[BrianG]

Update: the ORD tie rod and tie rods ends will not work what I believe to be the stock Dana 44 Front ends in our trucks. I believe that these are referred to as the Dana 44s with the flat top knuckles. I have a 69 and 71 and they both have the same design. These have the tie rod ends that drop the tie rod down and out of the way of the leaf spring. This is necessary because the tie rod goes in from the top (nuts are on the bottom of steering knuckle arm). I scavenged some pars off from another Dana 44 front axle assembly. This one is from a 76 Chevy truck. The knuckles are different (not flat top design) and the tie rods are different as well. They bolt on from the bottom. This design does not require the drop tie rod ends. So, the ORD tie rod and ends will work for the later design, but I am unsure of when Chevy changed, all I can pass on is it will not work for at least 69-71. Here are a couple of pictures to try to show the differences. The first is from my 71. This is how my 69 looked before I took it off. The second is from the 76 axle that I took parts from.