BMXking's Axle Swap 1st gen. Coils/Radius Arms!!!

Well, I finally decided to start a thread on it. For those of you who don't know, I will be doing a full-width swap. High-Pinion Dana 44 front and Ford 9" rear. I am still looking for the HP D44, but I picked up the 9" Monday. I have never really done a lot of work on axles, so this will definitely be a long process, but I have already done a lot of research about this(and am still learning a TON). I plan on doing as much of it myself as I possibly can, but will have a shop do the regear for me.

FRONT AXLE
-1977 F-150 HP D44 Full-Width $200 - Moved Forward ~1.5”
-Myers Machine Coil Seats $40 shipped
-6* Pro Comp Pinion shims under coil buckets (to fix coil angle) $18
-CAGE Offroad 5.5” Coil Springs $150 shipped
-Coil Buckets Spaced Out 2.5" (3/16" x 2.5" x 6.5") $FREE
-Bronco Graveyard 78-79 Coil Spring Tower, Pair $90.80 shipped
-F250 Shock Towers $28 shipped
-Stock Axle Shafts(for now) $FREE
-Warn Premium Hubs $72
-Extended, Plated, Heimed, Wristed 1978-1979 Bronco/F-150 Radius Arms $222 shipped
-CAGE Radius Arm Mounts $FREE w/ R/A's
-Adjustable Superlift (p/n 1080) track bar (76-79 Ford f150/78-79 Bronco) w/ Energy Suspension poly bushings $125
-Skyjacker Stainless Steel Braided Lines for lifted D35 TTB's $90
-Bronco Graveyard 66-75 Early Bronco Adj. Bracket $45
-New F150 tie-rods & stock Explorer drag link (w/ red poly dust boots) $121
-Stock pitman arm $FREE
-Raybestos Professional Grade $19.95 shipped
-Powerslot slotted rotors $120
-Rebuilt Calipers $26
-Completely rebuilt (seals/bearings/ball joints/u-joints/etc.) $260.23
-Energy Suspension Red 7* C-Bushings $21
-Stock Explorer D-shaft w/ 1310 D44 pinion yoke for stock Explorer u-joints $FREE
-Rancho RS5000 shocks $20
-Bronco Graveyard Upper Coil Spring Retainers $22
-Rancho RS5000 steering stabilizer w/ custom bracket $25



REAR AXLE
-1983 Ford 9" $85
-Rubicon Express Anti-Wrap perches welded SOA $35
-Wild Horses Weld-On Shock Mounts $15
-Stock Springs w/ AAL and red rear poly bushings $10
-Stock Axle shafts w/ new bearings, seals, collars, etc $140
-94-99 Dodge Ram 1500 front rotors $58 shipped
-'76 Cadallic Eldorado Calipers w/ e-brake $155 w/ core calipers
-'78 F150 Extended Stainless Steel Braided Rear Brake Hose $45.34
-Custom Bent Brake Lines (w/ 3/8" ends) $8
-'79 Caddy Eldorado Brake Line end box thing $FREE
-7/16" Banjo Bolt for '76 calipers $5
-Bendix Brake Pads $35
-Speedway Motors GM Large Caliper bracket (7" mounting points) $40 2-day shipped
-Cut off mounting points from Ford 9" drums to use as spacers for the disc conversion (no longer a backing plate behind the shaft) $FREE
-Third Member from eBay (4.88s, mini spool) $150
-BC Broncos Disc Brake Conversion Wheel Studs $15
-Wild Horses Super Duty U-bolt Kits $60
-Extended/balanced rear driveshaft w/ stock 1310 to match the 1310 on the axle $123.63
-Skyjacker Nitro 8000 shocks for 2" lift Explorer $FREE
-Copper Third Member Washers $12.24

TIRES
-37x12.50-16 Maxxis Creepy Crawlers $400.00

WHEELS (5 on 5.5)
-16x8 Black Rock Crawlers $293

Grade 8 Hardware: $200

Tig Welding: $200

Parts Sold
-Stock Third Member w/ 3.50s and open diff -$50
-Lower Coil Mounts -$25
-Stock Radius Arms -$25
-31x10.50 Dunlop Mud Rovers, 15x8 black rock crawler wheels, Skyjacker 2” lift coils, drop-in K&N, front Skyjacker Nitro 8k shocks, Dual CB Antenna Mounts/Coax, and 235/75r15 spare tire, APC Ultra-White Bulbs, Radius Arm Bushings, Sway Bar Bushings -$415
-Ford 8.8 - 3.27 gears, 31 spline, stock limited slip, drum brakes, SUA, great condition. -$70
-Front Axle Shafts -$60

