Dana 60 questions, my plan.......

well, the way my car's runnin right now i dont think the 8 3/4 will last much longer. so im gonna put a Dana in it here's what im planning.....
get a Dana 60 from the junkyard, will probably have floating axles
strip it down, get a new spool, bearings, and gear set
weld on my old 8 3/4 axle ends....so i can reuse my original brakes and 35 spline axles from the 8 3/4

im gonna make the DANA the same width as the 8 3/4.

i guess my biggest question is will my axles work??? having them cut down and resplined is no big deal, but does the dana have a weird offset axle length or anything?

im thinking since its gonna be the same overall width and itll have a spool that the axles should work. am i on the right track???? thanks, CHIP

Chip, sounds like a plan, that was what I planned to do when I put the dana in my car, made it the same width as my 8 3/4, but the axles would not work, I had a set of strange in mine, and they are broached on the ends, the strange brand cannot be cut and resplined, most other ones can be if they are not a broached set of axles, if you have moser, or some other brand, they can be cut and resplined, that's what I put back in mine was a moser, cut the housing, put new ends on, had all the brackets welded, new spool, gears, bearings, wound up with just a smidge under a grand invested in it, go for it, you csan'tgo wrong, by the way it picked my car up, .005, in the 1/8. go figure, and there is only a 27 lbs, difference in wt., at least that's what mine was. Thanks Dave

Chip a few things...

The ends are the same on an 8 3/4 and Dana. You will just need to swap out your brake stuff.

The axles on a Dana are different size from one side to the other.

The 35 spline axles should work, but I am not 100% sure about that. The spline angles may be cut different on a Dana.

IF you have to cut off the ends of the Dana for some reason, that would be the time to shorten it a tad, especially since you have to cut your axles down.

Hopefully, you can get REAL lucky and find a B Body Dana which will be about 1 3/4 inches narrower than an E-body Dana. That is what happend to me and it gave me some extra room.

Good luck! James

Hey Chip,
Are your existing axles aftermarket? I thought 8 3/4 axles were 30 spline. My Dana axles are different length from one side to the other. If you make the new axle the same length & offset as the 8 3/4, you should be fine.

Steff, I don't want to answer for him, but IF he does have 35 spline, they would have to be aftermarket, because as you say, stock was 30.

They are Moser IIRC.

thanks for the replies yall. yep, like my dad said, these are 35 spline Mosers in my 8 3/4. so everything will work, ill just have to have my axles cut and resplined as necessary.
the Dana 60 ill be getting will most likely come out of a truck from the junkyard. no problem doing the narrowing and welding on it, ill get that done. ill make it the exact same width as my 8 3/4 so my rims will still have the same clearances. they're right where i want em as of now.

do yall have a general estimate on what Moser would charge to modify my axles??? thanks again, CHIP

Dana axles are 1-1/4" or so different in length. I bought a set of moser axles for the dana I'm doing like you and they are equal length. So one will get cut to compensate.

chip, you wont have to cut the axle shaft, just have to get the pinion offset right. get ahold of dr.diff, he's an expert on this!

10sec, there is no place to put a pinion snubber if you are useing leafs??

Chip what Dusterjohn said.
Are you still running CalTracs?
I just had my Truck axle set up like this.
Jeff

Chip - Here's a different approach. How about selling the 8 3/4 complete minus brakes (should get at least $600) and use that money to offset the cost of a bolt in deal from Strange for 1450? Just a thought...

Dusterjohn....so i dont have to cut the axles down? sounds good to me.

572charger.....i dont use a snubber. back when i had SS springs the car 60 footed .05 better w/o it.

Tilt....yep, still got the Cal-Trac setup on it.

TonyS451.....well, i have thought of that, but i think i can come out pretty good doing it my way, and ill know the job is done right. dont get me wrong, i know some companies do great work, but if I didnt put it together or personally know the guy that did, i dont trust it.

preciate the help yall CHIP

Hey CHIP,

Copy Cat .... I'm putting in a DANA as well. I have a guy who has a NEW DANA housing, tubes and brakes for $600. However, Once I spec it out, adding parts, setup and axles, it's within $100 to just get a Strange Unit ready built and delivered. That's what I'm doing.

