There are two different ways that people add Dana 44 spindles and hubs to the Ford Ranger Dana 35 TTB:

Here we’ll be talking about adding the Dana 44 spindles to your stock Dana 35 steering knuckle.

There are a few different reasons why people convert their Dana 35 TTB to a Dana 44 spindle and hub setup:

  • Better wheel bearing spacing
  • Slightly larger stub shaft
  • Stronger locking hub

What Spindle Do I use:

The 1991-1996 Ford F-150 / Bronco Dana 44 with ABS (Antilock Brakes) use a 5-hole spindle that will bolt onto the Ford Ranger Dana 35 steering knuckle. The 1991-1994 spindle uses a one-piece hub seal, and the 1996-1995 spindle uses a two-piece hub seal.

The wheel bearing spacing of the Dana 44 spindle (left) is much wider than the Dana 35 (right). The additional separation increases strength and offsets the stress of running larger tires and higher offset wheels.

Which Brake Rotor Do I use:

The 1991-1993 and 1994-1996 F-150 / Bronco used different brake rotors, so just make sure that the rotor is for the same year spindle that you use.

The brake rotor is where the problem lies when using the Dana 44 parts. Here are the specifications for the Dana 44 brake rotor, and the Dana 35 brake rotor:

Dana 44 Rotor:

  • Outside Diameter: 11.713″
  • Nominal Thickness: 1.024″
  • Discard Thickness: 0.961

Dana 35 Brake Rotor:

  • Outside Diameter: 11.264″
  • Nominal Thickness: 1.024″
  • Discard Thickness: 0.965″

As you can see, the Dana 44 rotor is 0.449″ larger in diameter than the Dana 35 brake rotor. Because of this, the Dana 35 brake caliper won’t fit over the rotor. The solution is to have the outside diameter of the new brake rotor machined down to match the diameter of the Dana 35 rotor.

Which Stub Shaft (Outer Shaft) Do I use:

You’ll use the outer stub shaft that’s used on the 1988-1996 Ford F-150 / Bronco Dana 44 TTB. The Dana 35 and Dana 44 use the same u-joint, so you can easily replace the Dana 35 outer shaft with the Dana 44 outer shaft.

The Dana 44 stub shaft is 1.21″ and slightly larger than the Dana 35 1.06″ shaft.

Wheel Bolt Pattern:

This conversion is going to leave you with a 5×5.5 wheel bolt pattern. The Ranger wheel bolt pattern is 5×4.5. You’re going to end up with the front and rear axles having different wheel bolt patterns. You can overcome this by either using an adapter and converting the rear wheel bolt pattern to 5×5.5 or use an adapter to convert the front to 5×4.5 and then using a spacer on the rear axle so your rear track width matches the front.

Diagrams