79 F150 Hp44

I picked up a HP44 out of what I was told was a 79 F150. The mounts are gone but the rest of the axle is intact from rotor to rotor, I wanted to use this to mate it with my 31 spline fulwidth Ford 9". I want to retain my current long-arm set-up through an RE bracket kit, did I pick up the wrong axle? I gave $80 for it. I read Crash's 44 tech but it mentioned these axles in the beginning and then said to stay away from them if you plan to run the stock XJ suspension. Thanks. Steve

HoodRichXJ said:

I picked up a HP44 out of what I was told was a 79 F150. The mounts are gone but the rest of the axle is intact from rotor to rotor, I wanted to use this to mate it with my 31 spline fulwidth Ford 9". I want to retain my current long-arm set-up through an RE bracket kit, did I pick up the wrong axle? I gave $80 for it. I read Crash's 44 tech but it mentioned these axles in the beginning and then said to stay away from them if you plan to run the stock XJ suspension. Thanks. Steve

Click to expand...

That year had the cast suspension mounts. This means that the cast sections which the raduis arms mount to are actually a part of the axle's tube (meant to read: part of the axle's strength and structure) and are difficult to modify for the stock XJ suspension mounts. Typically, guys that pick up these axles are planning on running the Ford style radius arms.

Here's a pick of a 1977 Ford HP44. These mounts are welded on and are not part of the axle's tubes. Since these are welded on, they can be cut off and what's left is just a bare axle with bare tubes to which the stock axle brackets can be welded to.



In summary, if you are planning on using the RE bracket kit to retain the stock XJ suspension - yes, you picked up the wrong axle. Good price, but wrong axle.

When you say "---the mounts are gone---", do you mean the large radius arm wedges next to the knuckles? If that is the case, and your axel is still in one peace, as you indicate, you have a pre-'78 axel ready for shortning. My understanding is that the '78-79 axels can be shortened, but generally rquire re-tubing, which for me means $$$ for a shop like Currie Enterprises to do it.
Roger

BUT...if you are lucky you found one of the rare (but available) '78-'79 44's with the welded on mounts.

My front HP-44 is out of a '78 bronco and has (had) the weld on mounts...not the 1 piece cast tubes/mounts.

If your mounts are 'gone' BUT the tubes still there...someone already ground down the cast mounts OR if they were the welded mounts cut them off. (or retubed the outer housing)

Okay heres an update I went out to the shop this morning to take another look at the housing, this is what I found. The mounts were ground off but there was alot of surface rust and mud on the tubes after cleaning it off I tested the tubes with a magnet, which would not be attracted to cast, and well I guess since the magnet stuck to every inch of the tubes that this was a 79 that either had weld on wedges or maybe an F150 camper special? either way I got lucky and I going to be able to use it. whoo who.

Does this mean I have the rare cast that a magnet sticks to?

Magnets will stick to cast steel. They don't stick to aluminum and have a very weak attraction to stainless steel.

or its off a 78-79 f150 supercab longbed. these had leaf sprung dana44's. super rare, but they are out there my tow rig is a 78 with this front axle.