so...a buyer fell through on a deal and i have been offered this donor truck ( 3 hrs one way)
if i put up some pics can somebody who knows what theyre talking about please i.d it and tell me the pros and cons of putting this under a 78/9 -f2/350
thankyou.

 

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hopefully you can see the pics?
its the only ones i have from the owner sorry.
also i was told the rear center to center is 40.5
the front is 31.5 the truck " im told"
is a 76 the ratio is 4.10

 

Looks like and Open Knuckle D44 from here.

"THE" way to ID any Spicer Axle is to pull the BOM and decode it.
The information is stamped into the surface of the tube Pass-side right about where the stabilizer is clamped.

I'll try to get a dimension from the side of the spring to the disk, or something that is easy to get a tape on without removing a wheel or two, on my 78 axle...
later after coffee, this morning.

 

he took the tags off but theyre unreadable.
thanks for trying to help sorry for all the fuss
i just dont want to do the job twice
and im not sure if this is some oddball undesirable axle hard for parts as i have read conflicting information
i.e theyre great/stay away

 

Parts wise you would have no problems finding parts; even the old Closed Knuckle D44 that is still holding up my 75 I have had no problems getting parts for.

 

im starting to wonder if the low pinion will be an issue as my drivetrain swap right now is a married case

 

If this is a Pavement Puppy / Mall Krawler then the low pinion is not a real big deal I've run a Low Pinion Closed Knuckle for more then a decade and other then routine maintenance I have had zero issues: BUT I have not abused it "that much" even with the 429, Manual transmission, and some modifications.

That said, I will advise {I think again} that you go directly to the 78/79 axles and be done with it!-)

 

hi Muel
no i wont be " wheeling" this thing the 4x4 is simply because its allready a 4x4 truck
is more desirable kept as a 4x4 truck if i ever sell it and we get snow here plus the intentions is long road trips where there may be snow and i may have to go onto soft ground for any number of other reasons.

my concern about it being low pinion and please advise on this. is that i will prob have a married transfer case and i have read that the driveline angle can be too steep with a low pinion?

i wont be lifting it excessively if at all and maybe i can drop the tc and transmission on a bit of an angle to compensate.
main reason i was going to get this 76 highboy??
donor is its not $1500 just for a front axle

but yes i agree if a fair deal comes along for a 78-9 il take it. not too bothered about d60 vs d44
its just bragging rights and bar talk and its even heavier imo

 

The location of the pinion changes something like 3.5 inches or so likely that isn't a show stopper with just a couple inches of lift

Are 78/9 D44z really getting that much? I picked my last one up for $400...

 

Pinion angle is set by shims between the axle and the spring
The driveshaft u-joint makes up for the difference as long as it is not over 30* on each end
That axle should serve you just fine for what you need it for

 

Around here a d 44 like that would run $900

 

You can only shim the angle a degree or two because every degree you change to ease the pinion angle also takes the Caster out by the same amount.
A much better solution is to use the Double Cardan joint aka A CV joint as used on the 78/9 Bronco for example.

 

I thought that the change to ball joint came in 78?
In ball joint, you just put in a new camber kit on the top.

 

excellent points and info! those joints sound intetesting and im guessing IF the hubs are unlocked and its in 2wdH 99% the time
the extra angle due to a lp shouldnt be any problem right??

well i can pick up an overpriced removed d60 for like 1-2k
or a complete donor with a 44 or if lucky a d60 for under 1k and i need a bunch of stuff inc BOTH axles