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Building a truck dana 60 for a car? #1314883 10/04/12 03:32 AM 10/04/12 03:32 AM
Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 21,318 Manitoba, Canada DaytonaTurbo OP Too Many Posts
DaytonaTurbo OP Too Many Posts Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 21,318 Manitoba, Canada	I'm putting a stick shift behind a 500hp 440 into my car. I've got a 9 1/4 in there now, but it's an untouched stock unit and from what I've read, not really worth investing into. Best I can find locally are truck dana 60's. So what is involved in putting a truck dana 60 into a car? Obviously narrowing for a car application, new axle shafts, bearings, seals, spring mounts. Want a detroit locker in there. Can I reuse the axle ends and/or drum brake assy from my 9 1/4? I was looking at some disc brake setups, but really the drums would do what I need them to. Any other info on this project? I have heard something about putting dana 70 gears into a dana 60 but don't know anything about it beyond that...

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: DaytonaTurbo] #1314884 10/04/12 04:20 AM 10/04/12 04:20 AM
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 12,291 Kent, Wa 340SHORTY Truck Nut
340SHORTY Truck Nut Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 12,291 Kent, Wa	Get ahold of Dr Diff. He can set you up.. I am truckless..

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: 340SHORTY] #1314885 10/04/12 08:32 AM 10/04/12 08:32 AM
Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 1,290 New Kent, Va. bobbyb pro stock
bobbyb pro stock Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 1,290 New Kent, Va.	They don't come with a snubber or a place to mount them, at least the one I had didn't. I bought a aftermarket snubber and mounted to the bottom of the car. Or I guess you could go with some cal-tracs. 2004 Dodge Rumble Bee 5.7 Hemi 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: 340SHORTY] #1314886 10/04/12 08:40 AM 10/04/12 08:40 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 3,920 n.e. pa. 6 65rbdodge master
65rbdodge master 6 Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 3,920 n.e. pa.	10 years ago i put a truck dana 60 in my 65 coronet. i had the ends put on from another 8.75 housing i had and had new mosher axels made. i also put a locker in it. you should be able to use the ends/brakes from your 9.25 housing. when putting it in my car i discovered the axel tubes were 3.125" insted of 3" i just ground the shock plate holes a little wider on each side, the u bolts fit a little tight requireing more force to get them on and it fit without any problem. you will also need to relocate the spring perches, dont get the mopar performance spring perches, the center hole is to big.

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: 65rbdodge] #1314887 10/04/12 09:29 AM 10/04/12 09:29 AM
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 1,443 Maryland D Dads426 pro stock
Dads426 pro stock D Joined: May 2007 Posts: 1,443 Maryland	One thing to be careful about is the width. Truck Danas have a large axle bearing mount on each end and when you cut it off the width may be less than desired. You may need a different offset wheel to make up the difference. 2012 422 Allstars NSS Champion 2013 422 Allstars NSS Champion 2014 422 Allstars NSS Champion

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: Dads426] #1314888 10/04/12 10:39 AM 10/04/12 10:39 AM
Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 4,561 Motor City 6 6PKRTSE master
6PKRTSE master 6 Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 4,561 Motor City	Just cut a truck Dana 60 down, narowed it & installed under my Challenger. No pinion snubber was not a concern since I am running Caltracs anyway. 7406732-100_1664[640x480].jpg (684 downloads) 1963 Belvedere 440 Max Wedge Tribute 1970 Charger R/T S.E. 440 Six Pack 1970 Challenger R/T, 528 Hemi 1970 Charger 500 S.E. 440 4 BBL 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 383 1974 Chrysler New Yorker 440 1996 2500 RAM 488 V-10 4X4 2004 3500 Dually Cummins 4x4 2012 Challenger R/T Classic.

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: 6PKRTSE] #1314889 10/04/12 01:22 PM 10/04/12 01:22 PM
Joined: Sep 2011 Posts: 2,042 colorado S savoy64 top fuel
savoy64 top fuel S Joined: Sep 2011 Posts: 2,042 colorado	a pinion snubber is only there in case you overload your car with weight and it sags down and the driveshaft rubs in the tunnel----if you are dragracing and your rear end goes down your set up is wrong wrong wrong--i have cut down about 20 truck dana 60s to A and C body sizes---you use axle ends from an 8 3/4 housing---i also found the best mass produced (price) axles are yukon--they are only sold as A-C units--bought mine from Randys in lots of 10 sets for a discount--of course these are 30 spline units which some guys might not like (versus 35)---but i have unit running under a 70 roadrunner 440 blown stroked(750+ horse) 4 speed drag car for the last 3 seasons without any spline migration...bob PS do not use 9 1/4 axle ends--chevy guys do C clip elimination with 9 inch axle ends which can be you alternate plan---price out the custom axle prices versus a pair of yukons...bob Last edited by savoy64; 10/04/12 01:27 PM.

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: savoy64] #1314890 10/04/12 01:55 PM 10/04/12 01:55 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 16,376 D dogdays I Live Here
dogdays I Live Here D Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 16,376	The pinion snubber is a crutch because Chrysler Co didn't want to spend the $$$ on something better. CalTracs are the answer. You should be able to use ends and brakes from your 9 1/4. Call DrDiff and get the answers for real, he does this for a living. R.

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: Dads426] #1314891 10/04/12 02:15 PM 10/04/12 02:15 PM
Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 21,318 Manitoba, Canada DaytonaTurbo OP Too Many Posts
DaytonaTurbo OP Too Many Posts Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 21,318 Manitoba, Canada	I'll definitely contact dr diff about this as well if he doesn't chime in here. Can the 9 1/4 axle ends be used without running the 9 1/4 style c clips? Quote: One thing to be careful about is the width. Truck Danas have a large axle bearing mount on each end and when you cut it off the width may be less than desired. You may need a different offset wheel to make up the difference. I've never worked on a dana before so bare with me, but are you saying that you can narrow a dana too far and run out of axle tube material that will accept a bearing?

