I've read about it not being worth it to get a front D44, and just go straight to a 60 or similar. Is this true? I'm running 35s now. I don't think I'll ever upgrade to 37s, maybe WAY down the road. So, I want to have a front axle that will take some moderate beating. I'll wheel maybe 4-5 times a year and won't be doing anything major crazy. I'll be light on the rocks because I don't want to tear the jeep up.

With that said: My thoughts were to buy a used D30 front and beef it up while I can still drive it with the original axle. When I say beef it up I mean sleeves, c gussets, weld the tubes at the pumkin, and maybe some trussing. But, why not do a D44? How much stronger would it be with the same mods that I would do to a D30? How about spline size? Will a 44 fit stronger/bigger (more spline) axles? And will sleeving it limit the size of axles you can run? Also, I would be installing arb lockers front and rear and probably go up to 4.88 gears at the same time. Thanks for any input.

 

Unless you are planning on getting rough with your Jeep you should not have any problems with the 44. Keep in mind that anything can break though. I have seen an X with new axles and gears with same tires do the same thing that snapped a 44 in a Rubi. Who knows when it will happen or if it will happen. On 35" tires such as SS boggers, you may snap one getting wild on the right foot. It all depends on how you wheel. Any jerking motion where wheels grab and release is never good. Any hopping of wheels is real bad. A 60 in the front should allow you to rip 400 hp on a 35 inch tire and not hurt it. Truly it is overkill IMO, but everyone has them. I have an 08 X with the 30 in it and plan to run 35's. I do plan on doing the 44 on it eventually for the shear fact that I can be abusive sometimes with the right foot. If you have the time to save, buy you a 44 housing and start building it. They seem to be rare used right now unless they have bent tubes or something. Also you paid for the D30, use it until you break it, then upgrade.

 

don't know who would have told you that but really, if you're going to spend money in building up a 30, i would recommend you just save up a bit more and get a prorock 44. based on what you're saying, it would be all that you need and it would do the job great. beefing up your axle housing won't do squat to prevent your shafts from breaking and, on a dana 30, that will be what will break and way before a factory housing that HASN'T been beefed up will. you only really need to go to a 60 if you're running 37's or bigger and intend to play really really hard.

 

Another vote for putting minimal money into the 30 and saving for a PR44.

Double check, but I believe this is all correct:
-The 30 and 44 use the same basic housings - tube diameter and wall thickness are the same. The differences are the center sections and the stock shaft spline count. Both will take 35 spline axles.
-If you do an ARB for the rubi 44, you HAVE to go to 35 spline axles. (the 35spline arb is the only option for that housing)
-With 35 spline axles, inner sleeves are not an option. Outers only.
-JK d44 gears are nearly as thick as d60 gears, (thickness, not diameter!) and are a significant improvement over the d30's.

Do some quick estimations of your final cost for a rubi 44 after a full buildup. (housing, gears, 35spline arb and axles, gussets, outer sleeves, truss, ca and trackbar mounts, etc) and then compare it to the cost and benefits of a ProRock.

Appx $4200 - alloy inners, arb or detroit, choice of gears, caster correction!!, much thicker walls, much thicker brackets, etc.


If you currently had a rubi 44, it would likely make more sense to upgrade it than to go with a PR. But you don't...

 

I can't believe you guys are telling him to he needs to spend $2000 on a prorock 44 housing + another grand on internals! He said he only wheels 4 or 5 times a year. 35's and a Dana 30 will be good for what you do! If you decide you want to do some harder wheelin than maybe you should think about buying a Dana 44 and building it. As for the 30 you have if it worries you, buy some stronger axles and you'll probably good to go forever!

 

I was looking for that answer. Thank you.

Is this with a 44 also? If I understand correctly I cannot sleeve a 44 and run 35 spline, correct?



I was hoping not to have to buy a prorock. I hope you are right.

Thanks for all your input guys. I'm going to start pricing everything out. I think I would much rather build it myself over a period of time. I'm thinking a Rubi 44 housing and build it slowly while I can keep driving it for now with the 30.

 

If you can find a rubicon take off 44 at a good price, do it. Sounds like you don't need a PR44 or a 60. Don't believe everything you hear about d44s not being able to handle up to a 40" tire. A sleeved and gusseted 44 is sufficient. Maybe upgrade axle shafts later, but it's not an immediate necessity.

 

yup, i got c gussets installed because they are cheap and without them, the factory c's will bend when running 35's or bigger. the sleeves were installed at the same time as part of a special off road evolution was running at the time. if the prorock 44 was available back when i did all this, i probably would have just saved up for it.

 

Even with all the mods you'll do to a Rubi 44, it still won't be anywhere near as strong as a ProRock. The Cs are much different as are the axle tubes and brackets. As others have said, to use an ARB you'll need 35 sp shafts and now you'll need to use an external sleeve kit. Yes, you can build your Rubi over time but you will end up changing everything-shafts, locker and every bracket. After all that, your pinion angle will still be wrong. Will you be doing ALL the work? Is your time worth anything?

The comment of only wheeling 4-5 times a year is irrelevant. A buddy of mine wheels less than that and just shattered his 30 housing tube. This was on a wooded trail and the damage was not caused by impact. He has an Unlimited with stock tires and a BB. BTW- the damage was NOT covered by warranty.

IF the OP already had a Rubi 44 it would worth considering building, but with a 30, it's a better value to do it right the first time.

 

He is not building his current housing, he wants to buy 'another' 30 housing to build.

A PR definitely makes more sense than buying a 'second' D30...

As was mentioned a few times in this thread, if he currently had a rubi44, it might make more sense to go ahead and build it. But he doesn't...

Let's say he gets a used rubi, re-gears and sleeves and gussets and strengthens, and then buys the 35 spline shafts he is talking about and you are suggesting. What happens? Can't. 35 spline axles don't fit with inner sleeves. How about that stock elocker? (building from a bare housing, or one of the many people that have issues with it...) A recent post indicates that the price for those went up to $1200. Makes more sense to swap to an ARB than pay that for another problem prone stock locker, right? Can't. The ARB is 35 spline, so you 'have' to run 35 spline shafts. Can't remove the inner sleeves, so he's stuck.

Not saying that a PR44 is the only way to go, or that anyone has to have one. Just to me, a PR makes more sense than buying a used 30/44, re-gearing, adding axles, sleeves, gussets, skids, strengthening ca and trackbar mounts, etc, and still have it not be what I want.

OP - Do the research, add up the 'total' cost of that new rubi44, and compare it to the cost of a PR.