Kevin McNulty
Former Editor, Mud Life
In our quest to get the Ulti- mate Adventure '04 Taco up and running again, there were a few minor mechanical issues to address before getting it back on the trail again. Upgrading the Dana 44 front axle was first on the list because it was still fitted with 19-spline outer axleshafts, and our tech editor, Fred Williams, was snapping these stock-sized stub shafts like breadsticks at his favorite Italian restaurant. We thought about swapping out the front axle and replacing it with a much heavier and stronger Dana 60, but that would undermine the lightweight design and functionality of the truck.
We decided to give the Dana 44 a second chance and beef it up with larger-diameter and higher-spline-count stub shafts, and while we were at it we changed a few other components that were in desperate need of replacement. Solid Axle Industries offers a front-end kit for the Dana 44 that includes all the necessary components to upgrade the outer ends of the assembly, which included American-made 30-spline chromoly stub shafts. We decided to include Solid's flat-top knuckles, which could allow us to convert the truck's steering to a high-steer setup in the future.
