joint will not be the weak link.

I'll pay for **** that has a warranty like that.

TacomaJD · Jun 17, 2012

scottlang said:
yukons and super joints call me tomorrow at shop i'll see if i can help 256-547-3668

Thanks Scott, I'll hollar at you when I get up in the morning...which may be the afternoon, working late on overtime tonight :flipoff1:

TBItoy · Jun 17, 2012

Re: Re: Axle shaft upgrade questions for my D44. HELP!!!

Need to read up on the nitros, apparently some were being marketed as 300m but were not.

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Sam · Jun 17, 2012

i have just put Superior Evolution Series- Dana 44 Chromoly axle shaft and ctm and stock flange gears is the ticket. Have hit couple big hills wide open at morris mountain with no problems yet.

a close friend of team voodoo from carson city nv has run this set up for years in CA, NV, king of hammer, we rock, etc with no problem 37 red krawler... o also cryo/ heat treat the ring and pinon u will have a great front end out of a dana 44

also might want to ask zukiscott he has broken countless chromo shaft, yukon shafts but clams the yukon u joint hold up......

:popcorn:

TacomaJD · Jun 17, 2012

Really? Hmm, that sounds fishy....and I don't like fishy business :****:

I actually have sort of a conservative wheeling style, I don't get crazy as Julio does lol I guess one reason being my leaf spring setup bounces my truck all over the place if I ever try to hit something hard...not as soft as most of yall's 4 link jobs. I've only broke my stock stuff twice. I just want something I won't have to mess with again. As far as drive flanges and cryo'd gears, I don't plan to change out any of that stuff until it breaks. Right now, axle shafts and joints on the table. I'll have to see what Scott has up his sleeve when I call him tomorrow.

tonybolton · Jun 17, 2012

Are you drivung to/from the trail on those CTMs? Thats my only holdback on non-needle bearing type joints. Although...the 760xs havent let me down. I hafta drive my junk to and from the trail....bout a 40min drive.

Sam · Jun 17, 2012

as far as i know Best ujoint for on and offroad ( daily driver/ weekend warror) is the 297/ 760X Spicer joints. i have use 297 for years and not broken one. still on my sami for about 11year with warn chromo / warn locking hubs. sami was a daily driver until I put sticky on it last year....

rule of thumb: As for the ctm / non niddle ujoint are not for daily driving or long traveled distances u will burn out the brass bushings.

Superior Evolution Series- Dana 44 Chromoly axle shaft and ctm and stock flange gears ---- on my 1 seater buggy
warn Chromoly, spicer 297, warn premiem locking hub ------ on suzuki sami

TacomaJD · Jun 17, 2012

My truck rarely sees street anymore, always trailered. I don't know that much about all the different types of u joints but I know of the two times I broke my front end, the Spicer 760X u joint has been destroyed. Last time I was on a ledge at Aetna and heard something pop, but wasn't sure what, then when I backed off the ledge (without unlocking the hub on that side), of course I heard more popping, and both the inner and outter were mangled and the u joint was destroyed to the point of chunks of metal laying on the ground.

TBItoy · Jun 18, 2012

Sam said:
as far as i know Best ujoint for on and offroad ( daily driver/ weekend warror) is the 297/ 760X Spicer joints. i have use 297 for years and not broken one. still on my sami for about 11year with warn chromo / warn locking hubs. sami was a daily driver until I put sticky on it last year....

rule of thumb: As for the ctm / non niddle ujoint are not for daily driving or long traveled distances u will burn out the brass bushings.

Superior Evolution Series- Dana 44 Chromoly axle shaft and ctm and stock flange gears ---- on my 1 seater buggy
warn Chromoly, spicer 297, warn premiem locking hub ------ on suzuki sami

I'd just unlock my hubs for street driving...

5genflaboy · Jun 18, 2012

Going thru the same issue right now. Which one should I buy?! I've been reading on pirate and folks say yukons suck. I'd like rcv but **** 1400.00 for axles in a 44?
I've broke my hub shaft after breaking the ujoint and not unlocking fast enough on mtr 35s 4-1 and Detroit . Now I wonder how bad the carnage will be on 37" m16?

TacomaJD · Jun 18, 2012

What I've found with huge forums like Pirate with alot of rich ppl that can afford to buy the best of everything when they do a mod to their truck is always that the very most costly product is what everybody says is the best and anything else that costs less is usually referred to as inferior or shitty when in fact most of the time, it's along the same lines of quality as the most costly ****. Might not be in this case, but that's usually ends up being the case on large forums like that...nobody wants to say a set of cheap ______ axle shafts are anywhere close in quality to the set of ______ axle shafts that themselves or their rich parents just broke the bank over.

TBItoy · Jun 18, 2012

Oh yeah,

I ran Yukons and Super joints in a FoolSize 79 F150 on 36 TSLs, locked f/r. 400/4spd

Destroyed a 9"... No problems with the 44. Granted, I did't wheel it "that" hard, but it would twist a drive shaft off when you dropped the hammer in 2nd gear - low.

TacomaJD · Jun 18, 2012

Yukons and Superjoints are what's on my mind now unless somebody has some info that could change that. Appreciate all the helpful info too!!! :drinkers:

tonybolton · Jun 18, 2012

TacomaJD said:
What I've found with huge forums like Pirate with alot of rich ppl that can afford to buy the best of everything when they do a mod to their truck is always that the very most costly product is what everybody says is the best and anything else that costs less is usually referred to as inferior or shitty when in fact most of the time, it's along the same lines of quality as the most costly ****. Might not be in this case, but that's usually ends up being the case on large forums like that...nobody wants to say a set of cheap ______ axle shafts are anywhere close in quality to the set of ______ axle shafts that themselves or their rich parents just broke the bank over.

Not a true-er word spoken!!! I agree.

I think youll be fine with those yukons/joints.

5genflaboy · Jun 18, 2012

TacomaJD said:
What I've found with huge forums like Pirate with alot of rich ppl that can afford to buy the best of everything when they do a mod to their truck is always that the very most costly product is what everybody says is the best and anything else that costs less is usually referred to as inferior or shitty when in fact most of the time, it's along the same lines of quality as the most costly ****. Might not be in this case, but that's usually ends up being the case on large forums like that...nobody wants to say a set of cheap ______ axle shafts are anywhere close in quality to the set of ______ axle shafts that themselves or their rich parents just broke the bank over.

I'm picking up on what your putting down. I notice the slandering as well. I guess the question now is who's has them the cheapest?