the spool is not that bad of a job i believe toms sells the spools for $150 then just take the spool and your original carier down to a machine shop and have them turn down the bearing journal to the same size as the original carier and shorten it about 1/8 inch on both ends that is what i did i think machine shop price was $50 or $75 then i had jesse drill two holes in the spool to run a jam nut in to the axles for retention i had jesse do my two holes because he allready did his before hand and knew where to drill the holes at since his original was a guinea pig
i believe he probally used a a hardned drill bit for drilling in to the axles for countersinking purpose only

 

Supras get away with it because they are the laziest bastards I've ever seen out of the hole...

A Quaife will help too, if they come out with one. I've done quite a bit of cryo-work on Quaife's for import drag and rally cars; I'm very impressed with their stuff.

I'll be posting quite a bit on the D44 subject in the very near future, wait for it.
-Jeb

 

That would be great if you get it to work out! I think the biggest obstacle will be axle retention though.

 

Alright guys... I'm ignorant here... but even with the new billet case.. a spool, etc... aren't we still going to have problems with the 5 weak 1350 series u-joints in our rears? Are the Chrome moly spindles really that much stronger?

Maybe if I go that route and have Jeb work his Cryo magic that would do the trick... what do you think...? Jeb?

 

I spoke with Paul Newman at Car Creations (a nicer more genuine guy you will not meet anywhere!) about their new Dana 44 centersections. This is not a billet piece but in fact is a sand cast unit that is a direct bolt-in for current Dana 44s. This housing was not meant to be an answer to drag racers or those of us who have high horsepower applications, and in fact he was very open that yes it is more heavy duty (more metal equals heavy duty) but certainly not indestructible. As a matter of fact I think he was hesitant to even sell one to me fearing that I would shred it, and then the bad press to follow. His company embarked upon developing this product as a result of not being able to procure enough Dana 44 housings for their hot rod customers. With the exception of using billet caps on the centersection, the inside is stock with the exception of the Chrome moly stub axles (which are not yet ready.. probably 2 months from now) that have been estimated to be 30% stronger than stock. And of course as mentioned earlier on this thread they do have the stronger mustache rear cover.

So, we are still on our own at least for the moment...... I thought I read somewhere on the forum that there were billet outer hub spindles available.. although certainly not cheap. Are we getting closer to finding a solution? Even it we get a stronger case and stronger outer spindles, we still have the weak 1350 series u-joints.... Now what?

Here are some pictures:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tonynt...08.jpg&.src=ph

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tonynt...2f.jpg&.src=ph

 

What makes you think the U-joints are weak? I am yet(knock on wood) to break one.

My setup probably sees more punishment than 98% of the cars on this board.

I am a firm believer in leaving some cheaper items in the rear weaker, to avoid ruining the more expensive pieces.

I have broken (1) 1/2 shaft and (1) outter spindle. The car launches rediculously hard, and I believe the only reason the outter spindle broke was do to the tire shake I was getting from the poor track prep. I told dad the run before - I was going to break something. Bingo - next run.

I think these setups are extremely tough for what they are. With a spool installed you probably double its strength in the center section. I would imagine that most all the case failures are due to the spiders coming loose, getting jammed between the ring and case and coming out the bottom. Which if that happens on any rearend, its going to crack the case, even on 9" rears. I do realize the 9" will take more to break, but that is the idea behind the spool, eliminate the weak points - that cause other failures.

As for the 1/2 shafts and spindles. Mine have hundreds of passes, and eventually fatigue is going to set in. Dead hooking at setup a few hundred times will take its toll on any setup. I will have to find the picture of the aftermarket moser axles that were twisted into a spiral.

This is what happens when you have high HP trying to move a HEAVY car. Face it, our cars sitting in the staging lanes are among the heaviest cars, and running with the fastest 1/3 of the group. The rear ends are eventually going to fail - its inevitable.

