dana 60 idea

[jess]

ok i have a few dana 60's laying around
out of 70's ford trucks
what i was thinking was use one in my car
i could norrow it it already has a locker in it with 3.54's the gear choice i want anyhow
order new axels with the correct mopar 5 bolt pattern and get a disk break kit for it
can someone tell me has this been done and why wont it work?
i see there getting 1,800$ for a dana 60 and thats with drum breaks
i think for alot less than that i can have a better rear end
with disk breaks and aftermarket axels
as far as moving spring perches and narrowing the rear i can do that
at home i only plan on a 400hp street strip car but if i upgrade the motor
to 600-700 hp i want it to hold up

 

[Hemi Rebel]

People do it all the time. I scored one from a 95 ram 2500 that is going in my charger. I got it for free. Screw 1800 bucks for a rear.

 

[jess]

thats what i say
1,800 and you still have drum breaks and stock axels
i have a buddy that sold a 5 bolt dana 60 out of an old ford truck
someone offered him 500.00 for it and he touched that thing out
faster than the guy could bust out his wallet
we thought wow that guy is nut's the truck was gonna go to the scrap
yard looking back 500.00 was a deal
i also have a ford 9" rear with a posi

 

[Moparmatt72]

I got one out of a gmc truck paid $250 for it and it had 410s with a power lock. I ordered strange housing tubes and ends and their rear disc brake kit and scored a locker for mine.

 

[Meep-Meep]

The Ford truck Dana carriers have coarse axle splines so getting axles may be difficult. But you may be able to pull the carrier and change the side gears to accommodate more popular axles.

 

[snakeoil24]

So what did it cost to replace the bearing ends. axles and center section parts all together?

 

[Moparmatt72]

For me I think I'll have around $1200 but I'm also going forged axles instead of factory ones. So it saves a little bit of money.

 

[Moparmatt72]

You can save some money by finding drum brakes but I wanted disc for a little better braking. Nothing against drums I know a lot of people on here still use them even on drag cars I personally prefer discs.

 

[jess]

course axels came in the 60's and earily 70's
i got 1 with course and 1 with fine the course camr out of a 67 the fine came out of a 78
i figured i could have a dana 60 under my car for just under 1k with disk breaks
i say thats cheap even if a person found a dan 60 out of a mopar for 1k you still dont have disk breaks and aftermarket axels
i am also looking into a ford 9" i found one for 100$ with a spool and 4:10's
i would trade them for a higher gear but not shure if a spool would be street frendly
but eather way looks like a ford 9 is cheaper to build eather way
i would just put gears and a locker in my 8.75 but it has the 741 carrier
unless i find a carrier and locker and gears for a cheap price i just cant justify spending money on it
keep in mind this isnt number matching car and i dont care what i have as long as it's strong and wont break the bank

 

[chattacuda]

whats wrong with the 8 3/4? Does your car not have one already? They are plenty strong and plentiful.

 

[jess]

it's not a posi and it has the weak carrier
yes there are alot out there but like most mopar parts
they get an arm and a leg for it

 

[5.7 hemi]

Unless your throwing 700-1000hp, the "weak" carrier, (I'll assume the 741), will be just fine.

 

[Cranky]

I used to always sell my 42 and 89 case rears and run the dirt cheap 41's.....and how many 41's have you seen broken? Also, do you have an alignment bar to weld up the new bearing ends on the cut down Dana?

 

[benno440]

just buy a eaton true trac for your 8 3/4 if you want posi, new axles and some discs. i did same to mine except i bought a 489 (3:55) case and sold the 741. i put new 30 spline axles in as it is not a racer, but still puts out 620 hp

 

[65 Plymouth Satellite 426]

I Bought A Rebuilt 8.75 742 Case With New Axles, 3:55 Gears, Auburn Posi-Unit, Bearings, Races, And Gaskets Built For $1300.00

 

[jess]

i have excess to everything i would need to cut the tubes for the dana 60
and 700-1000 hp lol not anytime soon but ya never know what the future will hold
i have alot of thinking and prices to add up but so far it looks like the ford 9 would be the most bang for the buck
nothing wrong with my 8.75 if i had gears and a posi for it i would run it
but i can make a ford 9 work for cheaper than a posi for my 8.75
and parts r cheaper for it
i know most on here will disagree with me putting a ford rear end in it
but i dont see an issue with it

 

[chattacuda]

Its you car so do what is best for you. I just suggested the 8 3/4 so you wont have to fool with cutting and welding spring perches, shock tabs, pinion bumber, brake lines, new driveshaft ends, etc. I am sure you can do it, but at the end of the day, you are going to have a lot of work in either the 9" or the 60 that is already done for you under the car. And if you dont go to disc brakes right away, you still have ebrake cable issues to deal with on a swap. I know 9" parts are easier to come by, but they arent cheap. I just built one for my crawler. A posi unit is about the same cost. Just think twice about what you are getting into. I am keeping my stock 8 3/4 axles behind by 472 hemi. I am not running slicks or big meats so they will be fine. I would love the LOOK of the 60, but not worth it to swap, even If I had one laying in the shop. Let us know what you decide to do. Good luck!

 

[jess]

good point
and i am still thinking
later on this winter i will decide
if i find the gears and a locker cheap enof for my 8.75
i will keep it i was worred about the weaker case
but maybe it will hold up? i plan on running drag radials

 

[Cranky]

The magazines like Car Crap and Shot Rod are the ones that made the 41 case look weak by making a comparison between it and the 89 pinion size. Well, what size are the splines where the yoke slips on and what size is the front bearing? Now compare that with the same thing on the 42, 89 on a Dana 60 or the 9". See where this is going? Besides shaving gear teeth, what else normally breaks on them? Bearing caps! The only thing that might make the 89 pinion stronger is that it's bigger at the rear bearing which might help reduce deflection but I've shaved just as many teeth off a ring gear with the 89 as any other. Setting one up right is key and the better the setup, the better they will take abuse.

A stock 9 isn't really much stronger than the 8 3/4 (if it is at all) but one of the benefits of it is that there are a bunch of gear ratios available for it. Then the aftermarket jumped on it and offers all kinds of high strength parts to improve it and that stuff isn't cheap if you want it to be nearly bullet proof. The Dana 60 on the other hand doesn't need all the aftermarket 'strong' stuff to make it nearly bullet proof because it comes that way from the factory. Even the stock Power Lok (SureGrip) in a stock Dana is hard to beat with the biggest drawback is it being heavy. The 8 3/4 uses one also but it's much smaller and lighter. The Borg Warner anti spin (cone clutch) is also a decent unit although many think it's a piece of junk. It's not. Btw, a stock 60 usually averages about 50 lbs heavier than an 8 3/4 that's equipped similar....

 

[Moparmatt72]

The only reason I went the route I did was I didn't want to worry about the rear end. Yes I know a 8 3/4 can be made strong but the security of a Dana worked better for me. Still debating on when I build my other motor to either keep this one or just sell and get one from strange already narrowed to the size I'll need. Its a ways off so I have time to decide.