EB D44- is it high pinion?

[hierks]

my tj will be getting new axles soon and i have a set from a 79 half ton pickup. i'm starting to think the EB axles would be better because of the width but for some reason i want to say the D44 front is a low pinion. am i correct? are there any other differences between the full size 9" and D44 compared to the EB axles. Is it hard to find a 9" in an EB with 31 spline shafts? Please learn me something guys.:D

[fordnut]

eb never came factory with 31 spline rear axles all were 28. the front axles in the eb are low pinion 44 with smaller axle shafts and u joint than the fullsize 44. still very good axles to swap into many smaller vehicles such as a jeep.

[Apogee]

The most desireable Bronco 9" is the 1977 because is has the broader gusseted housing and is a big-bearing. You could narrow the full-size 9" housing you already have and either shorten and respline the shafts or narrow it to Bronco specs and buy aftermarket or custom shafts.

The 79 front D44 is not as desireable as the 76-77 w/discs because they have the cast-in wedges for the radius arm mounts as opposed to being welded on like the earlier axles. This makes it not such a good candidate for narrowing.

[2dub]

EB and f150 shafts are pretty dang similar only the EB's neck down after the splines where the F150's dont (& the F150's are longer). the stub shafts are exactly the same and the outer knuckles are interchangable, so you can take the outer knuckles from a disk brake f150 and do a swap from the drums that most all eb d44's have (with the exception of some 76 and 77 eb's). everything from the ball joints out slides right in place.

all eb's are low pinion & I have never seen an eb 9" with 31 spline that wasen't custom made.

[JeepinCJ7]

EB and f150 shafts are pretty dang similar only the EB's neck down after the splines where the F150's dont (& the F150's are longer). the stub shafts are exactly the same and the outer knuckles are interchangable, so you can take the outer knuckles from a disk brake f150 and do a swap from the drums that most all eb d44's have (with the exception of some 76 and 77 eb's). everything from the ball joints out slides right in place.

all eb's are low pinion & I have never seen an eb 9" with 31 spline that wasen't custom made.

Not true. All EB D44 have 260x u-joints in them. The F150s all have the larger 297x u-joint size. The outers will bolt on, but you need to swap out the inner shafts for the larger style u-joints to match the F150 stub shaft. The short side inner from the F150 will change over without mods though, but you will either have to cut the long side down, or buy an aftermarket shaft to upgrade to the larger 297x joints.

You are right about the 9" though. All were 28 spline.

Also Apogee, not all 79 housings were cast in wedges. IIRC, the Bronco ones were, but some of the F150 version were weld on wedges. I know because I just sold one last week.

[2dub]

Not true. All EB D44 have 260x u-joints in them. The F150s all have the larger 297x u-joint size. The outers will bolt on, but you need to swap out the inner shafts for the larger style u-joints to match the F150 stub shaft. The short side inner from the F150 will change over without mods though, but you will either have to cut the long side down, or buy an aftermarket shaft to upgrade to the larger 297x joints.

You are right about the 9" though. All were 28 spline.

Also Apogee, not all 79 housings were cast in wedges. IIRC, the Bronco ones were, but some of the F150 version were weld on wedges. I know because I just sold one last week.

oops yeah u are right about the u-joints i forgot about that. but i didnt have to swap out the stub shafts for the larger f150's when i did a disk break swap i just used the eb axels and stubs w/ the f150 outers and it all fits. and the drivers side axel shaft on the F150 was about an inch longer than the eb drivers side shaft. At least this is how it was on the eb and f150 axels i joined together.

[Fordman500]

There were also small and big bearing 9" housings. But no factory 31 spline.

[hierks]

all great info guys. i'll have to check the cast-in wedges for the radius arm mounts on my D44 but i think i will stick with the full size axles over the EB. if you guys have any more info on why i should or shouldn't stay with the f150 axles, let me have it.

[incideagent]

i personally have a 77 early bronco, mine is the big bearing 9'' and the d44 is disc brakes. i know a couple of bronco distr. like wild horses or james duff sell aftermarket disc brake conversions for the 9'' and axles for both along with lockers and other stuff. alot of people put this stuff on ebay just search "early bronco" i dont know where you live but here in virginia we have a tidewater trader and sometimes you can get lucky and find something to your liking. -kris

[Apogee]

...Also Apogee, not all 79 housings were cast in wedges. IIRC, the Bronco ones were, but some of the F150 version were weld on wedges. I know because I just sold one last week.

Thanks, good to know...I just looked at two HP44's under 1978 Pickups and the were both cast wedges, but they may not have been original.

[welndmn]

Find a set of axles from a 76 Ford f150.
Its cheaper in the long run.
If its to wide, get more offset wheels.