Getting 3400#s accelerating down the strip from a dead stop is a monumental task - Here is a video, all stock D44 equipement - except the spool, and the rear hold up to this abuse several hundred runs before a failure. And believe it or not, its spinning pretty bad in this video.

http://www.azzatochips.com/videos/10.33ski.wmv

The reason I would go with a solid axle is efficiency over anything else. But its a HUGE $$ to go that route, so you have to ask yourself is it really worth it?

 

man you do launch hard. but auto's are much nicer on components than stick. As jeb has mentioned previously it's all in the way you shift it as well. If your shocking the living hell out of the drivetrain each shift or wheel hopping like a s.o.b even a solid axle won't help you. Ask any high hp F-body guy who's broke a few 12 bolts. It's all in the way you shove it in and let it out. Just ask my girl

 

Do not EVER thing a 1350 is a "weak" u-joint... I use the same u-joints in the driveshaft of our NHRA SS/C '66 Vette that runs an 800+ hp big block, a G-Force 101 4-speed, and a Ray Franks multi-disk clutch... We launch at 7200 and shift at 9000, it short times in the low 1.20's off the back tires and we've NEVER broken a 1350. Lakewood makes some of the best ones and that's what I use, though any solid (no Zerk fittings) 1350 will be plenty strong.
-Jeb

 

It seems as though many have spoken of twisted half-shafts and broken outer hubs... As for thr series 1350 u-joints I have also heard of broken u-joints and assumed that's why Tom's goes with series 1480 u-joints for their upgraded C3 suspension. I am not in any way claiming to be an expert in this area (or any other area) and am just looking for answers so I can enjoy my baby without grimmacing avery time side step the clutch...

 

That's a good question.

From what I have read.
Heffener's performance TT viper just went 8.47 @ 169mph with a Dana 44 and 6 speed!!

I believe the rear end was cryogenically treated, but the details I am not sure. Does Cryo really make parts that much stronger?

 

The pics of the new cast D44 housing and batwing look impressive. The Bat wing and housing is definatly a stronger "looking" peice. I would like to see some real world tests with these pieces.

 

I offered to do some.. ahem.. endurance testing for them and he said I was two weeks too late.. He really seemed concerned that the drag racers would get a hold of these pieces and break them, and then spread bad publlicity about his company as he really isn't trying to fill the high horsepower niche, and this has not conducted any meaningful testing of his stuff, although he did state that he has sold some batwings to drag racers who have provided feedback that their cars feel much more stable coming out of the hole.... I don't know about that one... The bat wing pretty much only keep the diff. from twisting..(man, that is one long tortured sentence)

I think if I get time today I might call Heffners to see what they did to Chad's Viper to make his Dana 44 live. BTW, that Viper is for sale for $200K.....

 

This thread is most interesting.

I have to add - I don't know any drag car with an IRS. For the D44 to hold into the 10s is pretty damned impressive.

Why won't the D44 Quaiffe for the Viper fit in our D44 cases? I mean, what makes it a D44 isn't the casing, but the gear set content. I just don't see why it won't fit. Someone explain this, please!!

Dude, this is unnecessary. Clarence was making a funny, and this kinda attitude isn't required. back off.

 

NHRA stocker here "drag car" Tom's IRS equpped

 

Since the half-shafts on ours doubles as the upper link the bearings need to be setup differently. This is straight from Quaiffe.

 

OK bogus, but you took it as funny, I did not considering the serious discussions of this thread. I did not see a .

I stand by my original comment.

 

Ah.

I wonder why they don't just make the changes already. I see the Vette D44 market as being bigger than the Viper market, just by the numbers built.

 

One persons funny, is anothers insult. The best solution was to ignore it.

 

I DO DEEP CRYOGENIC PROCESSING!!!!! I CAN CRYO REAR DIFFS, GEARS, ETC....
EMAIL ME OR PM ME FOR PRICES!
THANKS ALOT
YOUR FIREND
SEAN BLANTON
SLIMSHABY@MINDSPRING.COM

 

Again - that is your opinion, not mine. The individual is fairly new to the forum and I believed he should know that a comment like
"you guys and your quadjillion hp drag cars..." is not funny to everyone.

So, continue the original discussion and I will just