[Ranger5.0L]

Im helping my cousin do a solid axle swap on his truck. I couldnt talk him into buying a 78-79 D60 so he bought a 78 D44 since it will be mostly street. I know stupid right!!!
Anyway we took the passenger side knuckle to the local machine shop. I get a call a few days later saying the knuckle casting isnt taking threads. The high steer studs kinda wobble in the holes a little bit. Drilling and tapping them just looks like powder not shavings. They say the knuckle casting must be bad.
My question is i have a spare knuckle sitting here that i could take them to have them try it again. Is there any one thats seen this happen or should i go some place else??

 

[urjb]

I'd say go somewhere else.. but then again I cant see/touch it either.

I would think if the knuckle was that bad it would have failed years ago.

maybe it can be repaired with an insert or helicoil..

 

[TeamGreen]

1/2 ton or 3/4 ton knuckles?

 

[welndmn]

There is not enough meat on 99.9% of the ford Dana 44 knuckles for high steer.
You need GM knuckles and spindles, and caliper and caliper stands. Then swap your rotors and Hubs on it.

 

[Ranger5.0L]

3/4 ton knuckles. plenty of these knuckles have been machined and used for highsteer. There is extra meat on the bottom of the kncukles right where they are to be drilled and tapped.
Either the machine shop messed up and dont want to own up to it or the kuckle matterial isnt right. They said something about it maybe not being aneald <<<<-----spelling ......right.
Was wondering if anyones ran into this before??

 

[Wicked_S10]

I wouldn't swear to this, because it has been a long time, but I have machined cast iron before and I am not sure if I have ever seen it yield tailings instead of powder. I can recall several times where machining operations have left grey powder, but for the life of me I cannot remember ever getting tailings. Maybe a further internet search will give you more info. I'm guessing there is nothing wrong with your casting. As said above it should have failed years before if it was a bad casting.

Good Luck,
Jason

 

[eggman918]

I wouldn't swear to this, because it has been a long time, but I have machined cast iron before and I am not sure if I have ever seen it yield tailings instead of powder. I can recall several times where machining operations have left grey powder, but for the life of me I cannot remember ever getting tailings. Maybe a further internet search will give you more info. I'm guessing there is nothing wrong with your casting. As said above it should have failed years before if it was a bad casting.

Good Luck,
Jason

Your correct cast iron comes off in the form of powder or small chunks a bit coarser than cornmeal,Dana has always used quality iron and if properly taped should not be an issue if it was a finer pitched thread and not taped with a taper ed lead tap or if the pilot hole was too small it could cause the symptoms you described most charts give hole sizes for 75% thread often with cast you can get away with 60%/65% thread and get much better results. I've been a machinist for 34 years.........but this is a bit subjective so call it my two cents

 

[Ranger5.0L]

They were tapped to the fine thread 9/16 no idea what style tap they used. But looks like ill be shipping this other knuckle to a shop that has done these before. Are there any vendors on this site that perform this service that anyone one knows of??
Thanks for the replies

 

[TreeQuotaTon]

They were tapped to the fine thread 9/16 no idea what style tap they used. But looks like ill be shipping this other knuckle to a shop that has done these before. Are there any vendors on this site that perform this service that anyone one knows of??
Thanks for the replies

Partsmike.com does them. Its 55 bucks for the labor. You just have to send in the knuckle. I've never used them but have heard a lot of good things. I almost went this route, but found a 60 and dropped the idea.