correct me if i am wrong

[83-cj-7=383-stroker]

ok i have been told by many to upgade my rear axle to at least a d44 but i have been researching and my amc 20 rear whitch has been built and upgraded to one piece axles tubes welded with a locker and 4.88 gears according to a couple of different write ups i have seen in 4wheel and offroad mag is still stronger then the d44 the amc 20 has a larger ring and pinion for starters

 

[Jeepergeo]

ok i have been told by many to upgade my rear axle to at least a d44 but i have been researching and my amc 20 rear whitch has been built and upgraded to one piece axles tubes welded with a locker and 4.88 gears according to a couple of different write ups i have seen in 4wheel and offroad mag is still stronger then the d44 the amc 20 has a larger ring and pinion for starters

If it ain't broke, why fix it?

If your current set up is doing, and has been doing, what you ask of it, I'd stay with it and spend the money on something that provides a visible, measurable, or "feel-able" benefit.

 

[83-cj-7=383-stroker]

i guess what i am trying to exstablish is are the write ups correct is the 20 stronger then the d44 if the 20 has been built up and stregthened ive heard so many ppl say the 20 is a weak axle

 

[jps4jeep]

teh M20 and D44 are pretty much comparable axles.

if you through chomo shafts, Gears, and lockers at one or the other, they will be about equal in strength. the M20 got a real bad rep for being a 2 pcs rear shafts.

also the D44 has a little more aftermarket support, but that does not make it stronger.

keep your M20, I've seen plenty of M20's handle 37" tires with mild amc v8's

 

[83-cj-7=383-stroker]

yeah i have the chromo onepiece shafts lockers and welded the tubes in am allso in the process of haveing a gusset made to go around the rear pumpkin and extend out a foot either side and bolted with u bolts to the axle tubes to help streghthen the tubes

 

[jps4jeep]

meeh, weld it directly to the top of the tubes, one less piece to hang low and grab stuff. plus the welds will be way stronger then U-bolts ever will.

 

[83-cj-7=383-stroker]

ok sounds good im just putting that on the top nuttin on the bottom lol

 

[Turbogus]

Here's hoping the axle tubes of that Corporate 20 are straight! 3 tries with one piece shafts on "Betty" never did pan out, after I replaced with a D44 w/locker did we see the axle tubes weren't quite true which contributed to my bearing/clearance issues.

 

[83-cj-7=383-stroker]

they r straight as an arrow we check the tubes after every offroad run

 

[83-cj-7=383-stroker]

havent had any issues with bearinngs or shafts in allmost 10 years gus and thats running 38's

 

[firemanharry]

Never had a problem with my 20. We bent a piece of rollbar tubing up over the pumpkin and used straps to pull it down to the tubes then welded them. From what I've been told the one-piece axles are stronger than the stock 44 axle but not quite as strong as an upgraded 44. There's no question about the centers though as the 20 is much larger by comparison.

 

[Turbogus]

I think yeer good to go Dan, I've read the same write ups about the Corporate 20, If you get a good one, it's worth keeping, if not (as in my case) go to a swap. Given the mods we made to my 20 before the discovery of this ever so slight angle of the tubes, I was really opting to keep it. My full write up of my experience with Betty's 20 involves removal of the P.O.'s one piece axle and trying two new others, three bearing replacements and two replacements of brake shoes (contaminated)
I'm glad for you and that yours wasn't so troubled.