Dana 44 question

Porkchop4464
Jan 01, 2022

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

So,
From what I have heard and what it looks like under there, there is a Dana 44 in the Sasquatch Bronco.
There are also insanely low 470 gears.

Somehow, with the 10 speed, I noticed that the engine is just under 2 grand, 1900 at 70mph. With such low gears, in my mind, this means that ring and pinion are screaming banshees.
With this, I was thinking of swapping the rear plate to a finned aluminum to pull some heat off like the cylinder of a Briggs or old VW.

Does anyone out there know if the Dana 44 is the same as the old and that any plate will fit? I found the below plate and I think since it is an alum and finned, it will def cool those gears a lot better than the painted steel from Ford. I know the crawler folks will say, "No Alum" it will pop a hole or crack..." but I never intend my axles or center section to be smashing or dragging on anything.

https://www.google.com/search?q=For...&sclient=products-cc#spd=14259010535397036449
Bronco 202?
Last edited by a moderator: Jan 01, 2022

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#1
So,
From what I have heard and what it looks like under there, there is a Dana 44 in the Sasquatch Bronco.
There are also insanely low 470 gears.

Somehow, with the 10 speed, I noticed that the engine is just under 32 grand at 70. With such low gears, this means that ring and pinion are screaming banshees.
With this, I was thinking of swapping the rear plate to a finned aluminum to pull some heat off like the cylinder of a Briggs or old VW.

Does anyone out there know if the Dana 44 is the same as the old and that any plate will fit? I found the below plate and I think since it is an alum and finned, it will coll a lot better than the painted steel from Ford. I know the crawler folks will say, "No Lum" it will pop or crack..." but I never intend from my axles to be anything.

https://www.google.com/search?q=For...&sclient=products-cc#spd=14259010535397036449
1641006162953.png

you can tune a guitar but can't tune a fish

Jan 01, 2022

#2
1900 at 70 mph is not a problem. One car I had was 3000 rpm @60 mph put well over 100,000 miles on it no problem.
Joined May 29, 2020 Member 546
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Bronco 202?, okie4570

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#3
My little run around truck is a 2004 Ford Ranger Ext cab 4x4 Level 2 4.0l. So it's got the 4.10 gears and a 4sp auto transmission. 70mph is 2500rmp, and the truck has 250k miles on it. 1900 RPM is no big deal.
2D BL, Sas, 2.7l, High, Silver 10:22pm 7/13/20 Res, 1/31 2/7 2/14 2/28 3/7 build dates
built 3/11/22, delivered 4/16/22
Bronco 202?, NiceBronco

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#4
My little run around truck is a 2004 Ford Ranger Ext cab 4x4 Level 2 4.0l. So it's got the 4.10 gears and a 4sp auto transmission. 70mph is 2500rmp, and the truck has 250k miles on it. 1900 RPM is no big deal.

I know the engine at 1900 is very good. My hot rod with 488s was 3600 at 65mph (screaming for cruising). What I am saying is that for the engine to turn such a low rpm (1900) the rears are def screaming with a 470 ratio. Ford did the engine a big favor but not the rear-end gears.

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#5
1900 at 70 mph is not a problem. One car I had was 3000 rpm @60 mph put well over 100,000 miles on it no problem.

I know the engine at 1900 is very good. My hot rod with 488s was 3600 at 65mph (screaming for cruising). What I am saying is that for the engine to turn such a low rpm (1900) the rears are def screaming with a 470 ratio. Ford did the engine a big favor but not the rear-end gears.
1900 at 70 mph is not a problem. One car I had was 3000 rpm @60 mph put well over 100,000 miles on it no problem.

Again, as noted, the 1900rpm is not what concerns me, that is actually low, due to the 10 speed. If it were a GM Rock Crusher behind a 470 gear it would be @ 4 grand. What I am saying is to get 470s up to 65, 70 mph is a lot more effort and heat than a 370 or even a 411. Hot rodding guys will agree, 411s in a car with a typical 4 speed are always a little too low unless you have a solid overdrive which few of the older trans had.

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#6
I think the most important thing is to change the rear diff fluid at the proper intervals as it does all of the work.
Porkchop4464, Bronco 202?

