HI ALL, I NEED A DANA 44 FOR A 3RD GEN. 3.31 RATIO, WOULD CONSIDER ANY RATIO THOUGH. AS CLOSE TO LONG ISLAND NY AS POSSIBLE. THANKS

 

You're dreaming. Providing someone even has one that's in good condition and willing to sell it, you'll probably spend less money buying a bolt in 9" or 12 bolt.

 

MISSED ONE LAST WEEK BY 1HR FOR $450.00. HOPE THAT WAS NOT THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

 

You might be able to still find inexpensive ones but changes are it's not in great or good condition regardless of what the seller tells you..

 

Didn't the Dana 44 only come in 1992 Firehawks and as GMPP replacements in a 3.54 ratio?

I remember that Summit had a "clearance" on these for GM/SLP around 1994 or 1995 for $425..... should have bought a truck load of them!

Kevin

 

Yes, they came in Firehawks. Summit cleared them out(from SLP) in 1996. They went for $1500. I still have my reciept.

 

GM PERFORMACE PARTS OFFERED THESE REARS OVER THE COUNTER IN 3 DIFFERENT RATIOS. BACK WHEN THE CARS WERE NEW , IF YOU BLEW YOUR 3RD GEN REAR, THE DEALER OFFERED YOU (FOR AN ADDITIONAL FEE) THE DANA 44 AS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE 9 AND 10 BOLTS.

 

I remember when they were listed in the GM performance catalog. I think I still have that catalog laying around somewhere.

 

get a moser 9" and call it good. The dana 44 is no where near as strong as an aftermarket 9" ever will be. Not to mention gear changes are super cheap if you ever regear it.

 

DO YOU KNOW A 9 INCH TAKES MORE HORSEPOWER TO SPIN THAN A 12 BOLT OR A DANA. IT HAS THE OFF SET PINION, AND I HAVE HAD TO PUT IN POCKETS IN THE FLOOR FOR PEOPLE BECAUSE THE TORQUE ARM AND THE 9 INCH. THE DANA WORKS FINE SINCE IT WAS ENGINEERED FOR THE CAR. I CAN WAIT A LITTLE UNTIL I FIND ONE. I'LL JUST KEEP BUYING POSI UNITS FOR NOW.

 

whatever makes you sleep better at the end of the day. Funny how hot rod did an article a few years ago with a 9", 12 bolt, and a dana 60 and they all ran within .08 of each other in a mild HP build up.

 

You are correct, I found a Summit catalog from 1996 (black and white mostly), the dana 44 is $1500 and the T-ram is $425.........

 

 

 

Did you know that the HP difference is so low that a street car will not know the difference? We're talking 10 HP at the most difference. Probably closer to 5 HP difference between a 9" and a 12 bolt. The Dana 60 does eat up a bit more HP than a 9". It's also a lot heavier than a 12 bolt or 9".

As for the pinion being offset. My pinion is dead center to the transmission. The pinion is centered and the right axle is a little bit longer than the left which is very common in Ford cars with a 9".

What kind of pockets in the floor? There are many third gens with a direct bolt in 9" diff under the car. It uses all the factory suspension components including the torque arm without any floor modifications.

 

i had to do a little massaging to get my 9" and torque arm to fit but nothing that 3 hammer hits with a rubber dead blow hammer didn't more than clearance for me.

 

i think from what little i know and have read the dana 60 from strange seems to be the most affordable and stronger than a 12 bolt. Not a big fan of paying close to 1K for new third member plus everything else. i think they even said it is stronger than the 9" and it's 100% bolt in w/ no clearance issues. That's what ill be using when i get the cash this summer.

 

the dana60 IS NOT a direct bolt in, you have to shorten your driveshaft.
I feel that in the end the 9" is the way to go, yes technically it has a higher power loss than the alternatives, but the aftermarket will take it further than any of the other options.

Im picking up a 9" with a moser aluminum case and tru-trac probably this spring.

 

xpndbl3-I would love to read that article, can't find it though.

I remember reading though, the efficiency differences between the 9, 12 bolt, and dana 60. Between the ford and 12 bolt, not much difference. But between the ford and s60, at 600 rwhp, it was like 18 more hp getting to the ground. Kind of substantial, but pita to change gears, and I've heard they are not near as reliable as a ford 9.

I just got a bolt in 9" moser housing for $1050, and picked up a third member for 200 bucks with the gears I wanted and a spool. Tell me you can do better than that.

The guy used a bad choice of words listing it on ebay, so no one found it. I just happened to run across it looking for a set of gears.

I'm taking that thousand bucks I saved on my rear and putting it into MORE POWER. Negates any efficiency loss.

If your breaking 10 bolts that quick, I doubt a dana 44 will hold up for you.

 

ALL THE NEW CORVETTES INCLUDING THE Z06 USE A DANA 44 CENTER SECTION WITH NO BREAKING ISSUES. A DANA 44 IS AS LIGHT AS A 12 BOLT, PLENTI OF PARTS,AND ACCEPTS MY 1LE BRAKES NO PROBLEM. I DO NOT WANT TO SMASH THE FLOOR OF MY TTA TO FIT A NINE INCH. THE DANA COULD HAVE BEEN A REPLACEMENT FOR THE NINE BOLT WHICH STILL KEEP THE CAR STOCK AND WORTH MORE, AND I WILL PUT THE 9 BOLT ON THE SIDE FOR THE REAL TTA PUREST.
I DID NOT WANT TO START A DEBATE ON THE DANA, OPINIONS ARE LIKE AS^%$#*S, EVERY ONE HAS ONE AND THERE ALL FILLED WITH YOU KNOW.

