So I bought a 78 Bronco with the 9" nodular rear end,205 transfer case,c6,disk brake front end and 351 motor for $500....I put the rear end in my truck which has the 2.5 drum brakes which is fine,now I dont want to pull the front axle and paint it and swap it into my truck just for the brakes,what is the best way to swap the disks of the bronco and put them on my ford and have the breaks all work properly,proportioning valve,master cylinder,booster,lines...please give me your input I have more than one truck I will be doing this to and I'm only in highschool so I will need alittle know how before dividing into it

 

You will have to swap the entire axle assembly out if you have a closed knuckle front end. Im not sure if they ever installed open knuckle drum brake dana 44s from the factory, someone on here should know for sure.

 

The best way is to swap the axles then replicate the plumbing, MC, booster, bias valve, etc.

It's less labor than swapping knuckles, spindles, etc.

 

How do I tell the difference from closed and open knuckles? My truck had a bunch of thinks changed on it when I got it so the axle might be open knuckle

 

Closed knuckle has a "ball" that encloses the u-joint...

 

Yea I just looked up pictures and I'm positive I have an open knuckle Dana 44,so I should be able to do this?

 

My Dana 44 that's in the truck is open knuckle and also has the selectro hubs that these came with stock? Also the 73s came out with closed knuckle?

 

IIRC, the drum D44 and the disc D44 uses the same ball joints. You'll need to swap the knuckles, spindles, plus the disc brake parts and add an adjustable proportioning valve, and disc/drum master cylinder.

NOTE!! The Bronco D44 (disc) uses thicker tie rod shanks than your 73. Meaning, your 73 tie rods will be loose inside the steering arm holes.. also note that the Bronco steering arms on the knuckles are much thicker/wider.. go ahead, measure them......You need to use either the 76 through 79 steering components. I suggest the 78-79 F150/Bronco inverted T-style cuz it simply has fewer parts and is less prone to bump steer. If ya don't have power steering, this would be a good time to retrofit it.

How do I know this? I retrofitted the integral PS and steering system from a 79 Bronco but kept the drum-equipped D44.

 

Kinda getting tired of this crap not posting my responses and re-typing them... Urggg... Anyways here goes.

I recently did this swap. Hindsight being 20/20... Listen to silver and swap the entire damn axle; there I finally said it. It will save you some effort. Be sure to swap the track bar as its a little different.

You can swap from the knuckles out but this is a bit more work. Either way, you should consider this swap will also include some changes to your steering system as the old rod ends are smaller than the newer knuckles. You will have to at least change all the linkage and the pitman arm; yes if you have power assist steering kiss it goodbye. Its crap anyways; I have been driving straight manual for a while now and with 32's its not that bad as the gearbox is geared pretty low. This is also good in terms of replacement parts as they are substantially less expensive. You will see what I mean if you price that passenger side tierod end you currently have vs the same part in the bronco. $500 vs $85

This upgrade is well worth it. She is so light on the brakes now... You will want to keep your booster but bolt the disc master cylinder to it; adjusting the plunger accordingly. The bronco booster connecting rod is to short; it wont reach your pedal. Your also going to learn how to double flare brake lines. Keep the h-block or swap in the proportionin valve; I did the later but it was more work and I guess its unneccessary. Understand the larger (rear) reservior on the mc is for the front discs and vice versa.

 

Also, this is a great time to replace the rubber bushings with polyurethane. Its cheap and you will never have to jack with them again.

 

Oh yeah. Consider installing the dual shocks from the bronco... I didnt do this yet but will at some point. If I had the donor you have it would have been done. This is only a few extra bolts as those radius arm caps have to come off anyway.

 

You could do the sway bar but it'll cost you a bit of flexibility if your gonna be hard offroad. The dual shock alone will help dramatically improve the trucks handling which isnt bad but is a bit more bouncy then my tastes permit.

 

Lastly, as silver mentioned, that bronco steering box will be a big improvement but this install requires a bit of fabricating; mostly holes and welding.

 

Well the whole reason I didn't want to swap axles is because I didn't want to sand blast and paint it but oh well I guess I'm ganna do it,yea this Bronco has some amazing parts but unfortunately it doesn't have the dual shock radius arms but I do plan on welding on the mounts in the front of them

 

You dont have do paint but its a nice touch. The second factory shock goes in front of the axle. It mounts to the radius arm cap. If your donor doesnt have this, they arent to hard to find at the j/y. Again, its just the cap and the upper bracket along with the shock of course. Its a fairly simple upgrade for now or later.

On the drivers side I believe the upper bracket is one with the track bar bracket but its been a few months since I last glanced at one.