My neighbors needs a new backing plate for his Dana 44 spicer rear end. He can't find a backing plate from any parts store. When he googled, it said it was from a ford. Any ideas?

 

Not sure about his specific one, but D44's were pretty common in the 70's trucks. I would go to a big salvage yard and start exploring. I think dana axles have the model number stamped on one of the webs in the casting, so that would make it easier to confirm. Take the old one for comparison too.

Obvious reply, but that is all I can come up with.