Jeb,

Obviously you have done your homework.... How big if a deal is it to put a straight axle in? Does anyone have any pictures of this type of setup.. I'm guessing I will need to speak with you again sometime this summer after I destroy my Dana 44.. I hate to even run it as it is all brand new from exotic muscle... I also wonder how hard it would be to just build a real crossmember for the trans? That would help with the straight axle install. I would love to try and make a run at the low nines or high 8's...not gonna happen with my current suspension setup.

 

The spool is the least costly alternative to the solid axle.

I have seen a few of these solid axle setups, and they are NOT for the light hearted, not to mention you have to basically remove the entire floor behing the seats, then sheet metal it all back over.

For me, this is a little extreme for a car that is not entirely strip - will I change my mind in a few years. Perhaps.

For now though, the spool is working great. Never really had major problems with the regular setup either, but know it would have occured eventually.

I contribute 95% of the failures that take place in D44s, especially the autos, to incorrect setup. I can't see how a car pulling mid 1.5s can bust a case in 2 or radically destroy the gears.

And I am not doing anything extravigent when putting them together. Just making sure things are snug with shims and everything is to proper torque.

The spool can be done for around 750 dollars with most machine shops labor and cost of the spool. More if you have someone else doing it, but to me its a NO Brainer - unless your putting thousands of miles on your car or autocrossing. Even in autocrossing I don't think it would be all that bad, but WTF do I know about that

A solid axle is going to run you easily done right ~5000-8000 dollars

A spool all labor and machining ~1500 dollars. Much cheaper and you can always at any time if you keep the carrier, switch back to the stock configuration with no alterations to speak of.

Don't get me wrong - the solid axle if you have the cash is the ticket in these cars. But you have to be willing to shell out the bucks to get it. If I were to do that, I would have the car COMPLETELY 1/2 backed at Neverlift and pay 10k to have it all completely done, legal, and safe. Leo could have that thing running better than 99% of the cars on the strip - check out his 10.5" slicked camaro that runs low 7s @190+ MPH, yeah that is right on a 10.5" slick!

Its a big move to go solid, spool is a moderate jump, but very effective.

Now that I think of it, my vette might be the first one ever with a spool in a D44 - cool. I think they have been doing this to vipers for a while to make them live.

 

Yes, I'd hate to back-half my car due mainly to the fact that I would NEVER be able to recoup the cost of such a mod in the unlikely event of a resale (even if I did the work myself).. Even if I go straight axle the ZF6 then becomes the weak link and will NEVER handle the 1000-1400hp I'll have on tap.. and I don't want an automatic. I've looked into putting a T-56 from G-Force in but that sounds like a whole other can of worms....oh.. and another $5,000. plus mods to install..

So......I think I'll just keep it as is and take it easy.....I just won't drag race it...keep it as a highway cruiser.

 

One more thought... I know the Viper guys are somehow able to get their IRS to live under 1000hp. applications. I have heard of Vette guys using the Viper gears.... could we use anything else to make ours stronger? We could easily strengthen the case if that is the weak link by adding outside bracing to the case...

 

I haven't tested my D44 yet, but I had all the internals Cryoed by Jeb, gears, carrier, inner and outer shafts, custom halfshafts, etc.. C-beam plates, hopefully it's enough for 10 secs!

 

Where are you going to go with 3.08 gears??

 

well every weekend i run bottem to mid 10s at 130+ mph with 3.0 gears so i would say very fast

 

It works! I have pushed many w/4L60Es & 3.15s into the mid 10's. I am wedgin in a 4L80E in the 86. I am planning to stay out of 4th. The 2.48 first will help traction and actually be usefull. With crazier gear ratios traction becomes nonexistent. My destroked 400 will be pushin 7000RPM. So why not?

 

I may have found our answer......


http://www.dutchmanms.com/1_irsnav.html

 

 

you guys and your quadjillion hp drag cars...

 

This is the type of comment that is BS. If you cannot add to the post, then there is no need to be derogatory. If you like stock, so be it. But, if all posts were about changing windshield wipers then this board would be dam#ed boring.