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#7
I think ya are forgetting the 35” tires are the “overdrive“ after the axle ratio and way different than 4.10s and 26” tires. My model A had 30” tires with 3.70 gears and 5th gear overdrive was useless below 70, changed to 28” tires and now it is useable at 55-60. I ran 5.38s an 33” tires at 70+ on my old jeep without diff overheating problems (engine rpm was crazy high) so see no problem with 4.70s on 35s. I’ll trust the factory engineering on that one.
2023 Big Bend 2 door, race red, 2.7, Sasquatch, tow
crashmc2, lapazleo

you can tune a guitar but can't tune a fish

Jan 01, 2022

#8
I think ya are forgetting the 35” tires are the “overdrive“ after the axle ratio and way different than 4.10s and 26” tires. My model A had 30” tires with 3.70 gears and 5th gear overdrive was useless below 70, changed to 28” tires and now it is useable at 55-60. I ran 5.38s an 33” tires at 70+ on my old jeep without diff overheating problems (engine rpm was crazy high) so see no problem with 4.70s on 35s. I’ll trust the factory engineering on that one.
If it has a .65 over drive ratio the gears are still under 3000 rpm @ 60. I'll trust the factory on this also.
Joined May 29, 2020 Member 546
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Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#9
I know the engine at 1900 is very good. My hot rod with 488s was 3600 at 65mph (screaming for cruising). What I am saying is that for the engine to turn such a low rpm (1900) the rears are def screaming with a 470 ratio. Ford did the engine a big favor but not the rear-end gears.

I think you're are worrying about a complete non-issue. The only thing that effects how fast the ring and pinion spins is speed, in relation to tire height. Put a 4.57 gear at 1900 rpm with a 28" tire vs a 35" tire, it doesn't rotate as many times with the 35" tire vs the 28" tire. Generally folks are worried about engine RPM caused by their gear selection, not their ring and pinion rpm caused by their engine and transmission selection lol. IMO this is like worrying about piston ring wear based on running 1900 RPM vs 2500RPM, folks don't worry about the wear, they just worry about the mpg between the two.

A couple of real world instances. For example I have two 66' broncos, both well over 150k miles, one with 4.57 gears and one with 4.11. Both have 170 cylinders, both have 28" tires, both have the original gear sets in place. The 4.57 bronco runs a hair over 3000rpm at 55mph.......the 4.11 gears runs just over 2700rpm. Those gear sets will be 57 years old in September and October.

Also keep in mind Super Duty's come with gear sets from 3.31 to 4.30, and the 4.30 housing/cover and axle doesn't get any special treatment vs the others.
2D BL, Sas, 2.7l, High, Silver 10:22pm 7/13/20 Res, 1/31 2/7 2/14 2/28 3/7 build dates
built 3/11/22, delivered 4/16/22
Bronco 202?

you can tune a guitar but can't tune a fish

Jan 01, 2022

#10
I think you're are worrying about a complete non-issue. The only thing that effects how fast the ring and pinion spins is speed, in relation to tire height. Put a 4.57 gear at 1900 rpm with a 28" tire vs a 35" tire, it doesn't rotate as many times with the 35" tire vs the 28" tire. Generally folks are worried about engine RPM caused by their gear selection, not their ring and pinion rpm caused by their engine and transmission selection lol. IMO this is like worrying about piston ring wear based on running 1900 RPM vs 2500RPM, folks don't worry about the wear, they just worry about the mpg between the two.

A couple of real world instances. For example I have two 66' broncos, both well over 150k miles, one with 4.57 gears and one with 4.11. Both have 170 cylinders, both have 28" tires, both have the original gear sets in place. The 4.57 bronco runs a hair over 3000rpm at 55mph.......the 4.11 gears runs just over 2700rpm. Those gear sets will be 57 years old in September and October.

Also keep in mind Super Duty's come with gear sets from 3.31 to 4.30, and the 4.30 housing/cover and axle doesn't get any special treatment vs the others.


Its a non issue, hes just looking for an excuse to buy that goofy diff cover that does nothing except empty your wallet and leak gear lube.
Joined May 29, 2020 Member 546
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okie4570

Rank VI

Jan 01, 2022

#11
I think you're are worrying about a complete non-issue. The only thing that effects how fast the ring and pinion spins is speed, in relation to tire height. Put a 4.57 gear at 1900 rpm with a 28" tire vs a 35" tire, it doesn't rotate as many times with the 35" tire vs the 28" tire. Generally folks are worried about engine RPM caused by their gear selection, not their ring and pinion rpm caused by their engine and transmission selection lol. IMO this is like worrying about piston ring wear based on running 1900 RPM vs 2500RPM, folks don't worry about the wear, they just worry about the mpg between the two.

A couple of real world instances. For example I have two 66' broncos, both well over 150k miles, one with 4.57 gears and one with 4.11. Both have 170 cylinders, both have 28" tires, both have the original gear sets in place. The 4.57 bronco runs a hair over 3000rpm at 55mph.......the 4.11 gears runs just over 2700rpm. Those gear sets will be 57 years old in September and October.

Also keep in mind Super Duty's come with gear sets from 3.31 to 4.30, and the 4.30 housing/cover and axle doesn't get any special treatment vs the others.
I was thinking about buy the aluminum difficult. Now thanks to you I can save my money for something fun. Really… thank you !
Moderator

Looking forward to being Rocky Mountain high!

