Dana 44 steel cap source
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,798
Likes: 13
From: Southeastern VA
Dana 44 steel cap source
Looking to add some strength to my D44. Have most everything I need with the exception of a steel bearing cap. Does anyone have a source that markets this part? I have the means to machine it to size, but need the cap to start with. Thanks
R/
Jeff
R/
Jeff
Pro
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 635
Likes: 1
The only place I've seen them is tracy's corvette parts on ebay.They want about 400.00 for just the billet steel caps or 900 to 1200 if they do the work.Search corvette dana 44 Hd on ebay. tracy's corvette parts is located close to Detroit in michigan. I have a dana 44 hd with a broken strap also. I've talked to them I guess part of the fix is milling the bat wing or housing so the right amount of force is applied from batwing cap supports onto the caps. They tell me a lot of times stock housings do not have enough pressure to support the caps. I've checked mine with a staight edge,my supports do touch the caps. It's so close I can't tell anything is wrong there. They won't tell you how much pressure they set the caps up with when they modify them. I put rebuilding my rearend on hold. I got disgusted with how weak that rearend really is. You can throw thousands into it just to have something else break in it. Good Luck Tim
Last edited by turbotim23; Feb 17, 2011 at 07:02 PM.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 635
Likes: 1
You might also contact Newman car creations. They build a thicker heavy duty dana 44 hd housing that has billet caps. Don't know if they would sell just the caps but it would be worth calling them. either way I would set it up with arp studs instead of bolts to hold the caps in. I had the numbers but not any more, arp can help you there.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,765
Likes: 5
I have seen those C4 Dana 44 HD Billet Steel Carrier Caps on Ebay too.
What they want to buy them is just outragous.
For $400-$500 you can buy a billet steel 4-bolt set of Milodon Crankshaft Main Bearing Caps for a SBC or others.
If you have a friend that works in a Small machine shop, they can make you a custom set of Billet Steel caps for a C4 Dana 44 rear diff.
4340 steel would be a nice material to use.
Shop with a 3, 4, or 5 Axis CNC machine could make them quickly.
Shop would also need a blanchard ground surfacer,
a Boring Machine, and a Sunnen style Hone machine.
And the better small machine shops also have an in house Heat Treat Oven.
Heat treat the caps, but leave them slightly mallable or ductile.
Most shops also have Rockwell Hardness tester in the tool room -inspection room.
Have a close friend that works in a small machine shop.
He makes me one off parts all the time.
For $25- $100. And I help him work on his MOPAR cars too.
Decent trade for both of us.
BR
What they want to buy them is just outragous.
For $400-$500 you can buy a billet steel 4-bolt set of Milodon Crankshaft Main Bearing Caps for a SBC or others.
If you have a friend that works in a Small machine shop, they can make you a custom set of Billet Steel caps for a C4 Dana 44 rear diff.
4340 steel would be a nice material to use.
Shop with a 3, 4, or 5 Axis CNC machine could make them quickly.
Shop would also need a blanchard ground surfacer,
a Boring Machine, and a Sunnen style Hone machine.
And the better small machine shops also have an in house Heat Treat Oven.
Heat treat the caps, but leave them slightly mallable or ductile.
Most shops also have Rockwell Hardness tester in the tool room -inspection room.
Have a close friend that works in a small machine shop.
He makes me one off parts all the time.
For $25- $100. And I help him work on his MOPAR cars too.
Decent trade for both of us.
BR
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,765
Likes: 5
Besides 4340 material,
There are some Super Strong "Tool Steels" available also.
Has unbelievable tensile strength, high Vandium content, and machines very nicely.
Coolest stuff along with 6AL4V Titanium metal.
Titanium has never been cheep... But my friend has made me one off parts out from it too.
BR
There are some Super Strong "Tool Steels" available also.
Has unbelievable tensile strength, high Vandium content, and machines very nicely.
Coolest stuff along with 6AL4V Titanium metal.
Titanium has never been cheep... But my friend has made me one off parts out from it too.
BR
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,798
Likes: 13
From: Southeastern VA
Thanks for the reply gents. I talked with Brett at Mark Williams and had him give me all of the dimentions for the Viper D44 steel cap they produce. Would'nt know they are the exact same thing including the pedestal pad that meets the rear cover....same goes for the solid pinion spacer. Thank god the Viper guys beat the crap out of their stuff or nobody would market anything for these rears. I am running 10.80's with mine (LS7 T56 and a 3.90 gear) and it's holding up pretty well so far.
I have not run slicks on it and don't plan to. I have the inner and outer stubs and ring and pinion along with spyders cryo'd. Also running Toms Diff tuned posi and chrome moly halfshafts and drive shaft with 1350 spicer joints everywhere. Figured while I had the rear out for other work I would go ahead and add these items for additional security. Thanks again!!
Jeff
I have not run slicks on it and don't plan to. I have the inner and outer stubs and ring and pinion along with spyders cryo'd. Also running Toms Diff tuned posi and chrome moly halfshafts and drive shaft with 1350 spicer joints everywhere. Figured while I had the rear out for other work I would go ahead and add these items for additional security. Thanks again!!
Jeff
Pro
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 635
Likes: 1
Are the Viper caps the same size? Let us know if they are. what did you do send your just your posi housing in to toms for the tunning, and how much did they charge? Is that where they polish and shoot peen the housing and the set the of depth the spider gears engage by using thinner shims to set the spider gears closer together? I thought about buying their shims and trying to do this myself but in the long run you still have a weak link with the spider gears still in there. I was hoping to buy a Detroit true trac but that isn't going to happen, maybe tunning the posi is a option. With this rearend I think it just comes down to how hard you beat on it I've heard some guys are still breaking cryoed parts. It helps but is not a total fix. Good Luck Tim
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 166
Likes: 4
From: Moneta, VA
So.........1cool2........how have the steel caps worked out
Looks like I need to acquire a pair before I can get back on the road.
How hard was it to fit them up, bore and batwing clearance?
thanks,
Dave Porter
Looks like I need to acquire a pair before I can get back on the road.
How hard was it to fit them up, bore and batwing clearance?
thanks,
Dave Porter
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Instructor
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 166
Likes: 4
From: Moneta, VA
My aluminum main cap had significant cracks in it.
I had steel caps made up by Mike Dyer aka tracdogg2 here on the forum. He also makes up bolts that are full depth for maximum thread engagement.
He does excellent work and I would definitely recommended him.
see pics
Dave
I had steel caps made up by Mike Dyer aka tracdogg2 here on the forum. He also makes up bolts that are full depth for maximum thread engagement.
He does excellent work and I would definitely recommended him.
see pics
Dave
