Looks like Im getting a 79 F-150 with a big block this week. The rear is a dana 60 8 lug and front is dana 44 5 lug. They both have 4.56 gears and would like to to make 8 lug front. What do I need to do it? Thanks

 

not 100% sure, but i believe you just tear it down to the spindle and swap everything from the 8lug d44 over to it. straight bolt on swap. i was looking at doing the same for my bronco. i've got 4.56's for a sterling, and a guy in town has a trac lock and 4.56 gearset for a d44.

not sure on what all parts are needed but i think thwere is an exploded view of a d60 in the tech sticky that should give you a better idea to make a parts list. sorry i couldn't really help, haven't tore down a hub in a while.

 

Thanks for the info. I can leave the ball joints/knuckles on and swap spindles, that sounds easier for now. This truck is going to be like a can of worms. I will post up some pics after i get it. Im going have a few more questions being my first BBF and 79 era F-150.

 

we did this many years ago to a D-44, using parts from a D-50 IFS.
not positive, but i am pretty sure we stripped the 44 down to the spindle, and just bolted the 50's rotor/hub assembly rite on it.

 

i thought the ttb stuff worked, but wasn't sure. i do recall something about using chevy ifs 8 lug crap to convert d44 1/2ton ttbs to 8 lug, but that doesn't matter.

might have been a 44 ttb because the d50 uses the same outers and such as a d60 which is different and bigger parts than a 44.

 

yea, i cant remember Dan. it was over 15 years ago. i do remember though that it was a 360 4 speed powered F-150 with a 44 solid axle up front, and we put a D-60 8 lug in back and used the rotors and hubs off the D-50. we may have bolted the spindles from the 50 on it also, but i can't remember.

 

Its a solid axle Dana 44 not the one on my current truck.

 

So...I need from spindles out from a Dana 50 TTB?

 

I've always heard knuckles out, but I'm dumb dumb so don't listen to me

 

i searched the web and got both answers scattered about on every forum around. it does seem like 100% sure knuckles out will work. some issues with the brakes when you just do the spindle out conversion, but i'm not really sure what the issue is, clearance????

 

the brake issue is caliper size. if you do spindle out, you need to use everything from the 50-60 including the calipers and all associated parts.

 

The issue with the brakes, to the best of my knowledge, is that 15"wheels won't clear w/8lug D44 brake parts. I can see this being true also if using D50TTB parts as the rotor size on D50TTB will be too large for 15's. That's why some use the 8lug chevy parts from knuckles out because 8lug GM stuff will clear the 15" wheels.

 

Here's the deal:

1. Dan is a tard that mixes stuff up.

2. Paul was heading in the right direction and you need to change from the knuckles out.

3. In order to make use of the larger brake rotors and calipers, you need to change from the knuckle out. This is becasue the 150 knuckle and caliper bracket are machined to clear the smaller caliper. The 44hd knuckle has a relief cast in to clear the different bracket. You can physically mount the 8 lug hub/rotor setup on a regular d44 spindle, but you will need to make your own brake caliper bracket and an aftermarket caliper as the factory ones won't work right.

I actually have a complete setup as I was thinking about doing this on my 150 and never got around to it.

 

so what you are saying Karl, is that i was rite, in a way, because the truck we did the spindle out swap on was most likely a D-44hd??

 

Probably so. If it was a coil spring axle with 8lug outters originally then it's from a late 70's f250