I'm in the process of doing a Scout D44 (74 Scout II D44's) swap on my Sammy and I'm looking for any help i can get! I realize the frame needs to be widened, but what material is the best to use(ie: qtr in. rect tubing, sq tubing). What are the basic things that need to be done to make the swap work? What are any problems that anyone has ran into? I'm thinking of stretching the frame to 90-100"??? Pics of a swap would be great!!! Another thing, what about the break line hook up from Zuke to Scout? I do understand the basic concept of the swap, but just need some clarification.

I'm looking to run about a 37" tire.

well if you are throwing the scout axles under it i take it you are changing the suspension too? if so what springs are you going to run? if i know this it will help me with determining how to mount your springs.

also one thing to remember. scouts come with very little positive caster. rotoating the knuckles on the housing will probably be necessary to correct steering issues. it is not a hard process but does require quite a bit of grinding. i can fill you in on that too if needed.

He may keep the stockers. Realizing the front leafs are pretty short he may want to go to longer/wider springs. You recommend a particular set High5? Im helping him research a little before he dives into the project completely, as its really just adding the beefier axles & SOA project. So we have
1) the ScoutII d44's need nuckle twisted.
2) know the steering box needs to be changed out.
3) know th frame has to be widened.
4) know longer brake lines are needed(pretty sure he'll stay stock springs).
5) the dif will not exactly be centered to the Tcase.
But we need
1) pics of the frame widened for the outboarded hangars to help the visual aspect.
2) Will the stock master cyl be OK.
3) Need to know the p/n for the brake line to use to the ScoutII calipers.
4) since the diff is offset does a CV become mandatory.
Gentlemen, I believe thats it for now!

Originally posted by redmaniac
He may keep the stockers. Realizing the front leafs are pretty short he may want to go to longer/wider springs. You recommend a particular set High5? Im helping him research a little before he dives into the project completely, as its really just adding the beefier axles & SOA project. So we have
1) the ScoutII d44's need nuckle twisted.
2) know the steering box needs to be changed out.
3) know th frame has to be widened.
4) know longer brake lines are needed(pretty sure he'll stay stock springs).
5) the dif will not exactly be centered to the Tcase.
But we need
1) pics of the frame widened for the outboarded hangars to help the visual aspect.
2) Will the stock master cyl be OK.
3) Need to know the p/n for the brake line to use to the ScoutII calipers.
4) since the diff is offset does a CV become mandatory.
Gentlemen, I believe thats it for now!

i would go to a set of yj springs. if you are going to outboard the springs on the frame you might as well to the yj swap at the same time. for the yj springs you will need to cut your existing spring hangers off the from in the front. either make or use a jeep cj spring hanger. they are like $16 per through 4 wheel drive hardware. you can use the exising mounting surface to start from on the sami frame. the hard mount end under the frame. you will need to extend it out alittle to make up for the scouts spring width. for the front hanger, the best way is to build a bumper that you can mount your spring hanger to. the yj springs are longer so they will stick out alot further than the stockers. the bumper will let you move your spring shackle hanger frther forward. this will also move your frontend forward and will add 3-4" to your wheelbase. is this clear? i hope so. i am having alittle trouble putting my thoughts into words (nearing the end of my 12hour shift). anyway i know a couple guys running waggy d44's in thier sami's and are running a 97" wheelbase. they both are running wrangler springs and this is how they did thiers. as for the brake lines, well in the rear the d44 hard lines will thread into the sami rubber lines. yes the sami stuff is metric and the scout stuff is standard but the thread count is the same. it does feel alittle loose when threading them together but they tighten up just fine. same for the front. go to a napa and ask to look at their front brake hoses. find one that will fit the scout brake caliper banjo bolt. they have some that are long. if you need me to i'll try and get the part # for the ones my buddy used. the steering box really doesn't need to be changed but it would be good to swap to power steering. it is hard to turn any kind of a tire with lockers and not power steering. the two guys i know with waggy d44 front one has toyota stuff and the other uses side kick power steering. if you plan on running on the road at all yes you will need a cv in the rear shaft. also the stock master cylinder works fine with the dana44's. you loose alot of brake pedal feel but they stop good.

when you are putting the front end in point the pinion where you want it. once you get the spring perches welded on good you grind the weld all the way around the knuckle on the axle tube. it takes quite a bit of grinding to do this. the welds have good penetration so it takes a while. you can tell when you are good because you will see a definate ring where the knuckle and tube meet. once you can see the ring and it goes all the way around you will want to mount the front in the sami. with the sami on level ground and the front's outers completely disassembled you take a big sledge hammer and hit the knuckle to rotate it back. to check your caster angle use a small wooden dowl and a cheap floating angle finder. you run the wooden dowl down through the holes where the ball joints go and then put the angle finder to it. this will tell you the caster angle in degrees. positive caster is with the top of the knuckle leaning towards the rear of the sami. when i have done this in the past i have had good luck with 8degrees positive caster. once you get both sides done. reweld the knuckles back on and reassemble.