JUST LOOKING FOR A F BODY DANA 44 IN ANY SHAPE. THANKS

 

What do you mean smash the floor?

The corvette is also lighter and doesnt come from the factory with drag tires. They're efficient rears, lightweight, and cheap. Theres also no axle tubes to bend, so that I would imagine, would contribute to a little more strength.

I really dont understand why GM threw that decent rear under the vettes and not our cars. Why didnt camaros get the same reliablility? 10 bolts behind ls1's make me angry. Make more power than a c4...heavier too.

If you do find one, its gonna be priced high. I like your engine btw, always wanted to ride in a car with that engine.

If you launch your car at lower rpms, the 44 would probably last a while. But its definitely no insurance. I like to hammer down and know that NOTHING will break.

 

may i also suggest that you also put your request up in the "engine/drivetrain parts wanted" forum, it may yeild better results.

 

WITH THE 9 INCH AND TORQUE ARM THERE IS A CLEARANCE ISSUE SOMETIMES. YOU CAN EITHER NOTCH THE FLOOR, OR BEAT THE FLOOR WITH A HAMMER A LITTLE. EITHER WAY I DO NOT WANT TO DO THAT TO MY CAR. A LOT OF TTA GUYS RUN THE 9 BOLT WITH GOOD LUCK FOR A LONG TIME, BUT THE POSI IS THE WEAK LINK. I HAVE A FEW BUT I JUST WANT THE DANA 44. I CAN MAKE THEM STRONGER THAN I NEED FOR MY CAR. ITS AN AUTOMATIC. ONLY RUNS HIGH 11'S ON DRAG RADIALS

 

Didnt know that about the 9", I just picked one up. Thats actually a good thing for me, I need the torque arm up a bit to get away from the x-pipe.

I think its going to be near impossible for you to find the dana. Its been talked about and dreamed of a lot without resolve.

High 11s? So you really havent tapped much into that engine huh?

 

I ran high 11's with a 383, a 3.27 9 bolt under the car and 26" tall slicks. I was also doing it at 117 MPH racing at around 5000' density altitude.

I then switched to a beefed up 10 bolt for better gear choices (not really worth the investment) and got into the low 11's before installing a 9" and a transmission with a transbrake at the same time which has now pushed my car into the mid 9's.

 

THATS A BONE STOCK ENGINE WITH BOLT ONS AND AN ALKY KIT. WHEN I SAVE UP SOME $$$$ I HAVE ANOTHER 109 BLOCK AND TTA HEADS TO GO CRAZY WITH. MY GOAL IS EVENTUALLY MID 10'S ON PUMP GAS WHICH ALOT OF GUYS WITH TURBO V6'S ARE DOING. ITS COOL TO DRIVE TO THE TRACK, BEAT UP ON SOME RACE CARS AND DRIVE HOME WITH THE A/C ON OR T TOPS OFF!!

 

http://austin.craigslist.org/pts/600655420.html

A little spendy and it has 3.92 gears/spool, but it's a 3rd gen Dana 44. They're hard to find.

 

Not much of a deal. A 9" which will have a better selection of aftermarket parts is cheaper. Hard to tell from the picture but it looks like it has the older cast iron calipers.

Here you go. An inexpensive, bolt in, 9"
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/9-For...spagenameZWDVW

 

Damn...nice find. Thanks.

 

I dont see how thats a good deal. You dont get axles, just the housing. You can get the same thing from moser and its 600 bucks. And not as ugly.

1500 bucks is ridiculous from a practical view. If youre one of those "keep it stock guys", then.......yea, good deal I guess.

 

The write up on the power loss is in the new GM High Tech. 9" 4-5 rwhp loss and the Dana 60 hurts ya bad

 

[quote=Batass;3686879]I dont see how thats a good deal. You dont get axles, just the housing. You can get the same thing from moser and its 600 bucks. And not as ugly.


Read that ad again. it does have axels. no center section
That would make a bolt-in setup for less than $1500
That beats the HELL out of ANYBODY else

 

Youre right, you know I've looked at that ad four times now. Each time I read something different. That is a good deal.

A little unclear about the housing ends for brakes, and what width is it? Third gen or fourth?

Youre really only paying 500 bucks for a stronger rear, all the extra stuff are things you'd be doing to your 10 bolt anyway.......or dana.

 

I recall sometime ago that the 9 bolt rears were presumably stronger than the dana 44. Try doing a seach on them and i believe that Miles from 9 bolt.com had the article for that. If I remember correctly, his email address was miles@koolmeister.com.

 

Don't want to be the nay sayer but I've seen more than a few newer vettes with the dana 44s in them shatter, break or give up the ghost in a variety of fashions running the times your talking about. So if you do end up getting one I would highly recomend building it up to hold up to the performance you and reliability your talking about