Dana 44 internals have remained...
Dana 44 internals have remained unchanged from 1948 to 2001. The spline counts are different but all of the later units have 30 splines. Earlier 44s with 10 and 19 splines can be converted to the stronger 30-spline axles. Jay Miller tore our 44 down and cleaned it. Our factory Trac-Lok had been rebuilt but it still wasnt much better than an open diff. The carrier is removed with a prybar once the bearing caps are unbolted.
Heres one of the specialty...
Heres one of the specialty tools youll need if you plan to do it yourself. We ordered new carrier bearings from Randys because the originals are often damaged during removal. If youre changing gears its a good idea to get a complete install kit. Our Jeep already had 4.56 gears.
In theory the spool should...
In theory the spool should provide slightly better acceleration and gas mileage. It weighs in 10 pounds lighter than our Trac-Lok. The difference is actually minimal but less rotating weight is always better for performance.
Miller pulled out the big...
Miller pulled out the big hammer (dead blow) to get the carrier back into the axle. A case spreader eases installation but it is not necessary. Dont forget to fill the diff with oil once its assembled.
Miller uses the old shims...
Miller uses the old shims as a starting point to get the correct backlash and bearing preload. A dial caliper aids in measuring the thickness of shims that are added or removed from the pack. The new bearings are pressed into place.
Spools are for drag racing and off-highway use. Weve heard it before and were sure to hear it again. However, for our purposes a spool offers undeniable strength and greater traction than an open diff or a limited slip. Spools are less expensive than any other traction device and they actually have fewer handling drawbacks than most lockers. Until recently the only spools available were those that were popular for the straight-line drag racing and circle track crowd. These included 35-spline Dana 60s and Ford 9-inch units. Theres no question that both of these axles are popular swaps for Jeeps but most of us just dont need and cant afford that much axle.
The most common Jeep rear axle is probably the Dana 44. It can be found in almost every Jeep model from early CJs to Wagoneers and Cherokees, and even late model TJs. The internals have remained mostly unchanged. Anyone who wanted more traction from this axle had to settle for a weak locker, spend a kings ransom for a strong locker, or go completely butch and weld the differential gears together. To give Jeepers another option, Randys Ring & Pinion had 30-spline Dana 44 spools custom-built.
Weve had a spool on our mostly-trail rig for well over a year and wouldnt change it out for the world. But we wanted to see if it was all that bad to have on a daily driver. We took our guinea pig 97 TJ with a 4.0L, a five-speed, a 6-inch lift, and 35s to 4 Wheel Parts Performance Center in San Marcos, California, for the install. Our test rig sees a 150-mile commute five times a week.
As expected, the spool provides better traction off-road. We also expected the spool to cause the tires to bark and chirp in tight corners. Unfortunately, we were right. However, the 65 mph lane changes that are normally encountered with a manual transmission and an automatic locker were nonexistent. The spool did cause noticeable understeer on our TJ but it wasnt anything that we couldnt get used to.
Would we do it again? You bet. However, spools arent for everyone. If your vocabulary includes words such as car-like handling, low step-in height, and so on, then you dont want a spool. But if you want cheap traction and are willing to put up with chirping tires, then Randys probably has a spool for you.