Closed Knuckle Dana 44 rebuild

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Kowpie
Posts: 155
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2020 3:41 pm
Location: Southern Oregon

Re: Closed Knuckle Dana 44 rebuild

Post by Kowpie »

In case you are still looking for a little reference. Here is mine with 33-10.5's on 15" wheels with 4.25" backspacing on a 2" lift. Hopefully, the pictures work... I'm a little forum attachment challenged.
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'65 Wagoneer, 230 OHC, IFS, Column Shift T90/D20
'73 J4000, 6000#, 258, T18/D20, 33", full disc.
'79 CJ7, 304, T18/D20, 35", 4.56, SOA, shackle reversal.
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Harry Dawg
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Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:59 pm
Location: Georgia
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Re: Closed Knuckle Dana 44 rebuild

Post by Harry Dawg »

Thanks for the info.
Love those Red Labels with the dog dish hubcaps. Nice CJ in the back too.
My factory wheels looked like those, but they didn't have enough backspacing to clear the calipers after I swapped over to disk brakes.
Might end up trying to hunt down a set like yours at some point.
1968 J3500 - 1985 CJ7 - 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9 Liter Limited - 2006 Grand Cherokee Limited
Rhino USA Brand Success Manager
South East Offroad Activist
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Kowpie
Posts: 155
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2020 3:41 pm
Location: Southern Oregon

Re: Closed Knuckle Dana 44 rebuild

Post by Kowpie »

Thanks for the kind words. Here is the wheel:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/usw-657-5855

I hope these wheels will work with calipers as I'm going to be upgrading to disc brakes real soon while I have it down to the bare frame during the restoration process.

Nice write up!
'65 Wagoneer, 230 OHC, IFS, Column Shift T90/D20
'73 J4000, 6000#, 258, T18/D20, 33", full disc.
'79 CJ7, 304, T18/D20, 35", 4.56, SOA, shackle reversal.
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Yeller
Posts: 1521
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:54 am
Location: Rogers County Oklahoma

Re: Closed Knuckle Dana 44 rebuild

Post by Yeller »

Kowpie wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:04 pm Thanks for the kind words. Here is the wheel:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/usw-657-5855

I hope these wheels will work with calipers as I'm going to be upgrading to disc brakes real soon while I have it down to the bare frame during the restoration process.

Nice write up!
Beautiful truck!!

I used those wheels with disc brakes on a different build, I wouldn’t expect any issues.
The bus I ride is so short it is a yellow Smart Car full of squirrels, monkeys and clowns.

1970 J2500 Resto Mod
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewt ... 12&t=21395

1974 Bronco “Broncno”
https://classicbroncos.com/forums/threa ... st-3411909
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Harry Dawg
Posts: 310
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:59 pm
Location: Georgia
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Re: Closed Knuckle Dana 44 rebuild

Post by Harry Dawg »

If those are true Chevrolet wheels then they should work for you.
The Dana 44 used in Chevrolet pickups featured disk brakes factory, so they should have enough backspacing.
1968 J3500 - 1985 CJ7 - 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9 Liter Limited - 2006 Grand Cherokee Limited
Rhino USA Brand Success Manager
South East Offroad Activist

69gladiator
Posts: 231
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 6:10 pm
Location: stratford,ct

Re: Closed Knuckle Dana 44 rebuild

Post by 69gladiator »

When I did the swap on the 44, I used Chevy parts For whatever reason the calipers would compress on hard turns. Obviously, the braking was less than optimum until I pumped the brakes and straightened the wheel. I determined the shock mounting tab was hitting the caliper. We cut off the tab and rewelded it about 3/4" inboard, problem solved .
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