Help! dana 44 hi tops not clearing calipers!

[SeanWilson]

Hey guys, lets just say i’m am in the process of building a Hermaphrodite axle to go onto my hermaphrodite pickup.

SORRY AHEAD OF TIME FOR THE SHORT ESSAY, i believe if your gunna throw out your 2cents its good to know the back ground and whole story and situation.

little back ground, about two years ago i started up on my first 4x4 build, im not a newb, went through a rebuild and restore with my old 2wd ’82 chevy shortwide with the stock 6.2L diesel (2/4 drop and all the body work and interior). So i nabbed a dana 30 for my ranger because i had a number of friends running them in all sorts of jeeps with 35’s and 33’s.

So finally after i finished everything and completed the entire pickup, i realized that the dana 30 is a complete pile of SH*T! I hate the wheel bearings, the balljoints, the weak ass C’s, and full time 4wheel drive is not fun when half your driving is on the street.
But since i just dumped $150 (R&P) $100 (master install kit) and $250 for having a shop instal and spec it, (i was not comfortable doing it on my DD) i am kind of stuck with it. UNTIL i came across a guy about 45 min away from me.

I nabbed a Ford 1977.5 Dana 44 HD 3/4 ton leaf sprung high pinion housing and flat top knuckles, and after talking to scott, he hooked me up with; Ford 1979 Dana 44 coil sprung 1/2 ton spindles, stub shaft, rotors, outers, outer bearings, spindle nuts and matching nuts and bolts. All for $150.
........I did not not get, inner axle shafts, diff cover, carrier, R&P.

So for now, i am planning on building the hybrid dana 30/44. Cutting the C’s off the dana 30 and tossing everything from there out and replacing it with the dana 44. I will be cutting off the dana 44 C’s, sleeving the 3” C’s down to the 2-1/2” with a 3” O.D. 1/4” wall tube, then tack welding everything in place and in the correct angles while triple and quadruple checking every measurement, then slap it all together, multiple times before i take it to my uncles welding shop to get everything burned in with a high nickel stick weld. I am also planning on building a axle truss to secure and strengthen everything since i am running 35x12.50x15’s and have modified the axle.

.....................NOW FOR MY ONLY ISSUE.............
(that i have currently run into)

The 1977.5 HD 3/4 ton dana 44 hightop (knuckles & C’s) came stock with the dual piston brake caliper, while the 1979 Dana 44 coil sprung 1/2 ton came stock with the single piston brake caliper.
SO WHILE EVERYTHING ELSE on this all fits and slides together like butter and like it was made to work together, i can not for the life of me get the (1/2 ton) single piston brake caliper to fit with the (3/4 ton) knuckle .
.........
........The only way i can see these fitting would be to cut out a section of the knuckle (where the bottom of the caliper hits) with a cuttoff wheel on the grinder making straight lines. Cut all 3 sides (~3”x4” square piece), flip it so instead of the rounded arched side going up (away from axle shaft or center) it would become con-caved and the rounded arched now facing axle center/shaft. to hopefully allow for the clearance i need to run the calipers.

UNLESS anybody else has any other options or ideas!!!!

 

[jovibuilt]

Pm 1badexplorer he can tell you.I dont think 1/2 ton calipers will fit on 3/4 ton knuckles.Or you can read here and it will tell you everything you want to know about dana 44 knuckles.
http://77cj.littlekeylime.com/flatop_knucles.html

 

[SeanWilson]

yes, im well aware they do not fit right now, thats why i am asking if anyone else has any opinions of this.

Like should or shouldnt i cut and modify the knuckle to accept it, or if there was a dual piston caliper that can work with the 1/2 ton system.

bc i know for a fact the everything else fits together and operates

 

[PlumCrazy]

There is no way to run Ford 1/2 brakes and have flat tops.....unless you buy Ried Racing knuckles.

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[PlumCrazy]

Or find a 78 F150 super cab driver knuckle, but they never made a Ford 1/2 ton passenger side flat top.

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