Dana 44 and road gears

[Petescj]

I was more into cars way back when I was out your way. Id google Jeep clubs in Az and see what you come up with. Casa Grande 4 wheelers rings a bell. Anyhow Id try and trade what you have if you find them to be the larger carrier with 4.10s

 

[Hedgehog]

So here I sit, tail tucked between my legs. With the front cover pulled I can not dispute the numbers on the gears ............. 3.73. Don't trust the differential calculators on the internet.

 

[73CJ]

3.73s were the most common in the intermediates.

Optional was 4.27s from the factory.

 

[Hedgehog]

3.73's are great gears, there is a reason for them being popular. How boring, everybody's got 3.73 gears. Just kidding, but not as much as I'd like people to know about.

After talking quite a bit with my Jeep guy I'm fairly certain that 3.54's are in my future. In theory, faster gears will give me the mileage I'm looking for.

He has used Dana 44 gears, a small D-30carrier and Dana 30 gears. Since most buyers want taller gears, with a trade thrown in, all the parts will be at a price I simply can't walk away from. This will also give me a new gear related mechanical experience. I'm getting sort of excited about the whole project.

 

[Kane]

When you used the calculator did you use your advertised tire size or did you measure the tire? This would play a big factor in that rpm at speed. My 33s from <-BAD WORD-> cepek are a full inch shorter at 32 and when they were down it would be even worse.

 

[IOPort51]

So far the most difficult mechanical adventure I have encountered was setting up differentials. I would not use a 2nd hand gear set, you will not want to do this twice The Dana 44 is easier than the AMC20 at least you have that going for you. Do you already have the dial indicator and the micrometers? You will also need a press for the bearings, I would not recommend reusing bearings. The truth is by the time you buy all the tools you need to do the job you can have the job done by a pro who already has the tools and who has climbed the learning curve. You may also receive a warranty on the work.

So much for the voice of reason.

It is a pretty big job. But I gotta say it comes with a really major sense of accomplishment when you are through, much more than successfully re building your first carburetor. And you will probably feel the way I do and proclaim "I'm glad I did it but I am never going to do that again!"

 

[JSTAGE]

I have 3.73 in my Dana 44 with 33 tires best combo I've had for the road plus I have a granny 4 speed so it works great off road. Just my opion but I'd keep the 3.73 and go with a bigger tire. I have the AMC 304 and it gets around 13 mpg.

 

[Hedgehog]

I do not WANT bigger tires, don't believe in them, don't like the weight, don't want the stress on my drive train, brakes, suspension. I have enough trouble getting in the Jeep as it is, yes I'm big, I'm fat and I'm old. Bigger tires are a band aide, granted a BIG band aide. 31" tires weren't chosen at random. They are bigger than stock, wider than stock, but not excessively heavy, in my opinion a great compromise between bigger and abusive to the Jeep. There are a bunch of newer Jeeps running far higher gears than 3.54's, just look at the 2.73's running in '80's jeeps or the 3.31's in Scramblers.

I want to get 15-16 mpg from my Jeep, maybe it's a pipe dream for my 360, but I know guys with Wagoneers that get better than that.

Kane - Sorry guy, but I've been through all of that and have decided that my mistake was in believing my tire size without actually measuring the ties I have. Even then I would have measured it the wrong way. I would have measured from the ground to the top, the proper way to do it is to measure from the ground to the center and multiply that x2. Things were learned from this exercise, now I'm moving on.

 

[mstar]

HH, I think maybe a lot of folks don't have the wide open spaces like you do in Arizona.And the 31" tires will keep that 360 very responsive.What other gear ratios are available for your differentials? 3.27, 3.40,etc.
I have the '67 with 3.73 and 31"tires and warn Overdrive (30%) that I slip in to o-drive when on the freeway.Also have a '66 ford pickup with 3.70 gears and 28"tires that could really use a Overdrive (ford toploader 4sp.) I drive it 65 mph @3000 rpm and that gets old in about 15 minutes.What I am trying to say is that a lot of people may not understand your desire for taller gears.So be it.I had a chev.4x4 pickup with 3.40 gears that ran out real nice. Our mustang has 3.27 gears that seem pretty good when not in o-drive
For all the expense of the change over it might be worth looking at some other gear ratio's. mike

 

[Hedgehog]

I appreciate your understanding for my goal.

Reasonable gear ratio's for the Transmission I have are the 3.54' and 3.31's. I'd like to try 3.31's but my Jeep guy is nervous they would be to high with my first gear. As we all know, changing gears isn't a simple matter. I do know that Scramblers ran 3.31's. One thing I see when pricing these gears is that the 3.31 gear set jumps in price.

Looking for a thumb nail idea here, about how much should shop labor be for changing gear ratio's?

 

[Old Dog]

Last I knew they were charging app. $200 per axle (labor only) in my neck of the woods. That's if you bring the axle(s) to them, not the whole jeep.

 

[IOPort51]

^^^