5 Lug Wagoneer Rear Axle Any Good?

[threepiece]

This is from a 1973 Wagoneer, I am fairly sure it is a Dana44. I want to confirm my suspension that this axle may be desirable as a replacement for a Wagoneer or for a CJ swap before I scrap it.

[tgreese]

It is a 44. '73 was the first year for optional Quadratrac, and came with an offset rear axle. A Dana 20 axle will be centered and could have posi (Dana TracLock). Quadratrac or not? Ratio?

[Stuka]

That will be a D44, with 30 spline, single piece shafts. These are considered good, strong axles unlike the earlier tapered shaft axles.

[tgreese]

Yes, one-piece flanged axles. The offset axle is less desirable than the centered axle. Important whether it's offset or not. A centered axle would be great for an earlier Wagoneer with tapered shafts. The offset axle may be ok for a CJ with the Dana 18 transfer case. Not much call for the offset axle for earlier Wagoneers.

Quadratrac? Ratio?

[threepiece]

This Wagoneer had a D20 transfer case. I didn’t know the Quadra track was an option in 1973.

[tgreese]

Yep, first year. Optional. Desirable axle for an early Wagoneer.

[sierrablue]

Yeah should be plenty strong. Should be flanged shafts, so just as strong as the later ones; just 5-lug instead of 6.

I think the qtrac in '73 gets ignores because it still had the closed knuckle front end and the 401 wasn't an option yet.

[tgreese]

The "Moby Dick" and "Moby Dick II" rally cars were '73s, and had the new (and revolutionary) Quadratrac transfer case. Full time 4WD was important to their success.

[Harry Dawg]

While reading up on the QuadraTrac transfer case, I saw that it was offered in the 1976 to 1979 Jeep CJ7.

The article also said that both the front and rear output yokes are passenger side offset.

https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/t ... quadratrac

For those looking to convert a CJ7 with a Dana 18 and presumably an AMC 20 to a QuadraTrac and Dana 44, this may be a desirable axle.

Just might broaden the buyer segment a little bit.

The Moby Dick Wagoneers were quite something. Wish I could have seen them in action!

[tgreese]

NB, per the OP, this is not an offset axle. The original vehicle came with a Dana 20, which uses a centered axle. Great axle for an earlier Wagoneer (also equipped with the D20).

Ya know - JMO - there's no way I would swap out a Quadratrac for a Dana 18. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. I just don't see it. I kinda doubt the intermediate shaft of a Dana 18 will last that much longer than the quality replacement chain that's available today. Plus the Dana 18s are really noisy, inefficient, and they leak leak leak.

A '76-79 CJ already has an open front axle (a 30) and most of them already have disk brakes. The 30 in a CJ is pretty durable; a very popular swap for earlier CJs with the closed 25 or 27.

Realize that the Wagoneer axles are wider than the CJ axles. To use these axles in a CJ, the larger front 44 pumpkin requires
outboarding the springs. Pretty wide; 2" wider than the "wide track" CJ axles that were introduced in the '80s (with a D30 front).

If I had to have a geared transfer case in one of these Quadratrac-equipped CJ-7s, I'd think a D300 with a centered rear axle would be a way better choice. If you could find a '72-73 Commando rear axle, it bolts in to the '76-up CJs. It's a flanged centered Dana 44 rear; don't even have to move the spring pads. I'd think a few years earlier Jeepster axles would work as well. A '72-75 CJ also used a centered D44, but you'd have to move the spring pads outward to use it in a '76-up CJ.

[sierrablue]

While reading up on the QuadraTrac transfer case, I saw that it was offered in the 1976 to 1979 Jeep CJ7.

The article also said that both the front and rear output yokes are passenger side offset.

https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/t ... quadratrac

For those looking to convert a CJ7 with a Dana 18 and presumably an AMC 20 to a QuadraTrac and Dana 44, this may be a desirable axle.

Just might broaden the buyer segment a little bit.

The Moby Dick Wagoneers were quite something. Wish I could have seen them in action!

That it could.

I wouldn't put the qtrac in anything myself--from my reading on IFSJA they're just super high maintenance and while I like to work on stuff, I want it to last a long time before I have to do it again.

Also unless it's exclusively a winter daily driver, I'm not sure it's worth having it in 4 on the pavement.

Definitely a cool xfer case for the time.

[tgreese]

Veering wildly off-topic ... the OP has a centered axle, and anything Quadratrac is not relevant. However!

... they're just super high maintenance ...

The Quadratrac and the Dana 18 have the same problem - the rear wheels are driven through the offset output, either by the chain in the Quadratrac or by the intermediate shaft in the Dana 18. The rear axle does all the work, and driving the rear axle that way wears out the chain in something like 60K-100K miles. The "quality" intermediate shaft from Novak or HermTheOverdriveGuy probably lasts as long as the original, but I kinda doubt you'd get more than 100K from a rebuilt Dana 18 in a Wagoneer before it needed rebuilding/replacing.

Chain-drive is quiet. The later chain-drive cases only drive the front axle with the chain, and they seem to last indefinitely. The Quadratrac chain is massive compared to these later cases; required by the forces involved.

Other than the limited chain life, I think the Quadratracs are fine in terms of maintenance. Possible the experts disagree, but not my impression.