i've found a front dana 44 out of a '79 cherokee for $75. i've been wanting to swap a 44 into my '76cj7 for a long time and since i just broke the R&P in my 30, now is as good a time as any. i've been searching all afternoon and i've found info close to what i'm looking for but not quite. i've also read john nutter's article here on 'wire so i don't need that link. does anyone know the width of the '79 cherokee axle wms to wms? i'm guessing from what i've read that the difference between the '78-'79 and '74-'77 d44's is in the outers. my assumption is the '78-'79 does not have flat top knuckles and is 6 lug bolt pattern. can anyone verify this? it really doesn't matter because i already have flat tops with high steer on my dana 30 that should work with the 44. it would just be nice if it does have flat tops so i could sell them.

i've read tons of info on the web about d44 swaps into cj's but now that i'm looking for info on a specific year cherokee axle, i can't seem to find it. thanks for any help.