<stupid newbie question>
Let me preface this post with I have searched. I am 95% confident that this will work I am just seeking confirmation.

I have a dana 44 out of a 77 bronco. Disc brakes with a 5 on 5.5 pattern that I was going to swap into my YJ. I have decided that it is too narrow. I think a better solution than using wheel spacers would be to use the housing and inner axles from an early wagoneer. I want to swap everything from the knuckles out from the Bronco axle to the wagoneer axle to retain the 5 on 5.5 pattern to match the 9 inch in the rear.

Is this really as easy as it seems or am I overlooking something. Everything I have read says that it should work. I am only worried that the ball joints may be different.
</stupid newbie question>

60s aren't going to happen but I am sure I will hear that recommendation along with all the other flaming to come.

Flame on! :flipoff2:

it'll work just like you think. you will be losing the rr though.

How wide is the waggy and how wide is the Bronco front end? I would keep the reverse cut over a axle that is 2" wider.

77 Bronco 44 is not reverse cut.

The Bronco knuckles out assembly will work on the Waggy housing, no problem, but you won't gain any width, the Waggy is 60", as is the Bronco. Most likely your Bronco housing is a low pinion, same as the Waggy, but the diff on the Bronco axle will be more toward the center of the Jeep than the Waggy, may cause oil pan interferrance. The only other advantage is that if you use an '80 & up housing (driver's diff) you can bolt it under your YJ in spring under config just by moving your leafs outboard 1/2" per side. You could also use the Jeep axle knuckles, caliper mounts, and calipers with '81 & up Ford TTB spindles and your Bronco hubs and rotors, the only advantage being you can use GM style calipers instead of the dumb Ford wedge style caliper. Plus the Chevy flat-top knuckles are easier to find than the Ford ones.

I've heard rumors that very few Early Bronco 44's were reverse cut, but I've never seen one.

Thanks for all the info.

The bronco axle is only about 58 inches wide. that is why I was hoping to gain a little extra width with the waggy housing.

The bronco axle I have is low pinion not reverse cut. However it already has 4.88s and a lock right in it. I was hoping to swap out everything, carrier, gears, knuckles out onto a waggy housing. That way I only need to find inner axles and a housing instead of the complete assembly. I am hoping to keep the 5 on 5.5 to match the rear hence changing the knuckles out on the waggy housing.

I recently found out that some of the EB 44's had flat top knuckles but I havne't confirmed this yet. I guess I need to go home and look to see if I got lucky.

My jeep is spring under right now so the waggy mnight be a better solution at this point because of the ease of install.

Yup, look under any '80 - '93 Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer, or fullsize Cherokee. I got my complete axle for $50, complete with 2.73 gears. The carrier, gears and knuckles from the Bronco will slap right on, plus no grinding off the radius arm ears. I'm ditching my Waggy front in favor of a cut-down-to-63" Ford front and ditching my 58" Bronco 9" rear for a cut-down fullsize 9" If shipping wasn't so expensive, I'd trade ya housing and axle shafts for housing and axle shafts, I'd even throw in my modified M.O.R.E. SRS brackets that locate the spring outboard 1/2", but you'd be on your own for the shackles, I'm keeping mine. I've got a buddy building a Bronco II, and he's looking for a unmolested EB Dana 44 housing. Oh yeah, I think the EB used 267 axle joints, but the Waggy uses 297, better get the whole shaft.

Just noticed you're on the right coast, I'm in Michigan, so shipping axles may not be that bad, you've gotta pull yours apart anyway, see how much the empty housing and shafts weight and get a price on shipping.

I already have about 3 sets of axles for the EB front end with 297s in them. If you or your buddy need the shafts let me know and I can ship them out to you if I end up getting a waggy housing. The inners anyway I might still need the outers.

I already cut all the brackets off of the axle so it has been pretty molested by the fire knife already.

Will do. It might take me some time as the axle is in my parents garage but maybe I will try to make it up there this weekend sometime.

If your aren't interested in a bracketless 44 housing I might still want to take your waggy housing off your hands. Let me know.

Well maybe, one club member about to molest a Bronco 44 to put in YJ, one member looking for unmolested Bronco 44 for coiled Bronco II project, you looking for my Waggy 44, me looking to get full width 44 from Bronco II guy, I'll get back with ya, we might have a deal yet. That's a lot of tradin' but isn't that what this is all about?

Originally posted by 4Bangler
You could also use the Jeep axle knuckles, caliper mounts, and calipers with '81 & up Ford TTB spindles and your Bronco hubs and rotors, the only advantage being you can use GM style calipers instead of the dumb Ford wedge style caliper.

Have you actually made this work?

I tried it & it does'nt work. The Ford spindle bolts up & everything will go together, but the spindle is too short. The disk goes on too far & rubs on the caliper bracket & does'nt line up w/ the caliper.

Originally posted by CJ-Jeeper


Have you actually made this work?

I tried it & it does'nt work. The Ford spindle bolts up & everything will go together, but the spindle is too short. The disk goes on too far & rubs on the caliper bracket & does'nt line up w/ the caliper.

Wayne you can do it Scottie Ross was talking about useing a different bearing to move the rotor out.

Originally posted by 4Bangler
I've heard rumors that very few Early Bronco 44's were reverse cut, but I've never seen one. From Where?
I've never seen any info on this, ever.

Hmmm, you used '81 & up TTB spindles with Chevy / Jeep brake parts and it didn't work? I mocked it up once myself, just real quick, in the dark, in the rain, looked like it worked. Hmmm......I may have to rethink that, it may be possible with the right bearing, three versions exist, all with different offsets in the race, I'll have to look and see how much shorter the TTB spindle is. The early Chevy spindles required to do this swap are getting hard to find in good condition in my area, the ones I am running should be used as paper wiehgts, but they're all I've got, I just bought some TTB parts hopingto get around to swapping my junk out, but now you've got me thinking. I've got dozens of later Chevy & Jeep spindles that use the larger inside bearing, what's to keep me from chucking one up in the lathe and turning the inside bearing surface down to the proper diameter for the Ford bearing setup? I gues it would depend on what hardening process the spindles went through at the factory. Anybody have any ideas?

Oh yeah, the high pinion Early bronco Dana 44, myth? or legend? I've never been able to verify that rumor, so that's what it is, a rumor. Three times I've gone to look at what some hillbilly claimed as being a reverse cut early Bronco axle, twice the inbreeder had the axle upside down, and the third tiem it was an EB axle that measured 67" wide, yeah, right. Jeff's Bronco graveyard has never seen one, so I'm thinking myth, but I'd put up a reward for anyone that can show me a FACTORY ORIGINAL rev-cut pre '78 Bronco axle.

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Hybrid_Axle/Axle27.jpg

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Hybrid_Axle/Axle26.jpg

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Hybrid_Axle/Axle28.jpg

Article:

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Hybrid_Axle/HybridAxle.htm

Thanks for the help, BillaVista. Anybody interested in some Ford TTB spindles? Will trade for early 70's 1/2 ton Chevy spindles. Aw hell, maybe I should just go eight lug.

I bought new early Chevy spindles from Randy's for $108 each.

4Bangler,

My complete setup is for sale - shoot me an e-mail or pM