Disc brake knuckle swap on Dana 30

[John_parkeriv]

Hey y'all.
I've you can use 70's blazer knuckles on EB Dana axles to convert from drum to disc; but there's not a lot of 70's Chevys around here to pull parts off of. My local boneyard does have a lot of TTB 44 F150's and a couple of solid axle trucks.

My question is, are there any other knuckles that'll swap onto an early bronco Dana 30 for disc brakes? I plan to upgrade to a 44 in the future, but I want to put disc brakes on since I'm running 35's.
Thanks!

 

[66broncoCT]

I don’t think you’re going to find an entire disc brake knuckle. The Dana 30 is a kingpin axle so the knuckle is totally different from a Dana 44 or almost all other disc brake axles I’ve seen. Most are ball joint knuckles

 

[toddz69]

For Dana 30s, your most readily available and budget-friendly option is a knuckles-out swap using the GM-based kits that all the vendors sell (and that used to be readily available in the yards 20 years ago).

Todd Z.

 

[John_parkeriv]

Ok, so it seems like a 44 knuckle isn't going to work apart from the ol' Chevy ones. Sudden flash of inspiration though, what about a modern j**p Dana 30? Those will be disc brakes, and may swap over since their both Dana 30's.

Is that an option, or where the axles redesigned at some point?

 

[toddz69]

Those are a different design. Most, if not all of those, are unit bearing units, and have ball joints, and won't work for a variety of other reasons. You really just need to use the knuckles you have and put the parts on that I detailed in my post above.

Todd Z.

 

[jamesroney]

Hey y'all.
I've you can use 70's blazer knuckles on EB Dana axles to convert from drum to disc; but there's not a lot of 70's Chevys around here to pull parts off of. My local boneyard does have a lot of TTB 44 F150's and a couple of solid axle trucks.

My question is, are there any other knuckles that'll swap onto an early bronco Dana 30 for disc brakes? I plan to upgrade to a 44 in the future, but I want to put disc brakes on since I'm running 35's.
Thanks!

Wow, You have opened Pandora's box. But you've mixed up some terms and we need to get them correct before you head off the rails.

You CAN use 73-77 GM K5-K10 Knuckles on EB Dana axles to convert from drum to disc...but NOBODY does this. (OK, I've done it...but it's not the normal kit)

You use 73-77 GM K5-K10 SPINDLES on factory EB Dana axles to convert from drum to disc. If you use the GM spindle, and caliper mount with the Ford Rotor, it all works together. That combination will fit on your Dana 30, and is portable to your future Dana 44. Junkyard parts are out there, and the aftermarket makes a brand new spindle that is pretty darned good. Raybestos Hubs and Rotors are still available new for under $100 each. New Caliper mounts are cheap, And GM C-10 pickup calipers are the same as K-truck.

You COULD sleeve and install a Dana 44 Open Knuckle inner C from a solid axle truck, or a Dana 30 open knuckle inner C from a 72-86 Jeep CJ front 30. I think those inner C's would let you run the D44 GM outers. But what a ton of work to add to a crappy D30. The notion of taking a D44 from a JK or a JL and cutting off the inner C's and adding GM outers is an intriguing idea...but with that much work and expense, the HP44 from an F150 is a better foundation.

 

[John_parkeriv]

Wow, You have opened Pandora's box. But you've mixed up some terms and we need to get them correct before you head off the rails.

You CAN use 73-77 GM K5-K10 Knuckles on EB Dana axles to convert from drum to disc...but NOBODY does this. (OK, I've done it...but it's not the normal kit)

You use 73-77 GM K5-K10 SPINDLES on factory EB Dana axles to convert from drum to disc. If you use the GM spindle, and caliper mount with the Ford Rotor, it all works together. That combination will fit on your Dana 30, and is portable to your future Dana 44. Junkyard parts are out there, and the aftermarket makes a brand new spindle that is pretty darned good. Raybestos Hubs and Rotors are still available new for under $100 each. New Caliper mounts are cheap, And GM C-10 pickup calipers are the same as K-truck.

You COULD sleeve and install a Dana 44 Open Knuckle inner C from a solid axle truck, or a Dana 30 open knuckle inner C from a 72-86 Jeep CJ front 30. I think those inner C's would let you run the D44 GM outers. But what a ton of work to add to a crappy D30. The notion of taking a D44 from a JK or a JL and cutting off the inner C's and adding GM outers is an intriguing idea...but with that much work and expense, the HP44 from an F150 is a better foundation.

Ah, yeah it'd probably help to be asking the right questions! Haha!

Have you got a link to a good writeup for the  SPINDLE conversion and what all goes with it?

'preciate the clarification!

 

[toddz69]

https://classicbroncos.com/forums/ams/chevy-disc-brake-conversion.224/

http://www.emotoman.com/disc/discbrake1.htm

Should be what you're looking for.

One note of correction for above - the spindles used for the conversion are the 76-older pieces, the '77s are 10-bolt front axles and the inner diameter on the spindle is too large.

Todd Z.

 

[Broncobowsher]

As they have clarified, spindle swap with GM parts and a Ford rotor is the discount conversion. About the only TTB part that can be used is the non-3-bolt lockout wheel hub/rotor. (you don't get to use the drum brake hub, stuff won't line up with it).

There are kits out and have been out for decades that have all the parts needed. At this point that is probably the best choice as the old stuff that was once common in the yards is no longer common. Square body Chevys have gone up in value to the point that any good parts are no longer junked.