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: DaytonaTurbo] #1314892 10/04/12 04:23 PM 10/04/12 04:23 PM
Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 8,853 Ontario, Canada S Stanton Don't question me!
Stanton Don't question me! S Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 8,853 Ontario, Canada	Quote: and from what I've read, not really worth investing into. Then you haven't been reading the right stuff !!! The June issue of Mopar Action has a great article on building a 9-1/4. If that doesn't sell you on it, well ...!

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: DaytonaTurbo] #1314893 10/04/12 04:50 PM 10/04/12 04:50 PM
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 43,096 Bend,OR USA C Cab_Burge I Win
Cab_Burge I Win C Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 43,096 Bend,OR USA	Quote: I'll definitely contact dr diff about this as well if he doesn't chime in here. Can the 9 1/4 axle ends be used without running the 9 1/4 style c clips? Quote: One thing to be careful about is the width. Truck Danas have a large axle bearing mount on each end and when you cut it off the width may be less than desired. You may need a different offset wheel to make up the difference. I've never worked on a dana before so bare with me, but are you saying that you can narrow a dana too far and run out of axle tube material that will accept a bearing? No, I think what he is saying that you may end up having spring perch location problems I have several Dana 60 early clutch type posi, they have the early spline axle spider gears so they should be converted to 35 splines, if your really going to beat on them I do have one set of new Dana 30 spline posi side gears so that is a option, convert the posi to the 30 spline spider gears so the stock 8 3/4 axles will work in them I did that once years ago for a freind, we found a Dana 60 out of a 1970 GM 3/4 ton truck with a posi that ended having the same 30 spline posi unit in it like the 8 3/4 are, we used his stock 1968 B body 8 3/4 axles in that cut down unit Mr.Cab Racing and winning with Mopars since 1964. (Old F--t, Huh)

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: Stanton] #1314894 10/05/12 01:45 AM 10/05/12 01:45 AM
Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 21,318 Manitoba, Canada DaytonaTurbo OP Too Many Posts
DaytonaTurbo OP Too Many Posts Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 21,318 Manitoba, Canada	Quote: Quote: and from what I've read, not really worth investing into. Then you haven't been reading the right stuff !!! The June issue of Mopar Action has a great article on building a 9-1/4. If that doesn't sell you on it, well ...! Didn't see the article, but from what I've read so far you basically have to use 8.75 axle ends and axle shafts so by the time I do all that, buy a locker, new gears, bearings, etc am I any better off that biting the bullet and doing a dana? Quote: No, I think what he is saying that you may end up having spring perch location problems Ok yes, that makes sense. I'm going to be relocating the leaf springs to the frame rails and getting new rims for the back anyway so not a huge issue.

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: DaytonaTurbo] #1314895 10/05/12 02:27 AM 10/05/12 02:27 AM
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR Jeremiah master
Jeremiah master Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR	This is what I have been working on: Used dana 60, 4.10 with a PowerLock $200 35 spline side gears w/ powerlock rebuild kit $200 2.875" bearing housing ends $100 zZ35 spline axles $450 Perches $50 Pinion Yoke $150 Reuse brakes Sand blasting and powder coating are free in this case so I can't count that because it won't cost me any bread. I have also been able to build a jig based on a 1.5" bar for free and will be doing up a bunch of housings over the winter. All in all I think you might be able to pull it off for about $1000 if you shop carefully. As you can see my list does not include u-bolts, gear oil, gaskets, seals, etc. so realistically we are talking $1500-1700 bolted in the car and ready to abuse. I hope this helps with your decision. If you were closer I'd tell you to find a housing and we could hack it and weld it back up for fun.

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: DaytonaTurbo] #1314896 10/05/12 10:30 AM 10/05/12 10:30 AM
Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 916 MB,CAN PC-CHARGER super stock
PC-CHARGER super stock Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 916 MB,CAN	Sent you a PM but here's a couple things to keep in mind when narrowing a truck diff. As I mentioned in my PM, there are a number of truck Danas out there that have larger axle tubes and can be an issue with the U bolts. When installing the spring perches most people know to check the pinion angle before welding them on but not everyone remembers to align the new axle tube ends. The flat part of the tube end should be parallel with the ground when the diff is in the car. This is important with drum brakes but not so much with disk. The reason is that when the backing plate bolts on with the wheel cylinder, it has to be parallel to the ground or it is very difficult to bleed it properly. Here's a shot of the truck diff we narrowed and installed in my Charger. 7408100-HPIM2826.JPG (835 downloads)

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: DaytonaTurbo] #1314897 10/05/12 12:09 PM 10/05/12 12:09 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 8,016 Polson, MT DoctorDiff master
DoctorDiff master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 8,016 Polson, MT	Here are common conversion parts I sell on a regular basis: Pair, billet housing ends $70(plain)- $150(deluxe) Pair, 35 spline axle package $300 assembled Bearing/seal/shim kit $115 Forged steel 1350 pinion yoke $70 with U-bolts 35 spline power-lock internal parts kit with clutch pack $200 Complete, 35 spline Track-Lock sure-grip $350 Ring and pinion (most ratios) $195 Pair, spring perches $15 You can buy 3 1/8" U-bolts from Napa. These have a tight radius that fit the truck housing AND original shock plates. Contact info

Re: Building a truck dana 60 for a car? [Re: DoctorDiff] #1314898 10/05/12 02:34 PM 10/05/12 02:34 PM
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR Jeremiah master
Jeremiah master Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR	Thank you for clearing up my pricing. I should have put an "ish" behind my numbers. I will be calling the good Dr. for my parts!

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