[87 pathy]

Just FYI.. if you are looking for an early 70's 9" out of an F100 make sure its not a 9 3/8" I'm not on crack here, they look amost identical to an N Case.
How you can tell the differeance is a little curved rib at the top of the case. They were found in some early F100's. You can use the housing but not hte case. No gears for them so you would be stuck with the 3:50's it came with.

I got burned on one of these cuase i had never heard of the 9 3/8". Good news is you can drop a standard 9"case in the housing.

Just wanted to let you know

[bmc69]

Thanks, good to know...I just looked at two HP44's under 1978 Pickups and the were both cast wedges, but they may not have been original.

Just an FYI..I know a previous poster said he had seen welded wdges on a 78-up HP D44..but I never have seen myself, nor even heard of one before, and I've pulled literally dozens of the F-series and full-size 78/79 Broncos apart. I have a HP D44 with the welded wedges sitting here that I recently pulled from a '76 F-150.

Is it not possible to use an F-250 HP D44 housing in that swap?..they are more plentifull and cheaper too.

[JeepinCJ7]

Is it not possible to use an F-250 HP D44 housing in that swap?..they are more plentifull and cheaper too.

I personally think that the F250 is the better housing. Only issue is getting it to 5x5.5".

[bmc69]

I personally think that the F250 is the better housing. Only issue is getting it to 5x5.5".

shoot ..that's no issue. I swap the 8-lug F-250 outers on to the HP F-150 D44s in my EBs..it all swaps the other way just as easy.

[JeepinCJ7]

shoot ..that's no issue. I swap the 8-lug F-250 outers on to the HP F-150 D44s in my EBs..it all swaps the other way just as easy.

But that's only if you have the F150 housing already. Just saying that finding the F150 5x5.5" outers isn't easy because all the EB guys rape them for their D44s.....

[bremen242]

Is it not possible to use an F-250 HP D44 housing in that swap?..they are more plentifull and cheaper too.

got one?? I'll buy it from you :)

[bmc69]

Piled up...just come get one. I don't use 'em for anything except the outers.

Where is Greensburg, Pa?..I'm headed to Pa to wheel for 10 days in the first part of June.

[bmc69]

But that's only if you have the F150 housing already. Just saying that finding the F150 5x5.5" outers isn't easy because all the EB guys rape them for their D44s.....

Hey..I take issue with the word 'rape' in that scenario...:flipoff2: :smokin: ..but I've raped my share for sure.

[JeepinCJ7]

Hey..I take issue with the word 'rape' in that scenario...:flipoff2: :smokin: ..but I've raped my share for sure.

Me too. Well, lets just say, that I have "assaulted" my fair share. But, I have never played Lacrosse for Duke......:flipoff2:

[TNRanger]

I just swapped from a 77 F150 Housing to 78 F250 Housing. The only problem with the F250 was the built in spring pad. It makes the short side tube considerably shorter forcing me to move my radius arms out about 1.25" per side from EB width. Other than that the housing is much beefier, bigger tubes thicker walls.

[CHH777]

I used a 79 F-150 D44 and it has cast wedges but I've seen weld-on in 78-79 apps. If you plan on cutting down one side and don't need a shit ton of strength the cast wedge axle is a little easier to shorten than the weld-on version but 78-79 have 3/8" tubes while earlier have 1/2".

[Mr.N]

I just swapped from a 77 F150 Housing to 78 F250 Housing. The only problem with the F250 was the built in spring pad. It makes the short side tube considerably shorter forcing me to move my radius arms out about 1.25" per side from EB width. Other than that the housing is much beefier, bigger tubes thicker walls.
Hint, early 70's F150 tubes are just as thick at 0.5" Can often be bought much cheaper because of the drums on them.

[bremen242]

Piled up...just come get one. I don't use 'em for anything except the outers.

Where is Greensburg, Pa?..I'm headed to Pa to wheel for 10 days in the first part of June.

cool. It is about 5 miles east of the new stanton turnpike exit, and about 35-40 miles east of pittsburgh. where in maryland are you??

[bmc69]

cool. It is about 5 miles east of the new stanton turnpike exit, and about 35-40 miles east of pittsburgh. where in maryland are you??The southernmost tip..right where the Potomac River runs in to the Chesapeake Bay...talking about a pretty fur piece from you.

[bremen242]

The southernmost tip..right where the Potomac River runs in to the Chesapeake Bay...talking about a pretty fur piece from you.

yeah, i'll say. where at in pa are you wheelin' at??

[bmc69]

yeah, i'll say. where at in pa are you wheelin' at??

Rausch Creek, Blue Rocks and Paragon from the 5th through 11th of June. The East Coast 40th Bronco thing.

[animator]

Just an FYI..I know a previous poster said he had seen welded wdges on a 78-up HP D44..but I never have seen myself, nor even heard of one before, and I've pulled literally dozens of the F-series and full-size 78/79 Broncos apart. I have a HP D44 with the welded wedges sitting here that I recently pulled from a '76 F-150.





