Opinion on Full Floater options

I couldn't find this exact thread covered so here goes, and if I'm repeating apologies:

I have a 53 D44 with 10 spline tapered axles. I have a 225 going in it but I'm more of a recreater/hunter and not planning to ram it over boulders or hammer the throttle hard. I'd like to upgrade the 44 with a floater but now comes the need for opinions. I looked at vernco and I'm not set up to do that sort of machining so it'd all have to be custom at a shop. if I go that far why not up grade from 10 spline to 19? or even 30. and then if I did that much will it be much of a cost saving to do a home made custom machining set up or just get the warn kit? I haven't priced the warn kit but any of you guys that have done either can you share an opinion on whether there's any cost advantages of either? or you can share an opinion on whether I'd be better off hunting for a later axle which I did up front (d30 w/discs).

 

Warn kit runs just over $800 30 spline axle.
Worth it is my thought.
Its on my list for mine.

Think Herm has them.
www.hermtheoverdriveguy.com

 

I am working on building my own D44 FF right now. I am starting out with a stock 19 spline and I purcahsed a 28 spline full spool to go in the rear. next I got a set of dana 30 front spindles and had them milled to the right size to fit on the rear axle. for the rest of it I have the 76-77 discs off the d30 front that I hope to use for rear disc conversion.
last thing I will need to do is measure my axles and call moser,
D44-$0 had an extra
D30 parts- $0 already had them
spool- $130
moser axles- $300-350 I think
misc parts????
breaking a hub instead of an axle at tellico.......Priceless

Working on this today

 

I built my own full floater for my 44 rear. I almost wish I would have just bought a kit though. I think I wound up saving only $100 or so by doing it myself. I do however have the same spindles, hubs, bearings, and brakes front and rear now so I have fewer spare parts to carry. I wound up using chevy front d44 spindles with ford hubs and rotors. I then went and just bought replacement chromo axles from warn.

Its nice to be able to unlock the rear if I need to completly disable it and just drive home on the front, but I've never needed it. I still don't have anything to flat tow the jeep with. I'd say run what ya got till it breaks.

Kevo

 

i went with the warn 30 spline kit since i snagged a deal off ebay for $450 shipped. i added a 30 spline series 2 powr-lok ($150) and 4.10 gears ($60) + gear install ($300) for a total of around $1000.

if you aren't going to be too hard on it just get some spare shafts etc in case it breaks.

chris

 

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'll run it til it breaks unless I can come across something along the way. I figure it'll be a bit spendy for me since I'll have to up grade to higher spline count whenever I do it...

 

10 spline axles are getting a little harder to find (as well as spiders)
remember that you'll have to change the spider gears as well
then sell the 10 spline spiders on ebay for $$

 

I've got a set of 19spline axles from my 67 that I'm going to be getting rid of if you're interested.
I bought the Warn FF kit. Went together like a dream. I would rather spend the $ and have it fall together than fight it.