[jeffahart]

I also had to 1970 aardvark one year dana 44 axle. It need rebuilt so I scrapped it and put in an axle set off a CUCV. Look into a Military CUCV 5/4 ton axle swap, it will give 4.56 ratio. Although it may be overkill for what you want, it is a great option that you should study and give consideration as long as you are doing axle research.