Highboy disk brake swap?

[PROJECTJUNKIE]

My 75 F250 high boy has a low pinion closed knuckle kingpin drum brake D44. What the #$%^ were they thinking?! Even guys with slammed chevy's know its junk! This is just a tow rig/DD so no D60 for now. The housing and knuckles look pretty HD, So I was planning on finding or fabbing some caliper brackets either from scratch or from a chevy 6lug D44, then just sliding a floating rotor over the ford hub, just like a rear disk swap. Anybody done it or seen it?Thanks guys.

[Ramboss429]

I'd be interested in this also if you find anything out. I am going to run the same axle you have with 36s till it goes SNAP then a 60 is going in mine. You might be better off to find a HP 44 with disc brakes already. Save you alot of hassle.

[GubNi]

Find a 78/79 axle and take the disc stuff off. I think it will bolt right on for you easily and that way you will only have to carry one spare tire. Look in the forsale section for someone that is buying an 8 lu conversion. They will generally sell their 5 lug parts cheap.

[crashnzuk]

There is a company that makes disc kits for old closed knuckle power wagons. They might make kits for later model trucks too. Take a look at www.dodgepowerwagon.com and search around a bit. There are a number of guys there that have done it.
Travis..

[PROJECTJUNKIE]

Checked out the power wagon swap, it had the same kind of brackets that I was thinking of fabbing in, using a chevy rotor and caliper. The drums on the truck just slide over the hub, so I assume that the hubs have true surfaces. I'll either make a bracket to bolt inbetween the knuckle and the spindle (after removing the backing plate) or see if I can pilfer brake parts off a 1/2t d44 chevy axle I have lying around. I also have a dodge 1t 2wd with some burly looking calipers on it, and the brackets look like they unbolt from the spindle, hmm. As far as swapping in another D44, I want to keep it 8lug, the tubes, knuckles and spindles are all pretty burly, low pinion is ok for now. All I really need from a front end in this truck is to hold up a cummins, and stop the 35's.Thanks guys, I'll let you know what I end up doin.

[76HighBoy]

I have a friend with a 73 HighBoy with the same axle you have. He used it the same way you are and ended up blowing up the ring and pinion and then swaped out for a D60. It was a cool axle for the closed knuckles, but turned out to be a weak axle. I had a D44 Low Pinion on my HighBoy and swaped out for a 79 D44. It has saved me alot of head ache when trying to get parts (not to mention the axle and all the parts I needed to fix it up only cost me $400.00). Save your self the time and money and get a 78 or 79 D44 out of an F-250.