Dana 44 closed knuckle

[silverbullet01]

hey guys.. wanna pick your brain for a minute. i've got a '76 chevy military truck, its got a Dana 44 with the enclosed knuckle, dana 44 ball front i believe they are called. I want to know if i can put the guts out of another dana 44 out of a half ton into my closed knuckle one, where its in a miltary truck and should be heavier. not sure if this can be done or not. anybody help me out?

[old Rusty C10]

I havent a clue as to the answer but if you dont get a response here try posting in the drivetrain section

[jakeblues652]

not sure, but if you swap the whole thing, make sure your gearing is correct. and the axle shafts have fine and coarse spline, so you need to watch for that if your aren't swapping the whole thing.

[79bonanza]

dont do it man, the closed knuckle axles are actually weaker than the open knuckle axles. they have smaller u-joints in the axles and tend to break easier. dana 60 closed knuckels are about the same strenght as a open knuckle dana 44. i think the closed axles are used in the military for less matinece and easier servicing but weaker

[silverbullet01]

a friend of mine wants to buy it. im not puttin it in my truck as my suburban is already 3/4 ton. i've also been told that since its a single wheel ton,the axles and **** should be the same size as a 3/4.. is this true?

[79bonanza]

uhhh dont quote me on this but im pretty sure the closed knuckles have small u joints in the axles because of the closed part on the knuckle. id say the differential is the same but i havent really messed with to many of them. i was on coloradok5 and those guys strongly advised against them for anything. pretty much said it was just a old design thats weak and no good. the closed knuckle dana 60's are only as strong as a open knuckle 44 so i cant see a closed knuckle 44 being very strong at all