ok so i have an opportunity to pick up a dana 44 front end for my tj from a rubi. about 600 bucks.this is just the housing btw.. is it worth it or not? 600 for the housing, 500 for the locker(detroit) new axles, gears,blah blah blah.. also i hear the rubi front 44 outers are poopoo.. is this true? should i just get a built one already?

There are people that can break anything. Its usually driving "style" or lack of it that causes most things to break. All of us that have broken things in the past realize it was our fault in most cases. Maybe not when the breakage occurred, but we overstressed the part and it finally let go later on. All that is just background.

The Rubicon front ends are basically light duty Dana 44s. There is no difference between a Rubicon 44 Ring & Pinion, Carrier, or center section than any other. Same parts. The tubes and steering knuckles are the same as used on Dana 30. Not overly strong nor weak, surely less than used on 3/4 ton trucks, but then who really wants that extra weight? The axle shafts are clearly D44 inners and Universals. The outer stub is open to debate. DC/Dana upgraded the outers on the 30s about 10 years ago, making them stronger than any D30s from the past.

Most people that drive with any sense don't break the parts. But then those same people weren't shattering the newer D30s, either.

The advantages of the Rubicon parts is that they are factory parts that can easily be replaced with factory length items that are in-stock someplace. If you have one built, and they/you decide that you want a custom length/width, then accept the idea that you may have to wait several weeks or months for replacements. Or be smart and have them built at the same time, so you have extra's.

$600 plus maybe shipping for an empty housing is pretty steep, but probably in-line with what the going price is. Since the housing is empty going in, you can select the parts you really want and not pay for things to stack in the garage. When others make the comparison, remember to include the Superior or Yukon axles, the Detroit, etc. Unless you're going to weigh it down with enormous amounts of crap, it'll hold up to your particular driving style and terrain as well as any other D44 front end.
Seems like a good choice to me.

The frt Rubi 44 housing only lists for $702 brand new from the dealer. With any connections at all you could probably get it for well under $600. We could offer it for around $550 + shpg.

I would buy it if its just the housing. Yea, the outters are just D30 outters..basicly the whole axle is a D30 with a bigger R&P. But if its just the housing then all you need to do is buy everything from the knuckles out from say a waggy 44..go with 5 on 5.5" hubs and your set.

i'm pretty sure none of the waggy parts will bolt up the rubi d44 is d44 inners and d30 outers iirc basically what i had currie build for me but i went with the high pinion

if i had it to do all over i would go with the cj outers and done the f-150 disk brakes and high steer knuckles maybe even there 9inch up front

from curries site

44-2000 Dana 44 Front Housing built to your specifications with CJ Style Knuckles. Includes cover and yoke $549.95
44-2000R Dana 44 Reverse Rotation housing built to your specifications with CJ style Knuckles. Includes cover and yoke $649.95
44-2003 Dana 44 Front Housing Built to your specifications with YJ/TJ style knuckles and new ball joints. Includes cover and yoke $599.95
44-2003R Dana 44 Reverse Rotation housing built to your specifications with YJ/TJ style knuckles and new ball joints. Includes cover and yoke $699.96

ok NO rubi 44 front end for me... i'll do the HD HP flat top knuckled type from a builder like currie or such... no time soon. just wanted to know if a rubi 44 was really even worth the investment. sounds like it isnt in the long run of things.

really if you want to be hardcore you need a d60 up front i oaid 2200 with the locker gears housing shafts etc.the rubi front end would be fine for 600 if it had everything in it, buy a old f150 front hp 44 and get it worked into your jeep, and do it the way you want the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!! hysteer 5.5 bolt paten, arb etc some 5.13 in there you'll be styling with some 37's!!

Those Currie Dana 44 prices are without TJ brackets. Might want to add $900.00 with a $500.00 core charge.

Josh

yeah... just ramblings right now.. ya know im saving to pay off some flat-top knuckle head....lol.. then get a long arm..
the more i read into long arms the more i dont understand how i didnt do it sooner and why the heck i spent so much money on a dumb SA. info here

yeah those prices are without brackets, but for 35 bucks you can buy and xj d30 at pickapart and hack off the brackets and weld/reinforce them your self. oh and if you get the high pinion flavor there is no core charge so just the 450 for the brackets installed so about 1000 bucks out the door you get your own locker and some good shafts.

that write up is on the old design skid it is now a three peice skid.

Advantage to the Waggy 44 is the thicker tubes and normal d44 outer C's. This allows for flat top knuckles and different hub/spindle/rotor combinations to fit your needs/bolt pattern. I picked up a Waggy 44 front for 200 bucks and that's actually kinda high. But it's complete even with steering. I just need to have the 4.88's slapped in it with a locker, and get the TJ brackets welded on.
Looking at a Waggy 44 versus a Rubicon 44, you can clearly see how much beefier the tubes are. That extra strength does weigh more though.

AHHH, If only Jeep would have made Waggy's with a high pinion 44 front.

$600 for a bare D44 housing is just a hair steep

check EBAY I got mine for around 5 shipped

I am currently putting together a rear Rubi 44 for my Jeep, I will have pics and a writeup... I want to do a front next, but most people don't break D30's so I figured save your money.

But I do think it's a very cost effective strong axle!

Am i reading this wrong? You guys are paying $500 bucks or more for a bare housing? A Dana 44 housing at that.

I got my HP D44 housing with carrier and gears for $100 bucks. I dont see why anyone couldn't get a similiar deal. Heck, ive seen complete Dana 44's from a Bronco go for $350 easy.

Im with Localrich on this one (his first post)

quote:

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Originally posted by DanTheMan:
Am i reading this wrong? You guys are paying $500 bucks or more for a bare housing? A Dana 44 housing at that.

I got my HP D44 housing with carrier and gears for $100 bucks. I dont see why anyone couldn't get a similiar deal. Heck, ive seen complete Dana 44's from a Bronco go for $350 easy.

Im with Localrich on this one (his first post)

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does the bronco have the right wms? or did you run it full width? curries hp44 with cj outers for 649 plus a braket kit if you want theirs, cut and rotated to the right size etc.

If it's full width how do you get away with it out here in the peoples republic of kalifornia?

Before you go overboard in the search for Bronco front ends, go pick one up sometime. They are anchors. They come with a lot of extra baggage most of us don't want on our TJs.
Its been a few years since I've sectioned one, but I don't recall the tubes being significantly thicker than D30s or Scout 44s. I sure wouldn't want to run the steering knuckles, either.

As for the relative strength of Rubicon parts, you can very easily upgrade to aftermarket axles. Once past that, you probably should consider going with D60 parts. Of course that entails giving up a lot of ground clearance to the larger/fatter center section. None of this comes without a price.

Probably a more balanced view of the stock Rubicon parts and/or the current D30 parts is that a recent D30 uses D44 universals and outers. That was done in the mid 90s to prevent breakage in that part of the drivetrain.
We used to use Scout outer axles in our CJs to improve strength, but I don't recall anyone suggesting that those weren't really D44s, just hogged out D30s. My guess is most people that are attacking the current 44 front ends haven't a clue as to what they're attacking. They just do it for some underlying motive.