71 Dana 44 front picture brakedown

[71johnnyblazer]

Does anyone know where I can get a good and complete pic. by pic. tear down or my disc brake dana 44 front axle. I want to replace all bearings and seals. Also I was told that I dont need the spring behind the locking hub. Anyone ever heard of this before?

[milled]

I think you need the spring. If what you're talking about is the large spring on the locking sproket,(sp).?!

[duallyjams]

If you change the locking hub to a after market they do not require a spring.

[msgross]

Here are some decent pics... Most dana44's are pretty much alike. I would purchase the spindle nut socket at autozone (or rent it), and rent the bearing set kit that they have, makes life a lot easier. I agree with the spring, I think it was used on my stock lockouts but now I have MM's on it. I would save everything that I took off though. NAPA sells a nice kit (part # is BN1 or BR1 or close to that) It has the needle bearings for inside the spindle. Oh yeah, you also need the blind bearing puller from autozone (rent) to get the needle bearings out.

http://www.keystonekrawlers.com/Mods...ub_rebuild.htm

[Wreckless_71]

it's a pretty straight forward process... just remove the pieces one at a time and place them systematically on some clean rags. Oh and yes you will need the spring unless you are changing to after market hubs, which will either come with springs or be self contained... I have the warn's and love 'em, so far. and they look good as well.

[LONGHAIR]

If you are going to all of that trouble, you might as well replace the axle joints too. Be warned, getting the spindle off can really be tough.

[71johnnyblazer]

Thanks for all the info. I went to NAPA and they sell a complete kit for a Dana 44 and it was $200. Does that sound about right? The real reason is that I keep hearing a popping noise from the right side hub area and a slow leak on the left.

[msgross]

if it's leaking gear lube then your inner seals (near differental) is shot. That can get more extensive than an outer bearing replacement. The bearing kit that I was talking about is like $15 each side (just guessing). That's not the larger hub bearings though. They might have had a total kit... does it include pinion seals, carrier bearings etc...? Randy's ring and pinion might have some kits too...

Might want to find a buddy that rebiulds them if it's leaking oil...

[nu2-72]

If it is the inner seals you will need to pull spindles and axles. They install from inside the housing. This is a lot of work and very detailed. Also watch as you disassemble should you choose that route. There may be shims behind the spindle. These are not flat and must be oriented back in the exact position. They were used to correct incorrect tube alignment with the pumpkin.
I can email you exploded views and a complete parts list if you need it.

[71johnnyblazer]

Yes I would like that brake down parts list. It only leaks gear dough when I drive it. If I dont drive it for a couple of days it doesnt leak. I dont want to get into a mess trying to fix this my self and then give up so iam trying to get all the information I can. I can see that the upper and lower ball joints are gone as well. I came across a 70 4x4 with a Dana 44 with drum brakes. Does anyone know if it would be possible and how to swap them. Also can I put an axl from a more commom 70's chevy in the front and would it work? Thanks ahead of time, John.

[msgross]

You can sawp any dana 44/corp 10 axle from up to mid 80's (whenever they went to IFS). I have an 82 corp 10 in my 68, it's a direct bolt in.... only difference I encountered is the axle tube diameter. 2.75" on my old dana44 and 3" on the corp 10. Meant I needed new U-bolts (good idea anyway) and the top plates... Might be easier and cheaper to find a running axle ($100 - $150) usually. Just be sure to match the gear ratio. Means you need to pull the cover off the diff and look at the numbers on the large ring gear. i.e. 41:11 = 3.73 (41 divided by 11) some have 3.08s

You could find a mid 70's with a sway bar too, wish I would have went that way now...

[71johnnyblazer]

Thanks 100% thats the way iam going to go. I had the chance to get a Dana 60 for $150, last summer but didnt need it at the time. I really appreciate all the information I got from everyone. Thanks, John.

[msgross]

Originally Posted by 71johnnyblazer

Thanks 100% thats the way iam going to go. I had the chance to get a Dana 60 for $150, last summer but didnt need it at the time. I really appreciate all the information I got from everyone. Thanks, John.

that's a $800+ axle... Easy to sell for a nice profit too....

Good luck with the axle.. You could upgrade to dana44 3/4ton front and 14 bolt/Eaton 8 lug rear if that's the route you were looking...