Instead of the Dana 44 inner passenger axleshaft, you can use one from a Dana 50, which uses a bigger, stronger u-joint. You can't use a c-clip with it, though, so you need to add a spring to the slip joint in the axle and tack-weld the cap to the slipjoint in. Search on here, there's a couple of good write-ups on it. If you don't want to replace the inner axleshaft, you can still pull the c-clip on the stock axleshaft (and put the spring in the slip joint), so if you ever blow the inner u-joint you can change it on the trail without doing *all* the stuff I listed.
It'd take me a weekend, but I'd be replacing/cleaning/inspecting *everything*. I'd have a whole new front end when I'm done. I'm actually planning on this sometime this summer, still gathering parts. I'm kind of a slow worker on my own, though. If you and a buddy really got on it, and had every tool you'd need, including a press for u-joints and ball-joints and such, and air tools (impact gun, especially), you could probably knock it out in a long day, if it's your first time tearing down the TTB.
Yes, XG-8 is the lube to use to lube auto-hubs and slip joints. That's the part number for a 3 ounce tube, which is about $7 at the dealership, and plenty for the whole truck.
Oh, and I screwed up. The center of the D44 on a TTB is called the "chunk", not the pumpkin.