Dana 44 Hi Steer Conversion

Right now, I am running a Dana 44 out of an '83 Jeep J-10 with my knuckles out coming from a '78 F-150. Also, I am running heims for the steering and Warn Premium Hubs for the lockouts.



I have found a set of Dana 44 flat-top knuckles, spindles, and brake caliper mounting brackets out of a '74 FSJ Cherokee...





My question for those running hi steer is, what arms did you purchase? I think the cheap ShakerArms will work since I'm simply bolting my heims to the arm and I'm not using TREs. http://www.shakerbuilt.com/Products.html

Also, if anyone out there is running 5 on 5.5 lugs and FSJ/Chevy knuckles let me know about which bearings to use (Ford or FSJ) or if you have any tips for making the setup work. My next task is to get the knuckles machined, drilled, and tapped, so if you have anyone to recommend, please let me know. So far, it looks like I'll be sending them to John Nutter Enterprises. http://www.jnutter.com/index.html

Any other comments or tips would be great. Thanks to all!

I highly recommend John Nutter for machining.

For High steer arms, talk with Parts Mike. You will need both arms to be long so that you don't interfere with the coils. I have Parts Mike arms, but I also use TREs rather than heims. I also can't see that webstie you posted.

I have '74 FSJ knuckles on mine, with Ford hubs of a '77, with a 5.5 bolt pattern.

Begster said:

I highly recommend John Nutter for machining.

For High steer arms, talk with Parts Mike. You will need both arms to be long so that you don't interfere with the coils. I have Parts Mike arms, but I also use TREs rather than heims. I also can't see that webstie you posted.

I have '74 FSJ knuckles on mine, with Ford hubs of a '77, with a 5.5 bolt pattern.

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That is the kind of information I am looking for. Thanks! Begster, do you think I can reuse my Ford outer axle shafts and wheel bearings? From the charts it seems like the outers are the same length and the bearings are the same. When you bought your bearings, did you buy them for the Ford or the FSJ?

The arms that I thought about using were from a website called www.shakerbuilt.com. If you can't pull it up, you can google shakerbuilt and the website will come up. The arms are about halfway down on the "Products" page.

Thanks for the information!

You will need the outer axle shaft from the '74 FSJ. The spindle is what determines the length of the stub shaft. The Ford shafts are shorter than the '74 Wagoneer (what I got mine out of, I believe the Cherokees are the same) shafts. You won't be able to get the snap ring onto the axle shaft if you use the Ford shafts.

As far as the bearings, they are the same, as long as you have the smaller bearing hubs. I just got new bearings for the Ford hubs, and they will fit with the FSJ spindles.

I still can't see the website, it might be because I'm at work, but you need at least 7.5" from the tie rod mounting hole, to the center of the ball joint. (I believe its the center of the ball joint, I'm blanking right now)

Great info again. Thanks! I will be purchasing new bearings because I need to have the races pressed in anyways and I don't want to reuse the races once I take them off the Ford hub.

Oh, how I find new information all the time:

How to convert a Dana 44 (Chevrolet or Jeep) 6 lug to 5 on 5.5 lug?

Here is the list of parts needed to convert a Dana 44 (Chevrolet or Jeep) 6 lug to 5 on 5.5 lug?. This is one option, there may be others.

• 1 pair of small bearing spindles. These can be found on Jeep Wagoneers 1974 to 1975 or Chevrolets 1973 to 1976.
• Chevrolet or Jeep Wagoneer caliper mounts from a Dana 44. Chevrolets 1973 – 1986 or Jeep Wagoneers 1974 – 1990.
• Ford 5 bolt hub and rotor from F150 or full size Bronco 1976 – 1996. If using hubs/rotors with ABS components just remove them.
• Ford bearings and seals. The critical piece is the inner small bearing, the outer bearing is the same size.

How to convert a Ford Dana 44 solid axle to Chevrolet Dana 44 flat top knuckles?

Here is the list of parts needed to convert a Ford Dana 44 to Chevrolet Dana 44 flat top knuckles. This is one option, there may be others.

• 1 pair of Dana 44 flat top knuckles from a Chevrolet or Jeep disc brake style.
• 1 pair of small bearing spindles. These can be found on Jeep Wagoneers 1974 to 1975 or Chevrolets 1/2 ton trucks or blazers 1973 to 1976. The 3/4 trucks with 8 lug hubs use the large bearing spindles. We can machine these down for you if necessary.
• Chevrolet or Jeep Wagoneer caliper mounts from a Dana 44. Chevrolets 1973 – 1986 or Jeep Wagoneers 1974 – 1990. If using the Chevrolet caliper mounts use the ones of the 1/2 ton trucks or blazers. The 3/4 ton trucks with 8 lug hubs used a larger diameter rotor and taller caliper bracket.
• Ford bearings and seals. The critical piece is the inner small bearing, the outer bearing is the same size.

I found this on Harsh Terrain's Website.

This is the page you need: http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/web_rs44.html

Complete with bearing part numbers. It is what I used when I did mine.

i have 5 on 5.5 but i am using dodge parts from 88 w150. flat top knuckles 6 bolt spindles and 5.5 lug pattern.

jbjustin33415 said:

i have 5 on 5.5 but i am using dodge parts from 88 w150. flat top knuckles 6 bolt spindles and 5.5 lug pattern.

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That's really neat. My dad runs a Dana 44 with Dodge flat tops from a 1/2 ton so he can keep a 5 on 4.5 lug pattern. He has the unit bearings, which are different from mine, but he has done well with the setup.

yeah i didnt like the unit bearings, thats what i hated most about the dana 30. i got my axle from the junky and it came with lockout hubs and 5 on 5.5 lug pattern.

i still need to get my passenger knuckle milled down and tapped for hi steer, but for now im using waggy steering just to get my jeep going.