[bronco boy]

If anyone gives a shat, Jobrite seems to have plenty of these. I just ordered mine today @ $45 a pop. Seemed a little spendy to me, but I'm lazy, and I dont care.

http://www.jobriteauto.com/

Jobrite is expensive, but OTOH, pricing is in Canuck Bucks, so it will cost you a bit less. My buddy works for another wrecker here..... they want (and get) $3000 CDN for a front D60! :wowcb:

 

[derrick36]

Jobrite is expensive, but OTOH, pricing is in Canuck Bucks, so it will cost you a bit less.

Hmmm, well maybe it'll be cheaper but I think it was $45 in US dollars. I'll have to check my bank statement. They always ask whether or not I'm local, so I figured that was the adjusted price. Either way, being too lazy to go scrounge around the wrecking yards, I dont care about the price.

 

[Stokes]

The 42's hit so many other things that the springs are the least of my problems :banghead By the time I got everything adjusted to where the tires cleared the front frame horn, the firewall, the headlights, and the heater box, they cleared the springs nicely Your biggest obstacle is the radiator support mount, it's majorly in the way. I run recentered Hummer rims with about 4.5 inches backspacing.

I wouldn't run 2.5" backspacing with tires this large. It's just too much leverage on knuckle parts and your scrub radius will be rediculous. It works with smaller tires, but I wouldn't do it with anything bigger than 38's or so, just my personal opinion.

The D60 stops have enough adjustment that you can clear the springs and still have a relatively decent turning radius. It's not too big a deal.

i know i tend to think more left field than others, but has anyone considered movin the firewall some? thats what i was lookin into doing if i have contact issues. its just sheetmetal afterall.

 

[Larston]

i know i tend to think more left field than others, but has anyone considered movin the firewall some? thats what i was lookin into doing if i have contact issues. its just sheetmetal afterall.

Too many things in the way for me to tackle it, but it could be done.

 

[BigNorm]

Another thing that would help a lot is to move the axle forward as far as you can (a la Big Norm), which will put you into the backs of the headlights and turn signals, but that's a much easier problem to deal with and at that lift may not even be a problem

When I get to the bigger tires I plan on cutting the turn signal portion and moving the turn signals into the grill. It's gonna look friggin' awsome! Not so sure about turning radius though.

Larston do you think 3" of backspacing with 44" boggers will be too much? I'm sure wheel spacers would put just as much pressure if not more on the spindles.

 

[Masterphil]

Norm and Lars: You both chose the shackle in the front setup because of the curvature and resulting piss-poor pinion angle/castor angle that you would have had if you had the shackle in the rear, correct?

Why couldn't you just weld new perches onto the axle to adjust the castor/pinion angle the same way it is done when installing a 14b rear? Doing this would allow a shackle in the rear setup. Am I missing some other HUGE glaring problem with doing this?

Any further updates on your stock rear spring SAS is welcome. I'm curious as to how well it is working for you since you've both had some more time on them.

 

[dogonmut]

Am I missing some other HUGE glaring problem with doing this?

Yes you are.

1-The spring perch is cast into the center housing on the drivers side.
2-Unlike a rear axle you can't just turn the housing to aquire a better pinion angle as it will screw up your steering geometry.

 

[Saurian]

Exactly, your only options are to A - cut and reweld the tubes which is a major PITA, or B - Cut and turn the inner C's. This must be done to an exact degree or else you'll end up with more caster issues, possibly in the opposite direction. This is a reason why HP axles are favorable, you don't have such a PITA in regards to lifting and making the driveshaft work. But on the front you have this exact problem.

Did I mention cutting and turning the C's is a PITA too? I'll try to find a buddy's writeup on FTE...

EDIT: http://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/displayalbum.php?&userid=113895&albumid=15356

That's the URL for the guy who's whole thread I was trying to find, but that's his gallery. A few of hte pictures show his having ground down the weld on his axle to expose the crack between the tube and the C which is PRESSED ON. He had to beat the piss out of it with dry ice packed in the tube and heat applied to the C and still had trouble with it. Basically gives you the idea. That's easier then cutting and rewelding your tubes, but still not fun. As said, you have to do this because you CAN'T turn the perches because A - the leaf spring mount is cast into the pumpkin, and B - you'll run into wheel caster issues and that's a whole nother bucket.

 

[Masterphil]

Gotcha, so it isin't so much that the axle couldn't have been repositioned correctly, even though it would be a huge PITA. The problem was more to do with the way the springs turned the axle during flex with a shackle in the rear, because of their curvature, making the pinon angle worse the further it drooped? So if 57" rears are to be used for a SAS, it'd be stupid not to go with shackle in the front, not to mention being a lot easier.

 

[Saurian]

Phil, the problem is getting everything in place. You CAN build a large dropped crossmember for lowering the front mounting point of the spring (the spring hanger) then put the shackle on the back. This is actually a great way to do it. Get some 6" lift springs then drop the mount wherever you like. Ivan in the link I posted above has that on his truck as well. Some think it is a "cheap" way but it is plenty strong and optimal compared to other "ways" of getting the lift. Plus you don't need the trac bar this way.

 

[Masterphil]

But, after you drop the front mounting point 6ish"s, you'll end up with 10+"s of lift if you're using the stock 57" rears.

I'll probably end up using 57"s and copying norm/lars or using 52" chev's and copying dogonmut. I've got plenty of time to decide.

