73-77 works for the 1/2 ton, and any 3/4 ton HP works too. The only reason to source a 76-77 F100 housing is to get the "free" disc brakes. Any open knuckle, high pinion full width 44 will have the exposed tubes that you want.
A 61 and 65 inch wide, driver drop dana 44 high pinion with steel tubes is called a Jeep TJ/ JK housing. Factory Dana Spicer TJ and JK housings are weak, and bend. There are many great aftermarket choices.
Anybody that spends that much time and energy into a Dana 44 could have build a Dana 60. There's no shortage of link bracket sets for the 60. I just built this ProRock 60 for my Bronco, but I'm putting it into my LJ because Bronco's cost too much these days. Coil buckets at 36, with an WMS of 64, and TJ link brackets. It's sitting at 7 degrees of caster at 9 degrees of pinion. I originally had a set of Duff arms and Cage weld mounts...but I don't really like them. The bushing spacing is too small, so they tend to eat bushings.
This could just as easily bolt into an early bronco with modified Duff arms, or a pair of Clayton XJ/TJ arms.