hey guys. got a few questions about my truck. I've had my truck for about 2 years now and it's always been a mystery to me how it got to be what it is. the badges on the side call it an f100 custom 1974. however, it has an 8 lug dana 60 rear with some hellatious leaf springs and an 8lug drum brake dana 44 front with the coil spring suspension. all 4.10 gears. I always figured someone swapped out the rear original rear for the 60 and swapped the axle shafts and drums on the front to keep the coil suspension... now bigger question... I want disc brakes on the front and I want to keep it 8 lug. I have been thinking about picking up a newer dana 44 front say 78 79 with disc brakes and swapping out my axles and gears. is this possible? would it be easier to change what I have form drum to disc? any ideas, much appriceated. thanks

 

If your front 8 lug axle is drum brake then it is probably a closed knuckle hub. Does it look like a large ball where the knuckle swivels?

This means you really need an open knuckle diff, that already comes with disc brakes on it.

 

it is open knuckle now.

 

If it's open knuckle, you can swap discs onto your current axle. You have to swap everything from the knuckles out

 

My experience was that there is enough of a difference between 150 and 250 knuckles that if you swap the 250 knuckles on the axle, it will screw with the steering. In other words, when I did it, I ended up only swapping from the spindles out, no the knuckles