Go coils up front and then you don't have to widen the frame (as long as they are mounted to the outside of the frame). Just a thought.

A little grinding? Try A LOT OF GRINDING!

Good luck, I hope it works out for you!

Dave
aka Shoguntor

Yes you need to change your master cylinder. The best one is a dodge unit (3/4 ton I believe). RudeZuk knows which one it is...
I think.

Dave
aka Shoguntor:)

Here is a thought, trade you 44's for some Toyoda shiat! And while your at it keep the stock brake set up and the stock toy brake lines and keep the castor where its at and do it all in one weekend. Hey that fatkids got a point...:flipoff2:

Originally posted by dumb
Yes you need to change your master cylinder. The best one is a dodge unit (3/4 ton I believe). RudeZuk knows which one it is...
I think.

Dave
aka Shoguntor:)

i say bs because i have wheeled in two different sami's that have the stock master and have no problems breaking. both running 36 sx's.

:flipoff2:

A man after my own heart...


{Starts chanting Toy-o-ta!!!... toy-o-ta!!!}

Originally posted by Yota_San
A man after my own heart...


{Starts chanting Toy-o-ta!!!... toy-o-ta!!!}

more like birfields! birfields! :rolleyes:

:confused: Hi guys.
I read a lot of posts on this forum and concluded that this is the most knowlegable bunch of guys I've encounterd so far.
I am a member of BC4X4.com, but I was unable to get the answer to my problem until someone sugested I try you guys.
I got D44 axles under my Sidekick and I am all happy how they work in my particular set-up except the brakes.
They do feel spongy and when I hammer the brake pedal, my foot will go right to the floor. The truck will stop, but slowly. I would guesstimate about twice the distance that it should.
My first initial thoughts were: the master cylinder is not adequate. I read here the Dodge master cylinder is the answer.
Can anyone tell me which truck is that unit from. :question:

If i was to go coils, what's a good coil to use??? I've heard of people running Tj rears on the front.

Thanks for all the help guys!

Not sure about how the swap works for the 44's for the brakes, some ask one of the 44 guys. I think Mike S. runs them as well as Rudesuk.:D

Originally posted by MudKick
:confused: Hi guys.
I read a lot of posts on this forum and concluded that this is the most knowlegable bunch of guys I've encounterd so far.
I am a member of BC4X4.com, but I was unable to get the answer to my problem until someone sugested I try you guys.
I got D44 axles under my Sidekick and I am all happy how they work in my particular set-up except the brakes.
They do feel spongy and when I hammer the brake pedal, my foot will go right to the floor. The truck will stop, but slowly. I would guesstimate about twice the distance that it should.
My first initial thoughts were: the master cylinder is not adequate. I read here the Dodge master cylinder is the answer.
Can anyone tell me which truck is that unit from. :question:

as i have said before the two sami's that i know of (built one)and have personally wheeled both, the brakes worked great. yes the pedal had a spongy feel but no problem brakeing. what did you get your axles out of? i would not think that the master would be diferent between the kick and the sami but it might be anf could be the problem too. not sure though.

I have Wagoneer Dana 44's under my zuk. I am able to lock all four tires running 35x16" Boggers. The pedal goes further than stock but the braking response is excellent. I even have the rear drums still and it will stop faster than a stock samurai. I have the stock master cylinder, prop valve etc and it is just right. I don't know if I really need rear disk brakes unless of course I go with some 38's or 40s ha ha..

Originally posted by MudKick

I got D44 axles under my Sidekick and I am all happy how they work in my particular set-up except the brakes.
They do feel spongy and when I hammer the brake pedal, my foot will go right to the floor. The truck will stop, but slowly. I would guesstimate about twice the distance that it should.
My first initial thoughts were: the master cylinder is not adequate. I read here the Dodge master cylinder is the answer.
Can anyone tell me which truck is that unit from. :question: [/B]

The guys I know that have done the D44 swap say that the MC out of a Ford Ranger works well.

I think Wakefield said he had good success with a Firebird (late 70s?) MC. You could always try to adapt the MC from the donor vehicle that supplied your axles. You will know for sure that it will control the brakes.

You should try to dial in the brakes with a proportioning valve once you have it all done. Go to a empty parking lot and do some simulated panic stops and change the valve until you get the front brakes locking up just before the rears. You might want to set it according to a couple of different cargo loadings in the rear (cinder blocks or similar strapped down in the back).

As for mushy brakes, unacceptable IMNSHO. Build it right.

Btw, got any pics of your TracKick?

Thanx for the sugestions guys. I'll have to try some of them until something works. I'll let you know how it goes. I gues some brakes work with stock MC's and some don't. My axles are out of 1979 Scout II.
Root Moose, I do not have any digital pistures yet, and I am new to this board and haven't figured out how to put pics on here...
I'll try my best....
:D