Dana 44 Conversion
Thread Starter
Intl Council of Corvettes
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 139
Likes: 3
From: Huntsville Alabama
Dana 44 Conversion
Hi All,
I am getting ready to swap rears from a D36 to D44 latter this month. Mine is shot IMO and leaking badly at the pinion yoke. I already have the D44 and had it rebuilt but was wondering about the C beam. I read several threads that stated you have to re-drill the original C beam to accept the D44 bolt pattern since it is larger that the D36. The threads stated that you have to measure it at ride height and drill the holes and inch or so... To alleviate that, can I just order a Manual car C beam and use that to bolt to a 4L60E with a 700R4 output shaft housing?
I was able to locate and rebuild an early model 4L60E that has the same dimensions as the 700 and it bolted up the same in the car. We swapped the output shaft housing over to it and was able to grind down some of the aluminum in the housing internally to clear the teeth in the output shaft for the sensor. I will try and find the PICs from when we did it. Aside from that, the only other thing to do besides the C beam is to order a custom length driveshaft . thoughts ??
good recommendations are greatly appreciated. Go vettes!!!
I am getting ready to swap rears from a D36 to D44 latter this month. Mine is shot IMO and leaking badly at the pinion yoke. I already have the D44 and had it rebuilt but was wondering about the C beam. I read several threads that stated you have to re-drill the original C beam to accept the D44 bolt pattern since it is larger that the D36. The threads stated that you have to measure it at ride height and drill the holes and inch or so... To alleviate that, can I just order a Manual car C beam and use that to bolt to a 4L60E with a 700R4 output shaft housing?
I was able to locate and rebuild an early model 4L60E that has the same dimensions as the 700 and it bolted up the same in the car. We swapped the output shaft housing over to it and was able to grind down some of the aluminum in the housing internally to clear the teeth in the output shaft for the sensor. I will try and find the PICs from when we did it. Aside from that, the only other thing to do besides the C beam is to order a custom length driveshaft . thoughts ??
good recommendations are greatly appreciated. Go vettes!!!
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,475
Likes: 3,291
From: Hartford WI
I didn't want to drill so I got a D44 C-beam. I used the C4 output housing. Why grind it? IIRC, to make a 700R4 fit, you have to change the output shaft and housing to the C4 one. I had to redo the driveshaft because the dampner was loose. I think I got a used driveshaft from a manual and made sure the length was right and had it rebuilt without the dampner
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,394
Likes: 2,741
The A4e has been installed and has run with the D36 already and has been proven to be reliable? Your post "hints" yes.
The manual C-beam and the manual drive-shaft with the proper slip-yoke is all you need. If the slip-yoke you've got now is fine use it. If not you can use this Spicer 2-3-4911X. It doesn't matter if the drive-shaft is from a M6 or a M4+, aside from the slip-yoke the end-yokes are correct, length is same.
A manual C-beam is the best and most effective way to proceed. You can continue to drive the car have the drive-shaft assembled using a new slip-yoke if you have any reason to doubt the condition of yours.
The manual C-beam and the manual drive-shaft with the proper slip-yoke is all you need. If the slip-yoke you've got now is fine use it. If not you can use this Spicer 2-3-4911X. It doesn't matter if the drive-shaft is from a M6 or a M4+, aside from the slip-yoke the end-yokes are correct, length is same.
A manual C-beam is the best and most effective way to proceed. You can continue to drive the car have the drive-shaft assembled using a new slip-yoke if you have any reason to doubt the condition of yours.
Last edited by WVZR-1; Jan 6, 2017 at 03:47 AM.
Thread Starter
Intl Council of Corvettes
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 139
Likes: 3
From: Huntsville Alabama
I didn't want to drill so I got a D44 C-beam. I used the C4 output housing. Why grind it? IIRC, to make a 700R4 fit, you have to change the output shaft and housing to the C4 one. I had to redo the driveshaft because the dampner was loose. I think I got a used driveshaft from a manual and made sure the length was right and had it rebuilt without the dampner
Thread Starter
Intl Council of Corvettes
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 139
Likes: 3
From: Huntsville Alabama
The A4e has been installed and has run with the D36 already and has been proven to be reliable? Your post "hints" yes.
The manual C-beam and the manual drive-shaft with the proper slip-yoke is all you need. If the slip-yoke you've got now is fine use it. If not you can use this Spicer 2-3-4911X. It doesn't matter if the drive-shaft is from a M6 or a M4+, aside from the slip-yoke the end-yokes are correct, length is same.
A manual C-beam is the best and most effective way to proceed. You can continue to drive the car have the drive-shaft assembled using a new slip-yoke if you have any reason to doubt the condition of yours.
The manual C-beam and the manual drive-shaft with the proper slip-yoke is all you need. If the slip-yoke you've got now is fine use it. If not you can use this Spicer 2-3-4911X. It doesn't matter if the drive-shaft is from a M6 or a M4+, aside from the slip-yoke the end-yokes are correct, length is same.
A manual C-beam is the best and most effective way to proceed. You can continue to drive the car have the drive-shaft assembled using a new slip-yoke if you have any reason to doubt the condition of yours.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,394
Likes: 2,741
You don't need Denny's - a drive-line shop local will likely do you "as well as" OR maybe even better than them. I bought from them for years and service was great, a few years ago it got terrible and the work doesn't seem to be of the same quality either. They seem to buy and supply much "off-shore" stuff and if you don't question/check what you're getting you could get stuffed. Some one here not long ago mentioned u-joints in boxes with"paw-prints" and one wasn't even a correct in box. I spoke to them about a slip-yoke a few years ago and when I questioned the source and mentioned I thought it was likely incorrect specs they wanted to argue. A ZF isn't the same as a TH400 but they use to say YES.
