dana 44 to replace D27A

[coach-frank]

Can I replace my front D27-A with a Dana 44. The frame on my truck is a 64 wagoneer D27-A, the Dana 44 is from a 74 to 79 wagoneer. My local salvage yard guy said he has Dana 44's. from all of the above. The 44 has front disc brakes which I would like to have. Would this be a straight up switch. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[jeepguzzi]

Don't forget to change the master cylinder........where is jeepbob when you need him??? tongue.gif

[andy d]

isnt that what Pork chop did with his 67 wag?

[porkchop]

Yes I did the swap, it is not as straight forward as you would think. You have to get the brake booster, master cylinder, and proportioning valve from the doanr rig as well. You also might want to considering swaping in the rear from the same wag because the one you have in now is 5 lug and the one you are swapping is 6 lug. Also what are the gear ratio's between the two? Another thing to consider is that the D44 you have in the rear has the wippy 19 pline axles, so you should change it out anyway.

Just a few things to look at.

[coach-frank]

Pork chop,The rear gears are 373's, don't know the front axle, the brakes are power drums, would I still need the power booster. The master cylinder and prop valve would need to be replaced, have done this switch from drum to disc on a 72 Nova a few years ago. The drive shaft appears to be a custom length and new. The former owner didn't do any of the work himself, so he is know help on what is in this truck. Sorry I forgot to log off before.

[porkchop]

You have 3.73's in right now? Or is this the gears of the donar?

If you already have power brakes I am going to say that you should be ok. I believe the brake booster is larger on the newer ones and I am not sure if that matters or not. Drive shaft should not matter.

[coach-frank]

Porkchop, the rear gears in the truck are 3.73 I would like to keep the rear axles in tact if possible. I don't know what my front gears are, have no idea what the donor gears are as of yet.

[joe]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by coach-frank:
Porkchop, the rear gears in the truck are 3.73 I would like to keep the rear axles in tact if possible. I don't know what my front gears are, have no idea what the donor gears are as of yet.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The front and rear ratios "have" to be the same so you'll either have to swap the front gears in the D44 if the donors aren't 3.73's or swap the entire rear axle from the donor also to get matching ratios.

[jeepbob]

Here I am, I was off killing a Wag. You should use the power booster, master cly and porp valve from the donar. Here is the catch, the pedal asm is different from the 64 to the later rigs, but there is good news. Just use the pedal and rod from the donar rig as it will bolt in place of the original one. If you want to use your rear axle and don't want to carry 2 spares, you may be able convert the 44 to Ford rotors. I am not fully sure about this, but it looked like it would work when I was considering it for my Wag.
BTW I don't blme you for wanting to change out the D27 as they go BOOM, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, POP if used hard.
BTW while every one says the 19 spline 2 pc axle shafts are weak, I have never had a problem them, I broke my power-lok rear diff, but never an axle. Course I never broke a D27 axle shaft either. Did break everything else on a D27 though.

[ July 08, 2001: Message edited by: jeepbob ]

[Kenall]

:eek: Frank, pork chop is right, the d44 from the 74-79 wags needs the brake system it was designed with. its unsafe to 'convert' ur system to work with the newer brake components.

since ur swapping in the d44 for added strenght and better brakes it wood also be unsafe to keep the OE rear diff. its 2 piece design and 10 spline axles makes it weaker and harder to find parts for. not so with the diffs from the 74-79s...

also, ur steering linkages will also change. most likey to resemble the system used on the donor jeep. if memory serves, ur 64 shood have the steering gear located just behind the front tire on the inside of the frame rail..is this true??...if so, then it must be converted to the type found on the donor jeep...this is a must...

then while ur at it, replace ALL the brake hoses and lines on ur wag, theyve been on there for 30ys..i think they need to be changed...

if this sounds too great of a change, its best to sell the 64 as parts to those that need it and buy a later wag. if smog nazis are in ur neighborhood, u can transfer the title over to the newer wag thus converting it to an older wag thereby eliminating the need to smog since 64 vehicles are exempt...

the VIN plate on the 64 unscrews..u can just screw it to the newer wag and aslo install the plates from the older wag to the newer wag... :D

[jeepbob]

