The post 48 banjo axles are all open drive and require dual springs unless cross spring mounting adapters are welded on. Most are wider than the pre-war banjo axles too. There are others that fit a bit better if a person is going the street rod route. The Dana 44 isn't a bad axle though but it would be a lot more work than a banjo set up.
There are no post 48 "banjo" (early Ford style) rear ends. I think you'll find that the early style axle died in 1948 on the cars and a year earlier on pickups. The open drive ones you talk of are 1942-1947 pickup.
Martin.