dana 44 front axle problems

[chumlysgurl]

I have a 1972 3/4 ton 4x4 highboy, and the front alxe is cracked and I am trying to find out what is the best way to fix it... Iv heard it can be changed over to a 78-79 frame, has anybody done this? or is there a better way to get this truck working again? any help is great..

[smokey3215]

i am lost what on the front axle is cracked

[chumlysgurl]

its the sterring knuckle? I do body work I dont know anything bout mechanic work, but the part thats broke is cast iron? i think, and it has 4 bolts... every bolt broke and the sterring knuckle peice is cracked. plus the last owner put a chevy sterring box on it and it just makes me worry, because it turns fine one way but the other way it take a football field to turn. Iv talked to other people about it and they said to just find another frame and switch all of it because my frame has big holes throughout it.

[chumlysgurl]

I am girl by the way, so if yaw could say it in the simplest way possible what I need to get, thanks haha and its got 35s and no lift, just stock.. but the old man I got it from said its a highboy... so whatever I do to fix it I guess Im gona have to get a lift rite?

[chumlysgurl]

need advice on what to do... front axle (dana 44) is coming out of my 72 3/4 ton 4x4 highboy, because its got too many issues and I have not been able to find another one like it. what other year axles will fit in a 72 3/4 ton 4x4 highboy? or I am also thinking about switching the whole frame to a 78-79 just so it is updated incase somthing were to break it would be easyr to find parts for. is it hard to do the switch to a 78-79? or just any ideas that I havnt thought of yet?

[Doug Comer]

Without sounding like a jerk, you can do what ever you want to fix your truck its yours. Now the following are my opinions. The piece that is broke on your front axle ( I assume) is replaceable. If you like your axle why not repair it by replacing that part? If you don't like your axle switch to another axle, 67-79 will bolt in to your springs. If you get one with disc brakes you will have to add a proportional valve. I personally have a 78 axle under my highboy and am very happy with it. As to the frame swap to a 78-79, I wouldn't do it becuase the wheelbases are different. Not by much but they are. The wheel base changed from 72 to 73. And finally the Chevy steering box . I wouldn't run it on a highboy. Sounds like the link that goes from your box to your axle is not the right length. These are my opinions, not all are facts. Hope this helps in some way.

Doug

[jeepermc]

Doug is right. 67-79 axles will bolt in. The frame swap isn't a great idea because you end up with a big gap between the bed and cab if you line up the wheel openings. Sound like if the steering box is attached well, some fine tuning would get your turning radius evened out.

[greentruck]

I am in the middle of rebuilding a Dana 44 out of a 76 to put under my truck. I am a novice, and this project has gone remarkable smooth. It is just a matter of following the steps and taking nuts and bolts off and on. I do not think a frame swap is the way to, to lift a cab from one frame to another requires a lot of friends or some heavy equipment in addition to all the reasons metioned above. I would get a 78-79 Dana 44 and all the steering components, clean them up and bolt it in. If this is the route you go, let me know and I can give you all the information you need as I am in the middle of doing this right now.

[Tpdaniels]

You don't have listed where you are located, it would help because someone close to you might have what you need. I'm in NC and have a complete near perfect 72 F-250 Dana 44 I took from my truck I am restoring, only because I wanted Disc brakes. Plus I also have all the original steering components from when I switched to the 77 fully integrated system. I hope you get everything fixed real soon.

[chumlysgurl]

ok, so I am getting a 79 3/4 front axle... and I have to get rotors $300, pads $60, calibers $100, breaklines $30, wheel berring $20, u-bolts $60, and the axle is $200.... soo its gona cost me about $780! thats crazy

[HighboyHugger]

It needs 4.10 gears to go with your rear end...an axle out of any 1967-72 f250 4x4 will work and 73-77.5 highboys will have the correct axle. 77.5-79 will fit and is actually a good one to go with being high pinion, but i doubt it will be 4.10 gears. you can get gearsets relatively cheap...1967-77/5 f250 front axles will have the correct gears.

