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hp44

whitneyj

whitneyj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Mayville, WI
I just aquired a hp d44 out of a 79 bronco and am having a hell of a time getting some solid info on it. I plan on keeping it full width which means that the wedges need to be removed, but what I can't find are the years they were welded on the tubes and not cast as part of it. I found good write up's on here and on FSB.com but they contradict each other. Can someone point me to where I can get a good answer?
 
If you can go look at the axle and pull the radius arms off, just look at it. if its welded, you can see the beads around the individual wedges on the axle, if its cast it will look like one big piece between the wedges.

But if your still confused, wade through this, its good and consistently true info:
Mr. N's Dana 44 info
 
The '78 & 79 Ford D44's had the cast radius arm mounts.
 
Hey, if you want one with weld on wedges, I may be selling one here very soon..
 
You can weld to the cast, mine is from a 79 been wheeling with it going on 2-3 years now.
 
chances are the wedges will have a truss welded to them then, not all that worried about it, I was just going to work around them, I'm more worried about if I have to narrow it...
 
the problem isn't so much having a piece of cast to go around or weld to .the real problem is they are weak since there is no tube going through the cast sections.
 
I am running 37" boggers on mine, no problems yet. I have even toasted an alloy axle shaft and ripped out the ball joints on one side........
 
BRIANHO13 said:
I am running 37" boggers on mine, no problems yet. I have even toasted an alloy axle shaft and ripped out the ball joints on one side........
Click to expand...


But the older ones have 1/2" thick tubes that are 1 piece. They are a stronger axle design. There have less points to fail at and are stronger when parts are being welded to them.

Will a 78-79 cast mount axle work? Sure. Is it as strong and easy to build? No.
 
I shouldn't have to worry about strength when it's trussed though. what about the thought of cutting the wedge out to narrow it then sleeve the tube? just a thought, I'm not sure if the tube is 1/4" or 3/8", I don't plan on running anything bigger than 35's, so the 1/4" would be sufficient right?
 
whitneyj said:
I shouldn't have to worry about strength when it's trussed though. what about the thought of cutting the wedge out to narrow it then sleeve the tube? just a thought, I'm not sure if the tube is 1/4" or 3/8", I don't plan on running anything bigger than 35's, so the 1/4" would be sufficient right?
Click to expand...


The truss would be welded to cast so it won't be as strong. The tube could be either 3/8" or 1/4". To remove the cast sections it would need to be retubed. I just bought a '77 HP D44 for $125.00 and they had a F-250 HP D44 for the same price. Just search some and find a earlier axle. They make a better base to start a new build on.
 
the outers on the 1/2 ton d44 can be swapped to a 3/4 ton no problem then? I want to keep the 5 bolt pattern
 
whitneyj said:
the outers on the 1/2 ton d44 can be swapped to a 3/4 ton no problem then? I want to keep the 5 bolt pattern
Click to expand...

Yes they will swap.
 
hopefully this should be it for stupid questions, wouldn't it be more beneficial for me to just retube it myself vs. trying to buy then build a whole new axle? I guess what I'm really asking is, is retubing a viable option. I've been told it's not that diffucult.
 
If you decide you don't want that axle. I need a HP center chunk with 3" tubes for a custom axle I am building for myself.
 
whitneyj said:
hopefully this should be it for stupid questions, wouldn't it be more beneficial for me to just retube it myself vs. trying to buy then build a whole new axle? I guess what I'm really asking is, is retubing a viable option. I've been told it's not that diffucult.
Click to expand...

To do it right you need a 20-30 ton press to remove the tubes from the housing after you remove the welds. You might also need different inner C's because they are part of the cast mount if I remember right.

Too bad you arent closer to me I can get the axle you need. I can also get a HP D60 for a great price too.
 
what's not funny about this is is I just moved from WI... I guess I'm either going to sell this one and buy a 3/4 d44 and swap outers or just truss this one. parts are expensive from junk yards out here for me, so trussing may be my best option.
 
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