 

hey tony,

did you call them , what kind of info did you find out ? that is the answer if you can bolt a 9inch center section .

 

Could you share how much $$$ that was? PM me.

BTW, you guys probably already saw it,but there is a post in the drag racing section with a scan of an article in the latest Hot Rod magazine on "bulletproofing" 63-79 IRS to NHRA legal 7.50's.

Could that be right? I thought 9.99 was the max.

 

I have not called them yet as I found this on Saturday late in the afternoon. I think they do have a pricelist and they weren't that bad. If you look at the information on their site it says that you can bolt any Ford 9 inch centersection in. The way I see it we could get a 9" centersection with the torque arm provision (Currie sells them) and then fabricate a simple bracket to hold the housing. We could either use their hubs or ours as they are "desiqned like the Corvettes". The only drawback I see is that it still uses the Corvette spindles which I guess would be our weak link. It does say that they can basically do whatever you want, even make it suitable for Viper like (I'm guessing) CV shafts. I'll find out more on Monday, but it seems as though at least right now it would have to be less work than putting a straight axle in... THAT looks like a job...Of course I'll still have to deal with the weakness of the ZF6.. but one step at a time... The Tom's Differential stuff is ONLY for the C3....unfortunately.. there is NOTHING out there for the C4. I spoke with one of the Currie boys on Friday and told him that there is a real need for something for the C4... who knows.. maybe someone will step up and help us with a bolt in replacememnt..

 

thanks tony let us know

 

No one wants us to go fast !
YOU can't even get narrow front wheels in the 17 range.
Right when you think you have found something they throw you under the bus and say try these guy's.
ON this form we are trying to get a few guys together to purchase hubs made from chroemoley,you knnow what I mean for about $400.00.
Could possabily solve that problem.

 

You can put me down for a set if they are stronger than the stock units....!!! Maybe if we had these cryo'd we'd be good to go...Jeb?

 

I've got about $300-$400 into cryogenics including my valve springs! Not expensive! Jebs real cool and informative! As for someone asking How fast with 3.08's? It sounds like a lame gear but these engines pulling these gears and going fast are usually low rpm torque monsters that don't require a lot of gear! You can go 130mph with 3.08's or 4.10's but peak torque rpm and horsepower play a big role, therefore there are many variables other than just gear!

 

I just spoke with Tom of Dutchman rear ends. He said that indeed their housing is one that accepts any type of Ford 9" third member or you could do a Chevy 12-bolt as well. This means that you could buy a Monza, Camaro Ford 9" third member from Currie Enterprieses or others that already has provisions for a torque arm. Attaching the actual housing to the Vette sounds simple to me since we already have the torque arm to prevent the up and down motion of the third member. All we would have to do is attach it in two places to the frame just like the factory unit rear cover. Of course this would also necessitate a fabricated bracket but it certainly does not sound like a big deal. As far as using our Vette hubs he said he "thought" we could do it and would not have any problems hooking up their camber and toe adjusters that attach onto their houising----although you might have to make some shorter or longer Heim end rods to mate with their housing.. It's impossible to tell as they really don't have that great of a picture on their website that demonstrates where their adusters are located.

Anyway, here are the problems as I see them... their housing is only designed to accept the Series 1350 U-joints which are the very same ones used in our Dana 44 centersections (right?). They also use the same hub bearing assemblies that our current units use. To me this seems like an awful lot of money to end up with only a stronger centersection. I think you could easily spend $5,000-8,000 on going this route. If I could end up with a bullet proof set up it would be worth it... What do you guys think? Does using the Ford 9" help us at all given the limitations of the Series 1350 stuff and the stock hub bearings/spindles? Are we just better of to bite the bullet and go with a straight axle?

I also told him that us C4 guys were dying for a solution to our weak IRSs and that these cars are becoming really cheap and the masses are starting to hot rod them... He said they would possible like to do one if they had a car to R&D on... Any willing takers on the Oregon area?