Moser has a prebuilt housing for $1550ish, it's $85-95 to cut and respline IIRC. I'm keeping my 35 spline MOSERS for use on the 8.75" if it ever goes back for normal streeting use. I'm pretty sure MOSER said both axles would have to be modified. On my stock width, that meant ONE might not be long enough due to the offeset.

i am wondering just what was done to mine...i bent an axl tube on my 8 3/4...well the local guy that did the shorting on it(8 3/4) told me that he cuts down a dana for my moser axl.(from 8 3/4) and puts them in a cut down truck rear, and that is what he did....now..the 8 3/4 was stock spline, did he re spline for the dana... i didnt even count the spline when i put the thing together... the truck rear is a stock rear. gear, etc.


hey chip....

I am doing almost the exact same thing, as I am using 35 spline Strange axles from an 8 3/4 and putting them into a Dana. My understanding is that by using equal length axles, this will offset the center of the Dana. Meaning you would want to check driveshaft angle if your motor is mounted in the traditional manner(off to the right). I am making new mounts for mine anyway, the the motor will probably sit in the center.
Tom

Do yourself a BIG favor...don't cut your 8 3/4 ends off and reuse them.Buy a set of new housing ends,you'll be much happier when it comes time to weld.

Competition engineering sells the new ends for the mopar car type.
Jeff

we've reused old axle ends MANY times w/ no problems. thanks for the info though.

well, i reckon ill wait and talk w/ my chassis fab friend and see what needs to be done about the axles. obviously i'd like to get by w/o resplining the axles, but if it has to be done, so be it.

im gonna stop by the junkyard tomorrow on my dinner break and find a rearend. then go from there....

oh....one more question.....are all Dana 60s the same? i mean do they all take the same bearings, gears, and spools??

thanks yall, CHIP

Better check the man,DR. Diff.
Btw i paid $ 150 for my donor out of a 72 ford P.U. and it already had a 4.10 in it.

Jeff

Internal dimensions of all Dana 60 housings are the same. I would stay away from 60 HD housing cores, however. They have extra casting webs, thicker tubes and are unnecessarily heavy.

Make sure you don't buy a Dana 61 either. These are most often found in late '70s-early'80s Ford trucks and vans. Although they look like common Dana 60s, gear ratios higher than 3.54, or (conical looking) offset carriers are dead give-aways.

DrDiff....thanks for the info. by the way, how can i tell by looking at it if its a 60, a 60 HD, or a 61?? is the number cast into the webbing on the top or bottom side of the rearend?? thanks, CHIP

A Dana 60 HD has extra ribs running around the top of the casting. A Dana 61 is hard to identify externally. It does not have a 60 or 61 cast anywhere. Not all Dana 60s have a "60" casting either. Try to get a mid-late '60s casting Dana 60. They are a sure bet. The good 4-pinion Power-lock sure-grips were fairly common back then too.

If you want to retain a stock Mopar pinion offset, one axle must be 1 1/2" shorter than the other.

Doc....thanks for the info man, i preciate it!! one thing i am unsure of.....how can i identify the 61????

the owner pulls the parts at this junkyard, not myself. is there any particular year or model truck i can tell him to get the rear from and be certain itll be a Dana 60?? thanks, CHIP

If you find an unmarked housing, you must either decode the BOM number stamped on the housing or take it apart, to detrermine if it is a Dana 60 or 61. Of course, Any ratios faster than 3.54 are give-aways. Unfortunately, there are 3.54 and 4.10 geared Dana 61s also.

Any housing with a "60" cast into the bottom right side web will be a Dana 60.

I recommend late 60's International, Dodge and Ford 3/4 ton pickups. Make sure the housing you choose is wide enough to be cut to your desired dimension and offset.

Chip, I don't know if this helps you out but i crawled under a few at the local JY and a couple (ford and gmc) both were 3/4 tons and both had a "60" casted on the center section,i believe on the lower right hand side(on the web).Let's see if Dr. Diff can concour with this info.

Jeff
Ps they had no older Mopar trucks,Kinda funny HUH.
EDIT* there is also a "C 30255 on the upper right hand side*

Yes, look for the "60" cast in the lower right hand corner.