Jan 01, 2022

#12
I personally like this diff cover but not for cooling. I love the feature that it has a magnetic drain plug plus a opening to fill it. Makes fluid changes really easy or at least easier.
If you habit of going through a lot of deep water, fluid changes should be done on a regular basis.
https://www.metaltech4x4.com/arb-ford-bronco-differential-cover-2021/Diff cover.png
2022 Bronco Badlands, 4D, Hot Pepper Red, 2.7, Squatch, Lux, and MIC.
7/13/2020 10:04pm reservation. Blend 6/16/2022 Delivered 6/26/2022.
Dealership - Stephen's Auto Center.
Gimesnow, Darrel

Rank VI

Jan 01, 2022

#13
I personally like this diff cover but not for cooling. I love the feature that it has a magnetic drain plug plus a opening to fill it. Makes fluid changes really easy or at least easier.
If you habit of going through a lot of deep water, fluid changes should be done on a regular basis.
https://www.metaltech4x4.com/arb-ford-bronco-differential-cover-2021/View attachment 25167
Now see that just looks cool. I’m a mess .lol
Porkchop4464, BroncOitis

“Step outside, Take a deep breath, Get real high”

Jan 01, 2022

#14
I personally like this diff cover but not for cooling. I love the feature that it has a magnetic drain plug plus a opening to fill it. Makes fluid changes really easy or at least easier.
If you habit of going through a lot of deep water, fluid changes should be done on a regular basis.
https://www.metaltech4x4.com/arb-ford-bronco-differential-cover-2021/View attachment 25167
Now I can see why I would want to jump on this Thread, this is a definitely "here's my money, take it, take it now" this is a must have for me. Like @Deano Bronc has mentioned about the drain plug, with the drain plug being at the bottom of the differential this would make it very convenient to drain out. My last off roader I had to use a pump to pull out the gear lube, this will definitely make life easier. Anyone who is Squatched the differential cover makes sense for those that want that extra nice look, it looks like you can see half of the differential from behind.
They now need to make several colors, one color I was thinking of is, "just thinking" BLUE. ;)
*632* Days to get A 2021 - 2022 -
2023 Big Bend - 2 Door 2.3L Velocity Blue, Squatched, Mid package, Running Boards, Roof Rack, and Engine Block heater.
Gimesnow, Darrel

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#15
Speaking of diff covers, one of my buddies in college had a very distinctive jacked up F100. I kept a can of pink spray paint in my truck, and every time I'd catch him parked around town, I put a fresh coat of pink on his front diff cover. He'd cuss and scream, and it was usually black again within a day. There's no telling how many coats of paint ended up insulating that diff cover...
7/14/20 Res, took delivery 4/7/22!!
A51 2 door Badlands, 2.7L, Sasquatch, Lux, MGV, MIC, Roof Rails, Tow
Darrel, Bronco 202?

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#16
Speaking of diff covers, one of my buddies in college had a very distinctive jacked up F100. I kept a can of pink spray paint in my truck, and every time I'd catch him parked around town, I put a fresh coat of pink on his front diff cover. He'd cuss and scream, and it was usually black again within a day. There's no telling how many coats of paint ended up insulating that diff cover...

80 coats of paint is probably as effective as a good gasket lol.
2D BL, Sas, 2.7l, High, Silver 10:22pm 7/13/20 Res, 1/31 2/7 2/14 2/28 3/7 build dates
built 3/11/22, delivered 4/16/22
BroncOitis, Deano Bronc

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#17
You can say all you want and cut as many jokes as you like, I had 31 inches when done on the rear of my hot rod with 488s and a 5-speed manual Tremec (5th gear OD) overdrive... as I said, it ran 3600 at 65.

Here's an idea, put an old M22 Rockcrusher behind those 470s with a 35s (especially with a posi), now do a two-hour trip and crawl under and put your check to the pumpkin.

Fact: if the engine isn't turning, something else is... common sense.

Best yet, someone look up the final drive gear on that overdrive 10 speed, guarantee it is beyond 1 to 1. Gears are gears, no getting out of it. Drive a tri-axle and a mixer for a decade and you will understand weight, heat, and gears. You can all smile, I will change the pan for 65 bucks and rear oil once a year. See whose not leaking fluid and humming at 75 thousand.

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#18
Here, just looked it up cause I was curious.

1641068504767.png
KennyMac, Deano Bronc

Rank V

Jan 01, 2022

#19
Here, just looked it up cause I was curious.

View attachment 25173
She is def whistling "Dixie" and two other southern songs at 75 or 80mph with a final gear drive of 0.63 to 1!

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