Scout D-44's to CJ7

[79cj7duner]

I am getting a set of scout Dana 44's from a guy who is trading for widetrack AMC 20 and D 30. I think the guy who wants these widetracks is nuts, as I'd take a 44 over two piece shafts and a weak housing any day, but anyway...

What mods are necessary to swap scout 44's under a CJ7? My current Suspension is set up Spring-over, and I would like to do the same to the scout axles, so that work obviously has to be done. what about steering? Any help is appreciated!!

[pyagid]

the front axle you need to turn the Knuckles. Scout factory caster is 0* I believe you want 6-7* or you will have death wobbles due to the angles. There is and article here http://www.bulltear.com/forum/viewto...006&highlight=

Also i believe for the front you will have to outboard your springs

-Paul

[79cj7duner]

Since I am going spring-over and have to weld teh perches anyway, couldn't you just tilt the pinion up and gain better driveline angles? or woould it cause oiling issues?

The way I understand it is that it is like your bicycle. if you turn the handlebars around, pointing the wheel outwards, you can't ride it, but if it gets tucked up underneath, you have no trouble.

[pyagid]

It is a combination, if you just rotate the axle, the angel your drag link and steering knuckles once it is rotated up.

With out turning the knuckles your tie rod will be pointed towards the ground. And you will have negative caster. I believe you always want positive caster.
And i have heard that gives the vehicle a tendency to wander, etc.

IF this is not a DD i have seen people do this. If you do Drive it on the street i think it should be rotated.

I dont think i am explaining this very well. Hopefully some one else could chime in

-Paul

[tufcj]

pyagid got it right. The rear is pretty simple, just re-locate the spring pads and weld. Be sure to get your pinion angle right for the type of driveshaft you're using. About parallel with the t-case output if it's a standard u-joint. pointing straight into the driveshaft if you have a CV.

The front is another story. Because the scout front is about 59" wide, vs. even the widetrack front being about 55", you have to "outboard" the front springs, or the right front spring ends up on top of the pumpkin when the axle is centered under the vehicle. For some reason scouts drove well with right around 0* caster. Jeeps need 4-6* positive caster, or they wander all over the road. If you draw a line thru the center of the ball joints, positive caster is when the top tilts toward the rear of the vehicle. Adding positive caster tips the pinion down, exactly what you DON'T want with a SOA. So the fix is to grind the knuckles loose from the tubes, rotate, and re-weld, or live with poor pinion angles or wander.

I'm not a really big fan of the Scout 44 front anyway. You do get the bigger ring/pinion and 297 u-joints, but is still uses a Dana 30 size outer stub shaft and weaker external hubs, so you don't gain any strength there, and those become your weak points.

I had a Scout 44 front, and when I figured it all out, it was less work to cut down a Chevy 44 (already SOA) and leave my springs in the factory position. With the correct mix of parts, you can run Ford rotors on it, and keep the 5 on 5.5" pattern, plus you get the bigger stub shafts and internal hubs for added strength. That's the way I went, and I haven't popped an axle in over 5 years (knock wood). I was breaking the 30 once or twice a summer.

Bob
tufcj

[WheelingPiazza]

People always say you will get death wobble, it wont track straight, it wont be right, blah blah blah..

I ran a uncut, unturned scout dana 44 SOA on a cj5 for 4 years. Never had death wobble, never had tracking issues, steering wheel would come back to center every time. When I set it up I set it at 0 caster. No problems no issues.

The only thing you will run into is your pinon will be pointed in the dirt. (well not in the dirt but you will possibly have binding issues on thedrive line) Again I clearnance the yoke a bit.

You will have to grind a perch in the housing, Not a big thing.

To run it on a CJ-5 frame you will have to outboard the springs, Again not a big thing.


My current setup is (rounding hte numbers here folks)
60 inch dana 44 scout front end. Scout inners, chevy outters with chevy knuckles and highsteer.
60 inch dana 44 wagoneer rear
4 wheel disc, 4.56, Dana 300, sm420
36 SX on MRT beadlocks
Outboarded springs in the front
JC whitney CJ-7 rear springs on the front, Modified Wrangler springs in the rear.
and a bunch of other stuff.

So yes you can spend the cash on a chevy narrowed front or you can just use what you have and go for it.

Sorry I dont feel like resizing the images.







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[jeepsr4ever]

Hell of a grind job ..LOL

Its true you can run those axles like that and get a little more bump steer.

[WheelingPiazza]

couple of beers and a couple of grinding wheels.. hehe it wasnt that bad.. Just had to wear a resperator todo it.

I have Zero bump steer. When going a 44/60, Definatly go Highsteer. Period the end. Especially with a SOA.

Sorry again about the images.

[jeepsr4ever]

excuse me for saying this but you got a real purdy front end

[WheelingPiazza]

haha its not so purdy after 3 years worth of wheeling on it.. I actually had it out of the jeep last weekend doing some work on it.. Its scratched and gouged and what not..