44 Axle

Im going to check out some 44 axles at a junkyard today is there anything particular i should watch out for i know hubs in the front and drum brake. anything else?

77 - 79 Ford are the best IMHO. I would not put a D44 in again. I would either go with a D60 or stick with the D30.

what about the waggy, do you know a year range for it?

Its a LP axle I would not run it. Not sure on the best years for them. I believe they have to come from late model Grand WAgonere's to be Drivers drop. Like 80 and up but that is a guess.

Ghost said:

77 - 79 Ford are the best IMHO. I would not put a D44 in again. I would either go with a D60 or stick with the D30.

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just don't get 78 or later F150 axles, they have cast wedges that are basically impossible to remove

do yall if the width is the same on a ford and a waggy?

No, they are not the same. The Ford is about 2.5 inches wider on each side than a waggy 44.

Also, if you are planning on running chevy/FSJ flat top knuckles and high steer, then it doesn't matter if you get a 76 or earlier axle with drum brakes. You would replace everything on the knuckles out to run the high steer, so it doesn't matter.

Here is a great resource.
http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/web_rs44.html

Ghost said:

77 - 79 Ford are the best IMHO. I would not put a D44 in again. I would either go with a D60 or stick with the D30.

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Not F150 HP44's. The 77 is great, I have that under my Jeep. The 78 and 79s as SC Redneck said have the cast wedges that are hollow, and don't have any tubes. They can't be narrowd then, and have thinner axle tubes.

Begster said:

No, they are not the same. The Ford is about 2.5 inches wider on each side than a waggy 44.

Also, if you are planning on running chevy/FSJ flat top knuckles and high steer, then it doesn't matter if you get a 76 or earlier axle with drum brakes. You would replace everything on the knuckles out to run the high steer, so it doesn't matter.

Here is a great resource.
http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/web_rs44.html

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Not if you are going to run the 5 on 5.5 Ford patern.

and the junkyard im going to doesnt have 150 but they do have 350s. to big? if not same thing with the year, stay in the earlier years?

350's are going to have 60's for the most part. and honestly if you're going to go through all the work GO FOR THE 60! trust us.

Ghost said:

Not if you are going to run the 5 on 5.5 Ford patern.

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Yes, the hubs and rotors will be Ford if you are going to run the 5 on 5.5 pattern.

But, you can easily get those new for short money, and would be a good idea when doing an axle swap with a 30+ year old axle, unless those components are in really good condition.

With high steer:
You can get a '77 and try to reuse the hubs and rotors, but probably end up replacing them. Nothing from the knuckle (i.e. spindle, caliper bracket) is reused.

With a '76, nothing from the knuckle is reused, and you can get brand new hubs and rotors.



Depending on your needs, an HP44 is perfectly fine. I have no regrets putting one under my Jeep, and in hind sight, I do not wish I put a 60, or have any desire/want/wish to put one in.
Here is a picture showing the different size ring gears. A 44 is definitely an upgrade over a 30, and clearly a 60 is huge.

Begster said:

Yes, the hubs and rotors will be Ford if you are going to run the 5 on 5.5 pattern.

But, you can easily get those new for short money, and would be a good idea when doing an axle swap with a 30+ year old axle, unless those components are in really good condition.

With high steer:
You can get a '77 and try to reuse the hubs and rotors, but probably end up replacing them. Nothing from the knuckle (i.e. spindle, caliper bracket) is reused.

With a '76, nothing from the knuckle is reused, and you can get brand new hubs and rotors.



Depending on your needs, an HP44 is perfectly fine. I have no regrets putting one under my Jeep, and in hind sight, I do not wish I put a 60, or have any desire/want/wish to put one in.
Here is a picture showing the different size ring gears. A 44 is definitely an upgrade over a 30, and clearly a 60 is huge.

Click to expand...

I'm talking axle shafts and u-joints. Not ring gears. Never had a problem with a ring gear. Now I did spit the pinion out the side of a 9" once. Your D44 has the same Ujoint as you D30. What size tires you running? 35's?

joyboy09 said:

and the junkyard im going to doesnt have 150 but they do have 350s. to big? if not same thing with the year, stay in the earlier years?

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Best years and most expensive is the 78-79 F350 D60. Newer and you loose a lot of space on the drivers side for brackets.