Can any one tell me what model front axle the77 F250 4x4 come with. And what would it take to transfer it to disc brakes??
Thanks in advance

 

Most of them came with Dana 44. In some cases, they may come with Dana 60.

 

Silly question follows...

How do you tell them apart?? I know what a dana 60/70 looks like but does a 44look similar or different??

-DG808

 

A Dana 44 had less ribs than a Dana 60 would have.

 

My 77 came with front disc brakes, kind of odd yours doesnt. If its a 44, the cover will be smaller then the rear axle's since it will be a 60.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 30-Mar-02 AT 01:57 PM (EST)]Telling them apart with the axle tube size is simple. Dana 60 is about 3.1", Dana 44 is about 2.8". There are tons of other ways, but this is easy for a beginner.

If your axle is a '77 it should already have discs.

-Scouder

 

Well I was told that this truck was a 77, My information may be wrong. But itdefinately has front drum brakes, as well as the remains of a hydraulic steering asist(just the ram on the front axle, no hoses or pump etc.) I picked it up for 200 dollars with not title. It has a dana 60 rear and 44 front, t18, np205 I think, and a 460, all of which are going into and under my 81 Bronco. I want to know more about this steering assist setup if anyone knows anything about it as well as any other useful information that I might beable to use.
Thanks in advance,
DG808

 

Sounds like you have a truck older than a 77.

The hydradulic power assist steering systems are junk. The 78-79 intergral power steering system is a lot better system.

 

Mine still works on my '77. It was used on alot of vehicles clear back into the 50's on the likes of vettes, mustangs etc. It has a valve that attaches to the end of the pitman arm that senses when you are trying to turn the wheels. It directs the ram to assist you by pushing the steering either left or right. Its kind of out in the open and subject to damage, but it keeps alot of torque from building up on the gearbox. When things dont work right, they drive funny, and alot of people opt to go with an internal p/s system like on newer vehicles.

 

gregdatech , I, too , have opted to keep(for the present) the power assist steering on my 77 hiboy----I have replaced\rebuilt ALL the components of the system ---I have the Bendix type----I'm wondering if the Garrison type will interchange and function in place of the bendix type---and if one system is better(or worse) than the other----and if you might know---Were they installed during simultaneous year models of same size trucks , etc----The prevailing attitude it seems, on this website towards the power-assist system, is that it is JUNK--I have not made up my mind on the system just yet because My truck won't be ready to become a daily driver for a couple of more weeks yet!!!!!!!AFTER I have driven the truck with a power assist system , I will be ready to keep or reject the system----It seems very courious to me that when these trucks first came off the assembly line the new owners DIDN'T immediately start pissing and moaning about the power-assist system and want to chuck it in the trash--albeit , there was no "other" PS system available to replace it with AS WELL AS the fact that 99% of the systems were functioning correctly and were doing the job that they were designed to do.......I, personally believe , a better reason to convert over to a 78 or later PS system is that the parts to rebuild\replace are almost impossible to find--especially the bendix system control part----the power cylinder will always be rebuildable--although pricey(275)----and any parts store can fabricate new hoses-----I intend to get about 100,000 miles out of my system and THEN I will convert over to a regular PS system!!!!!!!!!!fd :-X11

 

i too have a 77 f-250. it has disk brakes on the front. I was told that the front axle is a dana 44 HD. is there a difference between that and a regular 44. or is it because its 8-lug? my hydraulic assist steering is crap too. How hard is it to convert to 1/2 ton steering?

 

tomk , there is an excellent article in the "Technical Articles" section on this website about how to make the conversion over to "regular" power steering--its only about 4 pages long , so you can print it right off the internet---hope you find it helpful--I may yet go ahead and do the conversion myself if I don't like my new\old rebuilt system , fd :-X11

 

>>>1. Find a donor vehicle, it must be an F250 with the same axle as your truck, mine has a straight front axle with leaf springs so if yours isnt this swap might not work. <<<

this was on the tech article. I thought it was supposed to use half ton steering. you know 78 or 79 f 150. or am i missing something?

 

the way i read the article ---he states specifically that it has(should) be an f250---the best pictorial that I have seen on the 77 , 78 , and 79 power steering systems and their differences is in the LMC catalogue-----if you don't have one i would go to their website and order one before I embarked upon the conversion ----you can see the differences betwixt the different years----fd :-X11

 

Later model '77 F250s had the internal powersteering, and thats what you should change to if youre going to. The F150 system is different and to me would be too fragile for our iron. As for which is better, the internal system is simpler, and parts are easily found and its not unprotected from damage. The slave cylinder and lines are right in front and really need some shields. I havent had enough experience driving mine around, since it needs alot of work, but it seemed to drive fine to me as far as feel goes. Im guessing if you want a pickup to drive like a car, like so many of these Z-71's, then you wont like the external system. If you plan on putting large tires on it, doing some mean 4wheeling etc, the external system I think will last longer as far as steering parts go. It is directing the power directly onto the tie rods, where as the newer systems put the assist in the gearbox, and so it gets strained as well as the frame. I cant say how many Ford steering boxes Ive seen with slop in them. I plan on running her like she is, and see what happens.
As for the difference between the HD axle and regular dana44, I think the HD44 has the large external lockouts, where as the regular 44 has the normal halfton lockouts. I dunno how much stronger it is over a regular dana44.
Hey fatdaddy, I got some questions about your springs on your truck! Ive had problems looking for replacements on mine, and not many are like ours that year. Drop me a line so I wont babble so much in here, pleeease,lol