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dana 44 drum to rotar conversion ?'s

1361 Views 3 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  RXT, 
M
well i was in the boneyard yesterday and i saw alot of front axles so i asked the guy which ones were dana 44 and there was a dana 44 with rotars and 8 lugs well i have a early 70's 44 now with drum brakes and 8 lugs i assume its a hd right? if not how do i tell what it is?
but im looking to upgrade to rotars in the front when my pads are shot the axle in the j-yard had a busted axle on the pas side so will mine work? also do i need to shitch the whole axle or can i swap the brake asembly? and the brake line should fit id would think but will the master cylinder give the front enough juice to the whell cylinders so any input will help thanks
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RXT
You can easily tell which Dana axle by a number cast into the pumpkin. A Dana 44 will have a "44" cast into it. However not all front axles are made by Dana. There were also front axles made by GM, Marmon-Herrington, NAPCO and others. Make sure you find a Dana built axle. You can do a drum to disc brake conversion by swapping everything from the knuckles and out. If you have a full time axle with unit hubs, now would be the time to also make a hub swap and switch to a regular part time type hub assy.

It's hard to say if an axleshaft will fit another axle of the same make and model. Dana axles are spec'ed by the auto manufacturers for a particular vehicle and there can be any number of Dana 44 variations.

As for brakes, You'll need to install a proportioning valve, master cylinder and possibly a booster.

Ed
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M
well i know i have the 44 for sure im just not sure what one exmp i have 8 lugs wich ive heard is the hd
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RXT
Unless you know what vehicle it was originally in, you won't be able to determine any of the variants that axle is other than the fact that it's probably from a 3/4 ton truck, and made during the early 70s or 60s since most trucks went to disc brakes by the mid to late 70s.

Ed
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