[scotty85]

i hate the ford 9 inch. you have a pinion thats lower than any other axle out there,and unless you spend a bunch of $$ for a nodular center housing,they like to break that,and even with then,they like to spit it out of the housing. the 9 inch can be built,but thats the thing- a stock axle is crap,you have to spend alot of $$ on one to make it hold up.

the 44 is right up there on my list of over-rated axles. the pinion is the same size as the d30 and 35 at 1.3 inches. i like the m20 better since it has a 60 sized pinion at 1.6",and a little bit of a diameter advantage on the ring gear. only limiting factor is the housing.

i ran an m20 in my full size grand wagoneer for a few years with an auto trans and 38" tires. FSJs come from the factory with a 1 piece shaft and a housing thats no different than the 44 that also comes in them during other years. if you take the crappy housing out of the equation,youll find that theyre a very durable axle.

hence the comments-even a cj housing,if its still straight and properly trussed,is a fine axle with 1 piece shafts. alot of guys have run this setup in the local club here.

as for hording them,i like to beat on my rig alittle harder than the m20,44,stock 60,and espesially a ford 9 inch can handle. 14 bolts are dirt cheap and really hard to break!