I have a '78 HP44 sitting under my '93 F150 right now and it has welded wedges... so they're out there...

[bmc69]

I have a '78 HP44 sitting under my '93 F150 right now and it has welded wedges... so they're out there...

Figures. one thing is certain..nothing is absolute about anything Ford used in their vehicle production.

[gfbgreaser289]

eb never came factory with 31 spline rear axles all were 28. the front axles in the eb are low pinion 44 with smaller axle shafts and u joint than the fullsize 44. still very good axles to swap into many smaller vehicles such as a jeep.
not true i have a high pinion eb 44 with cast in wedges. factory disc.

[jonylost]

I would say that it will be VERY easy to find someone with very built axles out from under an EB. That is ususally one of the first things anyone does with an EB is upgrade to aftermarket large u-joint front axles, and 31 sp rear.:D

[gfbgreaser289]

I would say that it will be VERY easy to find someone with very built axles out from under an EB. That is ususally one of the first things anyone does with an EB is upgrade to aftermarket large u-joint front axles, and 31 sp rear.:D
i dont know. i found it in a field and got it for free. still had the caliper mounts on it with one caliper and one rad arm maybe i just got lucky

[bmc69]

i dont know. i found it in a field and got it for free. still had the caliper mounts on it with one caliper and one rad arm maybe i just got lucky

LOL..maybe its one I built..I've done a bunch of conversions to narrowed-to-stock WMS high-pinion D44s on EBs(one in the shop right now in fact)..some with stock disc, some with F-150 disk and some with 8-lug F250 disks...but they all look 'factory' when they are done.:smokin: Nonetheless, Ford never, ever stuck a high-pinion front axle under an EB. (Why not??..that's another matter)

[hierks]

Not true. All EB D44 have 260x u-joints in them. The F150s all have the larger 297x u-joint size. The outers will bolt on, but you need to swap out the inner shafts for the larger style u-joints to match the F150 stub shaft. The short side inner from the F150 will change over without mods though, but you will either have to cut the long side down, or buy an aftermarket shaft to upgrade to the larger 297x joints.

You are right about the 9" though. All were 28 spline.

Also Apogee, not all 79 housings were cast in wedges. IIRC, the Bronco ones were, but some of the F150 version were weld on wedges. I know because I just sold one last week.

This may be a stupid question but is it obvious if my wedges are cast in or welded in wedges. i went to retrieve the axles and looked under the 79 ford and thought i could see some welds on the wedges under all the mud and rust. lets say they are cast in dos this rule out any narrowing options?

[Mr.N]

This may be a stupid question but is it obvious if my wedges are cast in or welded in wedges.
Yes, it's that obvious if you know what your looking for. (Hint check out my sig for picture on which is which)

Note: It's not all that uncommon for people to swap entire axles instead of doing a gear swap so you could have an early axle under your 79; Unlikely but possible.

[Jrod-13]

cast on wedges make it EASIER to narrow an axle, if your retaining the radius arm setup.

[hierks]

i will not be using the radius arm setup but a four link on my tj.

[hierks]

your axle pic
http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/images/dana44/78-79tubesandcoilmountpaint2.jpg

my axle pic
http://static.flickr.com/49/158644535_cf2037ac31.jpg?v=0

is mine welded or cast? can you tell from this?

[71PA_Highboy]

it would be easier if the pic were from the outside of the short side... .

regards,

eric

[hierks]

http://static.flickr.com/19/160862033_7058ee8322.jpg?v=0
http://static.flickr.com/77/160862012_96459a388e.jpg?v=0
http://static.flickr.com/75/160861984_e46332965f.jpg?v=0
http://static.flickr.com/66/160862025_912480e98b.jpg?v=0


well i got the axles cleaned up a bit and i'm pretty sure they are welded take a look.

[Rat_ranger]

yep those look welded. the c is seperate from the c bushings

[hierks]

I’m looking at getting heavy backspaced rims made for my full width 79 f-150 axles to bring them into almost what i have currently on my jeep. I do have a question about how far I can go. Here is a link of what I am planning on getting. They make the rock crawler style rim that I can get with up to 5.5” of back spacing; I plan to stick with the 15 inch rim also. (http://www.rocky-road.com/wheels.html ). Has anyone put these on a Dana 44 front end out of a 79 f-150. I’m not sure if it will bind with the brakes or hit the steering. Also I plan to do a disk brake conversion on the 9” rear and was wondering if I would run into issues with the 5.5” back spacing. Any help would be appreciated.

[hierks]

well they were weld in wedges
http://static.flickr.com/71/162948598_17601237f6.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/71/162948600_c741329f0c.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/71/162948601_8b369a4053.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/46/162948602_126375126d.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/56/162948603_d9bb31e112.jpg?v=0