Shop Torque King for 1959-1966 Ford Dana 44 front axle parts, manuals and tools for Ford F100 and F250 trucks with either 8 bolt Dana 44 or 12 bolt Dana 44HD front axles. We offer a wide variety of premium quality products to fine tune your truck to perfection, including Dana 44 differentials, gaskets and steering knuckles. And, if your front axle needs a complete repair, you can order a Ford Dana 44 rebuild kit to get your F150 or F250 back on the road. Browse our Ford Dana 44 front axle parts now and contact us today if you have any questions.
We stock a good selection of parts for 1959 to 1966 Ford 4x4s with standard-duty Dana 44 closed knuckle front axles. For the 1959 model year, Ford introduced the first factory built Ford 4x4 pickup which was available in both F-100 1/2 ton and F-250 3/4 ton drivetrains. The new, affordable, factory 4x4s replaced the previous Marmon-Herrington conversions of 4x2 to 4x4 trucks and allowed Ford to better compete with Dodge, GM, IHC, Jeep, and Studebaker all of whom had previously introduced factory built 4x4 pickups. The standard-duty Dana-Spicer Model 44 axle, which has 8 Bolt Knuckle Ball Seals, was used for all F-100 4x4s from 1959 to 1966, and for light duty F-250 3/4 ton trucks from 1959 through 1975.
Ford F-100 Closed Knuckle axles were replaced by a King Pin type open knuckle Dana 44 front axle during the 1966 model year. Ford continued to use standard duty Model 44 closed knuckle axles right through the 1975 model year on light duty F-250 4x4 trucks.
Starting In 1961, an optional 3500 pound rated, Dana 44CFHD (Closed Knuckle Front Heavy-Duty) version of the Dana-Spicer 44 front axles with 12 bolt Ball Seals was offered for the F-250. The new, heavy-duty axle used the same differential components as the standard axle, but all other components from axle shafts to wheel hubs were beefed up to handle greater front axle weights. Ford continued to use Model 44HD closed knuckle axles right through the 1975 model year on heavy duty F-250 4x4 trucks.
Ford was the last U.S. vehicle manufacturer to use closed knuckle axles on 3/4 ton models. For 1976, all Ford F-250 4x4 trucks would have either an open knuckle Dana 44 (Regular Cab) or Dana 60 (Crew Cab).