I have a 98 Ram 1500 with the Dana 44 front axle. I am looking to remove the unit bearings and install spindles and manual locking hubs. But unfortuately I cannot afford the 1900 dollar price tag of the Dynatrac hub conversion kit. I was wondering if the outer knuckles from a late 70's early 80's Dana 44 from a half-ton Dodge would fit. I am also wondering if Dodge kept the same u-joints in the axle shafts so I can buy or salvage the old style outer shaft. Any info will be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.  

This is a interesting question. I see no reason that I am aware of why you could not swap knuckles, spindles and axle stub's. I do ask you to consider this though, that series axle you have is weak in design because the axle tube is notched near diff on passenger side for a disconnecter and make axle prone to bending. I would suggest that you swap out whole front axle instead. This will require the welding of new brackets on replacement axle to do this swap but it would be worth the effort.  

they will not interchange. other wise the kit you speak of would not cost 1900 bucks.  

1978k-20:
they will not interchange. other wise the kit you speak of would not cost 1900 bucks.

I am not so sure here because the kit cost 1900 because it replaces knuckles and spindles, stub shaft and hubs which the swap suggested above would do.  

right it does but all the stuff on the newer dodges is different betweent the old trucks and the new trucks. if you can get a dana 44 out of a 1970's ford truck. it will also get you away from the center disconnect.  

Dodge did not start using disconnect until around 94 or so on HD trucks. Maybe a few years before that on LD models. ALso I would not waste the time of money on a axle with disconnect in conversion because it is a weakened housing and I would scrape it if I wanted to play hard or install lockout hubs. I have seen a LOT of those axles bent in trucks.  

wrong dodge started using the disconnect on the half ton trucks in the late 80's and early 90's. i would also get rid of the axle because of the center disconnect is the weak point of the whole axle.  

I can remember driving some new CTD 94 models I was looking at in Helena and they had sticks and lockout hubs on them too.  

some of them did but they were still center disconnects. none of the 94's would have had lock outs. thats the year that the new body style came out. my dad had a green 94 heavy half and that had a stick but no lock outs  

New body style was 95 and the ones I drove had no center disconnects. The disconnect idea would not have been bad if they had gusseted/trussed axle around notch but they did not to save money and weakened axle in process because they merely notched a existing design, not a beefed up one.  

if it was a 93. dodge switched to the new body style in 94.  

I am not sure is there was both a OBS and NBS in 95 (like GM did in 99 and 2000 with some models) but they were new 94's OBS CTD's and I drove them late summer 1994 and I know I was there then too.  

i just checked and dodge switch to the new body style in 94. all those trucks came with a ctd and unit wheel bearings with no lock out hubs.  

Well I drove a few 94 OBS CTD's then. I know that NBS never had hubs. You should check further because you will likely find that HD truck in 94 were OBS. I know what I drove and when I was there. I also drove a GM 6.5 and Ford 7.3 too that day. I was actually most impressed with 6.5 because there was this long steep climb going north out of Helena on I-15. Ford did worst and could not make 60 over top and CTD would do about 65 to 66 at top and 6.5 would hold close to 80 at cresting top if you wanted it too. 70 was not problem at all and would hold speed on grade and even gain if you wanted too. The others you fought to keep what you started grade with. They were all sticks.  

i did do some digging and any of the dodge trucks 94 and newer did not come with lock outs. the all had unit wheel bearings heavy duty or not.