Swapping Dana 30 for Dana 44 w/discs

[greatguy57078]

I have a '68 halfcab with the old Dana 30 and drum brakes. Sometime soon I would like to swap to the other axle I have, a '76 Dana 44 w/discs. I would like to know if this is something that I would be able to do on my own in the garage with basic tools. I know this is something more than just a bolt on swap, but would appreciate any info I could get. Such as parts needed as well as tools needed to get the job done.

My son wants to drive this truck to prom in about 4 weeks, so I am wondering if I could just do the power booster install first, or just bite the bullet and get it all done at one time. I do know that Dana 44 front axle weighs a ton!

 

[jrcflash]

I did a similar swap and it was straight forward. The steering linkage will be different. I wound up going with extreme custom fab 1 ton steering linkage and it works great. I prefer conventional tie rod ends over hiem joints for street driving. You will need front wheels with 3-3.5" BS. You will need either a stock 76-77 drag link or an adjustable one (preferred). Last the front drive shaft will probably be different. I found a stock 76-77 and it works great. Axle brake lines will work unless you are lifting.

 

[JSBX]

What jrcflash said. I just did two similar swaps in one day. Wire brush all bolts and lubricate them before removing especially the c-cap bolts. Impact wrench is a great plus. Also I used a beam adapter on my floor jack and heavy duty bungee cords to hold front end housing to beam adapter. You can goggle beam adapter and find several places that sale them. I think I got mine from Summit.
This made it very easy to get the front end out and the new one back in.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Did the swap at home in the past. Tall jackstands, air tools but hand tools would work but take longer. Getting the old one out will probably be the biggest challenge, breaking loose the old fasteners and stuck track bar bolts.

Things to look out for...
The '68 track bar may hit the diff cover. It is about 50/50 on the D30 bar clearing the D44 cover or not. The '76 bar will be too long if you try to use it and the frame side bolt hole is a different diameter.

The '76 steering should be fine, the '68 will be too narrow. There is too little thread engagment on the tie rod by the time you crank it out to the width you need.

The radius arms and spring pads will interchange.

The driveshaft may not work (2 reasons, yoke change and length change) but he can drive to the prom in 2WD if need be.

 

[FSD]

I'm looking into doing the same thing on my '69. I think my axle is a '74 and the guy gave me the parts for the disk brake conversion, but it didn't come with any of the steering linkage stuff and he said to just use my D30 parts, is that correct?

Jrcflash, where did you get your set up? Any links?

Thanks.

 

[brocken]

The only major difference is the Y steering on the '76. Dunno if you'll need different linkage for that.

Otherwise, it's something you should be able to do in your own garage in a couple of weekends. I just completed the same project.

I've had a D44 out of a '73 Bronco sitting in my garage since last year. Last week I took the D44 apart over a couple evenings and replaced seals and ball joints and u-joints. Saturday I got the bronco on jack stands and disconnected everything on the front end. Then a bronco friend came over and helped me get the D30 out and get the radius arms onto the D44. That was probably the trickiest part (besides maneuvering front ends around). It really made a difference that we could use an air impact wrench to tighten the c caps.
After we got that together we bolted the radius arm into the frame and left it hanging.
I've spent an hour or so here and there getting the spindles, hub/rotor, steering, etc all bolted up.
With help you could easily do it in a solid weekend if you are prepped and have everything laid out.