So what's the difference between the viper and the corvette Dana44 I believe the viper one is stronger is it the same case and the internals are stronger or the bat wing and everything different if so later if I want to change my corvette Dana44 for a viper one will it bolt in the same place
They are not a bolt-in. The internals are the same Dana 44 HD parts and they should be the same strength. In fact, you can put Mopar (Viper) gears into the Corvette case as I'm doing now. The Viper batwing is shorter by quite a bit. Also, there is no provision for a toe adjuster mount or lower strut rod mounts. I would not consider replacing the C4 Dana 44 with a Viper part as you don't gain anything and would have to do a lot of custom fab work.
56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension
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56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
1962 327/340HP Corvette
1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
2001 Porsche Boxster S
2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax
Hi, I see you installed Viper ring and pinion in a corvette Dana 44 years ago. Did you have to grind out some of the housing to allow for the larger ring and pinion? If so can you tell me where to find information on where to grind and how much? BradleyOriginally Posted by chevynut
They are not a bolt-in. The internals are the same Dana 44 HD parts and they should be the same strength. In fact, you can put Mopar (Viper) gears into the Corvette case as I'm doing now
Does anyone know information on where to grind the housing for a Corvette C4 Dana 44 housing to allow for the larger 8.9" Viper ring and pinion to fit?
I installed a Viper (Dana) 4.10 gearset into my stock Dana 44 case with no grinding or other problems. It's a late 89-96 housing.
56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension
Other vehicles:
56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
1962 327/340HP Corvette
1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
2001 Porsche Boxster S
2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax
I put 4.10 Dana gears in a 1990 ZR1 (replacing the 3.45 gears), but I didn't like it... 4.10 is too much for the street - it made me feel like 'Joe Hot Rod' and I drove that way. After a few months I put the original gears back in. After that experience, I think the 3.70- or 3.73 gears would be the best compromise on the street (if you're running a 6-speed manual)...
Most guys I've read about on Corvetteforum.com say they love the change to 4.10s. Of course that all depends on what your transmission gearing is as not all transmissions have the same gear ratios, not even 6-speed manuals...not even all Tremec T56s. One reason I went with the 4.10s is to be able to better use the 0.5 OD sixth gear on the highway. And I think a 10.91 overall ratio in first is going to be great in town. It would be like a later Muncie M20 with a 4.26 rear gear or an M21/22 with 4.96 rear gears...nothing wrong with that. My Porsche has a 13.15 overall first gear ratio and it's a blast.
56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension
Other vehicles:
56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
1962 327/340HP Corvette
1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
2001 Porsche Boxster S
2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax
I really doubt there is much difference a Dana 44 has an 8.5 ring gear the same as the later corporate 10 bolt. I believe serious Viper racers have a Dana 60 center section.
The C4 Dana 44 is called a "Dana 44 HD ICA"
"The C4 Dana 44HD is a modified Dana 44 using the Dana 60 pinion with larger bearings and of course a different housing, cover etc. I don't believe the term "Super 44" came around until the Viper.
In Dana terms they're all just D44/216 ICA rear axles. The 216 is the metric dimension of the ring gear diameter. It's traditionally known as an 8.5" Later D44/226 ICA rear axles found in the Viper and later Jeeps are essentially the same with 2 exceptions, ring gear diameter (226mm) and the ring gear bolts are 7/16 diameter vs the 3/8 diameter of the earlier 216mm packages. A 226mm ring gear can be packaged with either 3/8 or 7/16 bolts and can be used in the Corvette housing but may require some "clearancing" for the ring gear. You don't want the 226mm with the 7/16 bolts though.
There's very little from the C3 D44 that resembles the later C4 D44 packages. The C4 D44 housing from '85 - '87MY's is somewhat different in appearance than the '88MY + housings but they'll interchange with no problems. Internals are the same."
Last edited by chevynut; 11-16-2015 at 06:28 AM.
56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension
Other vehicles:
56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
1962 327/340HP Corvette
1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
2001 Porsche Boxster S
2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax
I just heard the viper ones are stronger how much torq can the d44 take with mine i plan on atleast changing the gears but maybe just replace everything when the time comes mine is a stock 87 d44 with I believe 3.08 gears in it want maybe 3.73 or the something close
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