Dana 44 Axle Compatibility

[Short 3/4]

Hey Clay,
For what it’s worth I too am kind of obsessive about closed knuckles on old 4x4’s. While I’m not a paint daubs and matching numbers kind of restorer (my truck is definitely not as it left the factory in 65) whenever I see an old one I always check to see if it still has the original axle in front. To me that’s the difference between an old survivor or just old sheet metal on top of a new truck.

While I personally have never had a problem with the performance of 3/4 ton drum brakes, I see you are pretty committed to a disc swap. Because of that I think it would be pretty cool to do a closed knuckle disc conversion. The info and parts are out there and from seeing the quality of your work so far you definitely have the skills.

While your era truck is not terribly rare, keep in mind the 420/221 married combo was a one year only thing, and most of that body style were made in the later disc brake years. Also, don’t let anyone tell you the running gear of that truck is unreliable. As someone who has been using this old junk for hard work and play for many decades, I can tell you that is just not true.

Anyway, whatever you decide, keep up the good work, do what makes YOU happy, and above all have fun
Tom