[averagef250]

It needs 4.10 gears to go with your rear end...an axle out of any 1967-72 f250 4x4 will work and 73-77.5 highboys will have the correct axle. 77.5-79 will fit and is actually a good one to go with being high pinion, but i doubt it will be 4.10 gears. you can get gearsets relatively cheap...1967-77/5 f250 front axles will have the correct gears.

I've seen 4.56, 4.10 and 3.54 gearsets factory installed in all year 67-79 F-250 4x4's except I have never seen 3.54's in a 67-72. The majority of 78-79 F-250 4x4's I've junked out have had 4.10 gears.

I would never assume anything about what gear ratio an axle has based on the year it was made or what options it has.

[HighboyHugger]

I've seen 4.56, 4.10 and 3.54 gearsets factory installed in all year 67-79 F-250 4x4's except I have never seen 3.54's in a 67-72. The majority of 78-79 F-250 4x4's I've junked out have had 4.10 gears.

I would never assume anything about what gear ratio an axle has based on the year it was made or what options it has.[/quote]


I have a 78 f250 4x4 with 3.54 gears in it, my friend also has a 78 f250 4x4 with 3.54 gears in it. I realize they were available with different gear sets but it seems to me in most of the 78-79 trucks I have seen have been 3.54s. But the highboys did only come with 4.10 gears, except 67, 67 had 4.56 gears. The pre 77.5 4x4 f250s didnt have to many drive train options. I know that you could get a 73-77.5 in full time 4x4 or part time with a np203 t case, Im not sure if all the 77-77.5 were available with full time, ive just seen a few. We have 3 highboys at my place, two 72s and a 77, all 4.10s 77 has a good np205 and the 72s have the ehhh dana 24, it works, but hard to find parts for. I think there was an option for the np205 t-case and dana 24 t case in 73-75 model year highboys, seen a few of those with either or.

[averagef250]

I have a 78 f250 4x4 with 3.54 gears in it, my friend also has a 78 f250 4x4 with 3.54 gears in it. I realize they were available with different gear sets but it seems to me in most of the 78-79 trucks I have seen have been 3.54s. But the highboys did only come with 4.10 gears, except 67, 67 had 4.56 gears. The pre 77.5 4x4 f250s didnt have to many drive train options. I know that you could get a 73-77.5 in full time 4x4 or part time with a np203 t case, Im not sure if all the 77-77.5 were available with full time, ive just seen a few. We have 3 highboys at my place, two 72s and a 77, all 4.10s 77 has a good np205 and the 72s have the ehhh dana 24, it works, but hard to find parts for. I think there was an option for the np205 t-case and dana 24 t case in 73-75 model year highboys, seen a few of those with either or.

Really not a good idea to make blanket statements like that.

To address some of it- Yes you could get whatever gear ratio you wanted when you ordered the truck, there wasn't "4.10 gears only for 73-77".

The D24 was gone in 72. Since they interchange with the 205 it's not hard to believe they could be switched in 40 years.

They're good trucks. My 70' has certainly treated me fair. Put a lot of miles on it. It's actually a sort of rare one, one of 3 made like it. I've bought and parted a couple dozen other 67-79 4x4's and frame off'd a 71. I don't even remotely think to claim to know all there is about these trucks, but I have met too many who think they know it all about these trucks and don't know the first thing. Don't be one of those guys.

[HighboyHugger]

Well I wasnt trying to be one of those guys, I dont know everything about them, thats obvious. Know one can know absolutely everything unless they built all of them piece by piece. All the things I have learned have been from finding them in junkyards, on the internet, talking to people that own the trucks and having them my self.

I do now remember that only 205s came in 73-77, because thats how i learned of dana 24s in 67-72. I tried to get a seal for my dads 72 and i got a 73-77 seal thinking they were all 205s, when i got under it i found out it was a dana 24