The GM Dana 44 housing is a perfect match for the H3. The track-width is spot-on, and they can be built to be quite durable. I currently have five GM D44's in my "Pile-o-Danas", and they are very easy to find. As for other (non-GM) Danas...I have very little info that would help you. Most other stuff (Ford & Jeep) will be drivers-side pumpkin, and that doesn't work with the H3's passenger-side front driveshaft. So, by the very nature of how the H3 drivetrain is laid out at the factory...the GM housing is sort of a no-brainer. Grab one and start building!
Axles...
Stay away from pre-73 GM front axles. These were drum-brake equipped and the housing is different too. Early Blazers make great donors and these axles will have the desirable flat-top knuckle on the passenger side. However, these will also be the small-tube (2.75") housing. After 77, GM used larger (3.0") tubes on both 1/2-ton and 3/4-ton models. The 3/4-ton axles use 8-lug hubs but these can easily be swapped for the 6-lug hubs. Early 1/2-ton GM axles have very thin spindly shafts, and these can be upgraded with thicker GM 3/4-ton shafts or aftermarket chromoly units.
Hubs...
All Dana parts pretty much interchange with all other Dana parts, regardless of vehicle make. HOWEVER...in the case of hubs, most will require you to also change the surrounding parts to match that particular style of hub. Ford, Dodge, Jeep, International, GM, etc....all use their own spindles, knuckles, hubs, and brakes. We off-road guys call these parts "outers". Most all off-road guys (including me) run Chevy outers...regardless of the vehicle. This is quite common, and I am also running chevy outers on a Ford high-pinion Dana 44 for my 99 Suburban. The chevy outers remained basically unchanged for almost 20-years, so parts are very easy to walk-in and find at NAPA or AutoZone. GM 1/2-ton trucks (73-91) and full size Jeeps (70s-80s) came with the same 6-lug hubs. This is the same 6 on 5.5" bolt-pattern that GM, Nissan, and Toyota still use today...so these hubs are very popular for SAS's. There are two versions of the 6-lug hubs...73-76 (small bearing) and 77-up (large bearing). Each size of hub takes its own matching spindle. The large-bearing version is the most prevalent, and these same hubs also came on Corp 10-bolts from the same era.
Tone Rings...
Ain't gonna happen unless you make them yourself or get them from me.
Steering box...
I use a Nissan (Delphi) box from a Gen II Xterra. Very cheap and very available. You can also add ram-assist to it. Works good with the stock H3 PS pump.
I got tons of info on your swap...too much to go into on a forum thread. Shoot me a PM with your email address and I can help you out with any questions you got. I also have frame-plates, coil-buckets, 3-link brackets, ABS hubs, Hummer brake adapters, steering parts, yada yada....all the other stuff you need to do the SAS the right way. Also I'm located in Indiana...short drive for you (shipping axles is big money).
