Front D44 questions

[PistolDave]

Hey folks,

I recently purchased a 77 CJ7 with a cobbled SOA and Dana 44 's front and rear. As far as I can tell, the front axle came from a IH Scout. From what I have gathered, this axle has Dana 30 outer parts, such as 27 spline stubs, Dana 30 hubs, etc. The caliper appears to be a AMC CJ caliper, not sure about the 5x5.5 rotor or the spindle.

One question I have is, for moderate wheeling with 35" tires, is it worth the money to upgrade the ujoints, stub axles, hubs, spindles, etc. to Dana 44 parts? I would like also like to install Dana 44 hi-steer knuckles, if going to all Dana 44 componentry is not necessary for my intended use, will my current spindles, rotor, hubs, etc. bolt up to a set of 'hi-steer' knuckles? Or, 3rd option, should I just leave it all like it is and see what breaks, then replace it?

Another question, my tcase front shaft is 5 deg. above horizontal, my front pinion angle is 4.5 deg above horizontal, and my caster is at about 1 deg positive. If I reset the spring perches to rotate the pinion to 5 deg below horizontal to match the tcase, this will leave my caster at 10.5 deg positive if i figured right. Is this way too much caster? Is this a valid way to correct my geometry, or would I need to remove the inner C's and bring the caster back to ~6 deg? I have read a lot of threads about similar issues, but I am still unclear on some of the particulars. I will try to attach some pics of the parts in question.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Torxhead]

I would think you will be fine, except for the exposed tie rods being under the leaf spring. So you might consider a "Hi steer" set up, if you go into the rocks. The castor is also an issue, it could be corrected somewhat by going to shorter front spring shackles, if you can. On the street, when you turn the steering wheel, it should return to center. Not having enough castor could prevent that, it can also make the front end wander a bit. The "Wait till it breaks" can get you into trouble also.

 

[Old Dog]

IMO going to the bigger axle u-joint is a must.
I'm not real sure but I though scout knuckles had 8 bolts, looks like you have 6 like a jeep or chevy. High steer knuckles will be 6 bolt so you should be fine.
If it was me I'd run 44 stuff all the way out.
The t/c should be level, do you have a lowing kit or ?

 

[Kane]

That is a Dana 30 out steering arma nd brake system. The stub shaft is going to be the scout Dana 44 . The scout share the same 27 spline outer but the u joint is bigger than the Dana 30 so you are in better shape there. The out shaft is the same as the 30 though.

As far as the castor, the differential pinion normally sits flat so if you rotate it to get better castor then the pinion will be pointed down toward the ground. These inner C's really need to be cut off and rotated to get the proper castor.