I forgot about the steering box fiasco. I did the conversion on my 65 and while it takes some time it is easy to do if you find a 66 to 71 frame in the bone yard. You must remove the front crossmember, steering box and linkage, and steering column from the 64. Find a 66 to 71 frame ( a few later omes may fit but I am not sure when the frame changed) and cut off the frt of the frame including the gear box mount. Then the hard part is next as you must carefully remove the sections of unwanted frame rail from the new frt crossmember. Work slowly and carefully so you do not hurt the frt c member. Now fit the new member to the old frame noting that the inside of the box is the same as what you removed from the new c member. Alignment is easy as you just put the new c member where the old one was, clamp the frame together with your hi-lift jack (You DO have one, right?) and weld in the member and gear box mount. This would be a good time to reinforce it if desired. The steering box ( good time to go to power) from the axle donar will bolt right up to the gear box mount and you can use the donar linkage also. Now you need a steering column, get one from the 66 to 71 truck along with the steering shaft. Or if you can't find one of those, take a later model ( I used a 78 automatic column)and modify it by shortening the shift collar, grinding off the 4 weld nuts where the mounting bracket bolted on, drilling a hole to coraspond with the locating pin on the dash, and removing the late model mounting plate that goes to the floor. Put the mounting plate from the orig column on the new one to bolt it to the floor. I removed the new column's lock and switch mechanism including the wheel lock pin and use the dash mounted ign switch. The key lock could also be removed and a snap in plate for filling holes in electrical boxes put in its place, but it makes a good anti theft device. I handed my keys to both my brothers in law so they could bring my truck from the church to the reception at my brother's wedding and they could not get the key to fit and start it to move it even though the key switch on the dash says "starter"! I now have a 70 automatic column that may some day find its way into my wag. If you have a Tornado 6 and want power steering I have a pump and bracket.
BTW you will love the difference in the way your wag drives with this conversion as you will no longer just have to kinda keep it in the general direction you are going and can actually control the steering and the steering ratio is much faster which makes it easier to park.

[coach-frank]

jeepbob, The steering column in my truck is a 77 Chrysler New Yorker with power steering. I believe the power steering is from the 72 jeep pickup that the drive trane came from. Would I still need to do a steering change.

[jeepguzzi]

See, I told you we needed jeepbob :D :D :D

[White Elephant]

I'm looking at doing the same swap on my '66 Wag, and I've got a few questions...

The 74-79 Wags w/ D44 fronts all had the Quadra-Trac full-time 4WD, correct? This means that they have the locked hubs; are manual hubs available for these?

The gear ratio that I'd really like to have is 3.73; any idea about how common this ratio was as stock on the 74-79's? Would I be able to easily find one with 3.73 or would a gear change be necessary to get it?

I've already converted my brakes to a dual-reservoir master cylinder system; would I still need to bring over the later model brakes or might this be sufficient?

The references to steering mod's apply only to the '64, yes? From what I can tell my '66 linkage is identical to the later models. Though my stock linkage appears to be wimpier, i.e. smaller diameter tie rod etc., the new linkage should bolt up to my box no problem, right? The box seems to in the exact same location.

BTW, a few years ago I had a '64 for parts and did the VIN plate swap... I recommend it!!!

Kevin

[joe]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by White Elephant:
The 74-79 Wags w/ D44 fronts all had the Quadra-Trac full-time 4WD, correct? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Only the 73-79's w/AT ran the QT. The manual tranny rigs ran D20's.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>
This means that they have the locked hubs; are manual hubs available for these?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Manual hubs are available for any D44 regardless of x-case/trans used.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>
The gear ratio that I'd really like to have is 3.73; any idea about how common this ratio was as stock on the 74-79's? Would I be able to easily find one with 3.73 or would a gear change be necessary to get it?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
3.73's were the standard ratio only in the mid-late 70's trucks and optional in very few Chero/Wags. You'd be hard pressed to find stock 3.73's in a Wag/Chero. Most likely you'll be looking at 3.07's or 3.54's in mid-late 70's stock Wag/Chero. 4.09's were offered in some model 17's though.

[coach-frank]

Wow! We got so technical I got lost. Is there any swap I can make that is straight forward to get disc brakes on my d-27? If not, should I look for a truck donor front with 3.73 gears and disc brakes, is this possible? Trying to find the easiest way to get disc brakes on the front of my pickup

[jeepbob]

If the steering gear box is at the front then the hard part is done. You will just have to change the pitman arm to accept the larger taper of the later model drag link. as to a straight forward swap with only 1 spare tire find a set of matched axles. I found a set of w/t 3/4 ton axles with 3.73's in an 80 j20, but that is the only set of 3.73's I have ever found. Most older wags either had 4.09's (6 cyl) or 3.31's (V8's). the later ones had 3.07 or 3.54's and anything after 80 is too rich for my blood.