Found this photo today, i though about your build. Using a 44mm headtube with a 1 1/8 fork might look like this, i guess.
https://www.bikerumor.com/2015/04/28/soc15-franco-bicycles-introduces-the-grimes-steel-adventure-road-bike/
This is an example of the EC44/40 external cup lower with a reducer crown race.
The proper/normal solution for straight 1 1/8 steerer forks would have been a SZ44/30 semi integrated lower, but that would look much worse with a steel fork.
@drøn started
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Found this photo today, i though about your build. Using a 44mm headtube with a 1 1/8 fork might look like this, i guess.
https://www.bikerumor.com/2015/04/28/soc15-franco-bicycles-introduces-the-grimes-steel-adventure-road-bike/