 

[lightnin]

I am sitting here trying to figure out the front crossmember. I was planning on running a 3x3 or 2x4 box tube under my frame and stiffener crossmember. With Stock 78-79 250 springs and rear shackle. I need 10" of lift. I can always match the rear to the front but I don't want it alot higher. How much lift did everyone get with just mounting the bracket right at the bottom of the frame? I don't want to weld it up and not have enough lift. Any help?

 

[bronco boy]

How much lift did everyone get with just mounting the bracket right at the bottom of the frame?

I ended up going with 48" Chevy front springs with 4" of lift, rear shackles thru the frame, and a 2x6 front crossmember. This got me about 4"-4.5" of lift:

I originally started out with 52" Chevy rear springs with 6" of lift, rear shackles below the frame, and the same 2x6 front crossmember, and it looked like I was going to see about 8" of lift:

HTH!

 

[bronco boy]

It helps alot. Soooooooo what did you do with the 52" springs? lol

I put them back on the shelf where I got them.

I was working at North Shore Off-Road at the time, so had a shelf full of leafs to choose from. Unfortunately we were out of stock on the 52" springs with 4" of lift, so I had to settle with the 48" ones; the boss wanted my truck out of the shop ASAP!

 

[daverbmxer]

Has anyone said straight out what the best candidate for a D44 axle with leafs would be? High pinion and 1/2" shaft housing are things to look for right?

I've been browsing around here: http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/Dana44_2.htm and am still kind of confused, but it seems to me that the '76 and '77 would be best because of larger knuckles, brakes, and and should also have the 1/2" housing. High pinion is really only better for clearance though right, although I thought one person mentioned they had some more strength too?

Maybe this wasn't the ideal place to post this, and should have made a new thread, but it still applies to SAS.

I need some honest D44 fav's!!

And just to clarify, I've been hunting around semi-seriously on the forums to see if a D60 can be used with 5 bolt rims... can just the stub shaft be switched so I wouldn't need 8 bolt rims?

Thanks guys

 

[seemoremud]

Has anyone said straight out what the best candidate for a D44 axle with leafs would be? High pinion and 1/2" shaft housing are things to look for right?

I've been browsing around here: http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/Dana44_2.htm and am still kind of confused, but it seems to me that the '76 and '77 would be best because of larger knuckles, brakes, and and should also have the 1/2" housing. High pinion is really only better for clearance though right, although I thought one person mentioned they had some more strength too?

Maybe this wasn't the ideal place to post this, and should have made a new thread, but it still applies to SAS.

I need some honest D44 fav's!!

And just to clarify, I've been hunting around semi-seriously on the forums to see if a D60 can be used with 5 bolt rims... can just the stub shaft be switched so I wouldn't need 8 bolt rims?

Thanks guys

'78-79 F-250 fronts came with leafs and the 32" perch spacing. I'm running one now. I don't know how easy they are to find, I've only came across a couple of them around here.

High pinion is better for pinion angle, and supposedly it is stronger in front axles because they cut the gears differently, so they will ride on the "drive-side" of the tooth going forward, where a "low-pinion" front will ride on the "coast-side" of the tooth while going forward. Makes sense, but a bunch of LP chevy D60s get the dog shit beat out of them every weekend, soooo...who's to say?


And the stub shaft wouldn't be what you want to swap out to run 5-lug wheels on a D60. It's the hub, which has the wheel studs in it. And no a D44 hub won't fit on a 60. I'm sure Dynatrac and a few of the other aftermarket axle companies make or can make custom hubs to fit any bolt pattern of wheel. Just depends on if you're willing to pay the price. :thumbup

 

[Shadofax]

I was intending to use a '78 8 lug leaf front from an F250 as well. The other option, and tough to find, is the extended cab, which I think was 76-77 and it had leafs, HD high pinion, but with 5 lug outers if your not planning on changing out the rear axle to something fullfloat and 8 lug.

 

[bronco boy]

The other option, and tough to find, is the extended cab, which I think was 76-77 and it had leafs, HD high pinion, but with 5 lug outers.....

That's what I got. When I ran the BOM, it came back that it was from a 1978.5 F-150 Supercab. I got really lucky; $40, no shafts or brakes, and dropped off at my work. :thumbup

 

[Redwagon]

That's what I got. When I ran the BOM, it came back that it was from a 1978.5 F-150 Supercab. I got really lucky; $40, no shafts or brakes, and dropped off at my work. :thumbup

same here...78 supercab.

 

[scott 351 wins]

I just bought a 3/4 ton dana 44 low pinon front diff for $250.00 last week. I was told it was a dana 44 hd 197 with hydro assisst, 410 gearing. i plan on doing leaf spring conversoin on my 94 bronc. plan on keeping 3/4 hubs. my question is exactly what do i have? these are the numbers i found on the dana 44 tag on diff. cover..... 4 09 D6TA AAD
603762-1

#'s cast into diff. pumpkin......44 6CF


#'s on shock mount......C-37954
I plan on getting a dana 60 rear this weekend what numbers do i need to be on the look out? what year trucks are the best? one yard near me has several ford 3/4 ton 4x4's from the 70's i dont think they are too savy on what stuff fetches so i may get some of the other goodies for cheap, what should i keep a eye out for? thanks for this awesome 4x4 web site, this place ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!