Front axle Dana 44

[Sebastian21]

Rebuilding FC-150. The inner front wheel seals have to be replaced. Everybody says the axle is a Dana 25 but the seals do not fit. Parts house say it appears to be a Dana 44. But Dana 44 seals do not fit. At a loss to figure what seals this axle uses. Has anybody rebuilt a 1962 FC-150 front end.

[gmwillys]

From the parts breakdown, it should have been a Dana 25 or 27. I will have to assume that the axle was swapped out some time in the past. I wonder if the Dana 30 runs a different axel seal... I'll see what I can dig up.

[Sebastian21]

You are on the right track. Just came from a company here in Reno and they said it was a old seal no longer made. They thought it might be from a Dana 30. They are going to custom make me two seals. Kind of expensive at 75 per seal but I got have them. They said it is the same seal used in a Bronco and Ford F-150, that might be worth checking. It appears that the FC models were assembled from a mixture of parts. This front axle is the last thing I needed to rebuild. I have rebuilt the entire truck with all new parts. If anyone has a question, I am no expert, but I will tell them what I know.

[gmwillys]

Will do. I like to learn about things I don't know too much about. Sounds like you have this project all under control.

I used to like having a specialty seal and bearing store close by. They could take a mangled seal, take some measurements, and zip off to the back. 10 minutes later, a new seal was in hand. Usually it was under $10, unless it was something really special. Same went for bearings. Great for building odd ball stuff, because you didn't have to explain what you are working on.

[51 CJ3]

I think every Dana 30 I encountered out of an old Bronco had a bent axle housing. They usually got broken on the attempt to straighten them. A lot of the early Bronco parts (pre ‘75?) crossed to the F-100.

[51 CJ3]

It’s been too long, I had to look a couple of things up. Ford put Dana 30s in the Bronco through 1971. In 1972 they went to the Dana 44. Whenever we encountered a bent Dana 30 housing we would try to find a Dana 44 because they didn’t bend and destroy the gears inside. I had a stock 1969 back in the 90’s and no one had any parts listings for the Bronco but a knowledgable man a the local NAPA store let me know about the F-100 connection. To this day I resist entering any other parts store chain.

[Sebastian21]

I found out that the FC used a Dana 44F front axle which was used only 1957 to 1970. It was only used in a few trucks. It is a full floting axle. Now all I have to is find out which seal the factory used.

[gmwillys]

As all the good parts counter men have died off or retired, it's hard to find a parts source. Napa used to be the go to for everything, but they have closed all the good ones with the machine shops around me.

[51 CJ3]

Our NAPA store doesn’t have a machine shop but they still make hoses.

Shouldn’t the pumpkin have a number on it near the pinion output for identification?

[gmwillys]

Should have posted this yesterday.

https://www.quadratec.com/jeep-factory-axle-identification-chart
Rear covers;
http://www.autoanything.com/drivetrain-differentials/how-to-identify-your-differential

[Sebastian21]

Gmwillys was right. The axle has been changed. Somebody removed the factory axle, probley a Dana 25, and installed a Dana 44 spicer. The Dana 44 is a much better axle so this was a plus. Had trouble finding grease grade 0 which must be used on the front wheels. Had to special order it at 25.00 per can and it took two cans per wheel. As soon as I hook up the power steering I will be finished.

[gmwillys]

Most likely, the 44 axle came from a International Scout II. Throughout the seventies, they were one of the biggest consumers of axles that are close to the width of your FC. My knowledge of Scouts are limited to the 80 series, and the '67 1200B series pickup truck 2WD. All that I can say is that they were different from anything else out there at the time. The scout ran a slant 4 152 c.i. engine, (half of their v-8 engine literally). The 1200 B was a low rider's dream. It was a 3/4 ton, but sat low to the ground. It had the 266 v-8, with three on the tree. Long story short, International may have specked out the axle size, therefore that's why the seal didn't fit correctly?

[Grouser]

Where exactly are these seals located in the axial? Time to replace mine and I don't see them.

[bmorgil]

This will tell you more than you want to know. The BILL OF MATERIAL "BOM" is invaluable. I can tell you a bunch when you have that number. It is a 6 digit number followed by a space and 1 or 2 more digits. A service axle or housing will have a number usually beginning with a 2 and ending with an X. This number will help so much. It is sometimes so hard to see and/or find. It was stamped by hand into the tube. Some times you would think the strike was done by a child. I have seen barely indented numbers in warranty. The numbers are always there however no matter what someone tells you. You may have to use forensic techniques to see them. I always clean the area well with strong cleaners. Don't use the wire wheel or abrasive until you find the number. It is very small and usually a light stamp. If I cant see it with cleaning I lightly sand the tube with fine sand paper. Sometimes a little Prussian blue and then sandpaper. If you can find that number you will know everything about the axle, including the application.

My first Job when I got out of field work was as an Application engineer. The first project I was given was to put together the "Spicer XGI". It was a big deal back in the early 80's. I had the computer guy's dump all the axle production data from the earliest digital data we had. The IBM was as big as a small house. It was huge! Big rolls of green bar paper, huge piles were generated! It took a year and a half to produce the first book. Now day's it is a push of a button! Anyways, if you are messing around with Spicer axles, this book is invaluable.

https://spicerparts.com/identify