TOTAL: $3156.24





Future Upgrades:
Dana 44 -
-30 spline ARB
-Yukon 4.88s
-Warn Chromoly Inner and Outer Shafts, Moser Max 44 shafts, or Superior Axles
-Dedenbear flat top knuckles
-Blue Torch Fabworks Hi-Steer Arms
-Rancho RS9000X adj. shocks
-Late 70s T-Bird calipers (1/4" bigger piston, and still use Bronco pads )

Ford 9" -
-New Strange Nodular Iron Case w/ 3.250 carrier bearing (STR-N1906) $359 Summit Racing
-Moser Spool and Axle Package Number 1 (ASP1) - 35 spline full steel spool for 3.250 case, 35 spline custom alloy axles, Axle bearings, 5 on 5.5, 1/2" studs $590 Moser Engineering
-Yukon 4.88s (F9-486) $139 PORC
-Daytona Pinion Support 3.250 case (STR-N1914) $115 Summit Racing
-R&P Master Install Kit for 9" Ford-3.250 Case, Daytona Pinion Support(R9FDD) $100 Moser Engineering
-Pinion Yoke 1310 - 28spline pinion (may upgrade to 1350 if I get a new t-case) (PY210) $90 Moser Engineering
-Axle Breather Vent $12 Bronco Graveyard
-Axle Truss
-Rancho RS9000X adj. shocks
-94-02 Dodge Ram 4x4 Powerslot Slotted Rotors

Now on to the pics!

 

[bmxking5]

I hope you keep posting pics of that axel buildup as you go. That was a great write up on the D44, I saved it under my Favorites.

Yeah, it's a very helpful write-up I plan to keep taking pics as I go. It's cool to see the whole teardown, rebuilt process, but I started doing it for another reason....so I'd know how everything went back together. I had expected it to be much harder, but so far this D44 is a piece of cake.

 

[splodo49]

So what kind of lift are you gonna go with? What kind of buckets? Trackbar mount?

 

[bmxking5]

So what kind of lift are you gonna go with? What kind of buckets? Trackbar mount?

5.5" WH coils, 78-79 coil buckets from Bronco Graveyard (spaced out), and either a custom trac bar mount or FST trac bar mount.

 

[splodo49]

Yeah i wish i would have went with those buckets. I think i will since i havent welded .

 

[TheFox88]

Finally! Progress!

 

[bmxking5]

On the left is the custom grime scraper I made to help clean the outside of the D44 and 9".




Ok, Ok...it's just a wire brush that died while trying to clean the D44; it works good for scraping off all the grime (a mixture of gear oil, mud, dirt, mud, and mud) Got lots of the parts cleaned up and ready for paint. Prolly start painting the small stuff tomorrow.

 

[bmxking5]

Painting some of the small stuff.

 

[james t]

Thats like a 76 or 77 axle with the weld on radius arm mounts. You are in luck as you dont have to space the buckets out or the radius arm mounts. You can cut those off, move them in a few inches and weld them back on. Most of the guys wind up with the cast on style which cant be moved and have to space everything off the frame a bit.

 

[bmxking5]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. The guy said the truck had 77 written on the windsheild, but when he looked at the vin number, he thought it was a 78. I didn't pay any attention to them, b/c I figured I would just be spacing them out. Then last night when I was painting, I was looking at them and they looked like they were able to be moved and weren't cast in.

 

[stretch]

It's about time you found one of those!

 

[STEVE-O]

This write-up is awesome! I hope I can find a D-44 like that around my area, hopefully for that cheap too! I've started my search for parts and stuff, and this is an excellent source for info. Thanks for taking all of the pictures.

 

[bmxking5]

Stretch, isn't it about time you start swapping in your front D44?

Glad I can help you out Steve. Looks like we have about the same plans, just two totally different trucks. Mine will be getting a 5.0 after the SAS is done and the transmission or motor fall out of it.

 

[STEVE-O]

Yea the 5.0 may have to wait a little while. I surely can't afford it all at once, but hopefully when I'm done with college next year it will all get done. But the SAS will be done "hopefully" by spring sometime.

 

[bmxking5]

Painted more parts. Also, I'm about to order some pretty nice coil seats from Myer's Machine on RRORC. They are shown in the last pic attached.

 

[bmxking5]

Just bought the coil seats.

 

[splodo49]

If that is your track bar.(in the pic) Its all bent up might have to get a new one.

 

[j602]

Edit: Whoops, misunderstanding.

 

[splodo49]

First pic of post 114

 

[Bruces expo]

so bryan what you gonna do with your 2" lift when you get done with your sas

 

[stretch]

Stretch, isn't it about time you start swapping in your front D44?

Got to replace or rebuild my tranny first before I can start buying more parts for my swap.