exploder SAS axle choices

[PaleBlue90]

so if i decide to keep the exploder, what axle would be the easyest to do a SAS with, and could i use my stock drive shaft? i would put manual lock out hubs on it,maybe after market shafts etc.

my exploder is a 2 door if that makes a diffrence

 

[crawlin91]

I would say an eb dana 44 axle coil sprung would be one of the easier. full width d44 and a 9 would be really nice for the added stability. people rag on the strength of the 44 but with a few upgrades they can be made strong enough.

 

[4x4junkie]

Some (like myself) tend to "rag" on D44's because their strength is barely above that of the axle that comes stock (and to get it well above that using aftermarket upgrades starts costing what bigger & better axles would cost).

I s'pose you might already know my opinion, but I would say unless you want to go full width, consider keeping what you have. It's a good sturdy axle (possibly aside from the locking hubs... throw a set of Jeep hubs on it, then no worries there). There's a lot of tech available here for making the stock suspension setup perform as well.

If fullwidth IS what you're after, then look for the '79down F-150 axles (for SAS). Your stock driveshaft can work (will need either a conversion u-joint, or the yoke on the D44 swapped to a 1310-size), but it may need to be shortened slightly unless you push the axle forward at least 1½"-2".