05 up Dana 60 build. Advice needed.

Van-go

Van-go

Not an old man
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Location
Greensboro
Starting to build my front axle. It’s a 2006 ford Dana 60
Going in a buggy. Axle will clear front of motor so no need for low profile truss.

Which high steer kit is best?
Which truss should I run?
Which double ended ram is needed?
Which ball joint eliminator is best?
Which 40 spline shafts and spool should I go with?

so many options for all this. Just want to get the best stuff.
 
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XJsavage said:
How retarded is the horsepower gonna be and how big a tire?
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Not sure on HP
It’s gonna be an LQ9 with 10:1 compression and a cam. Hopefully around 400-450
43 stickies for tires.
 
That sounds healthy! In for the info.
 
Go ahead and swap those 317 heads for some 243 or 799 heads and get that compression up around 11:1 :D

I like trying to spend other people's money!
 
Croatan_Kid said:
Go ahead and swap those 317 heads for some 243 or 799 heads and get that compression up around 11:1 :D

I like trying to spend other people's money!
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Already have the 243 heads. :smokin:
I obviously know nothing cause I see I wrote 10:1... lol
any recommendations for a cam?
Gonna be running a TH400
Also need to figure out what stall I need to get.
 
Stall will depend on the cam. I've got a guy that does custom grinds. 50 bucks more than off the shelf and totally worth it.

I do know that you'll likely have a grocery list for the cam swap. Cam, springs, lifters, pushrods, spring seals, seals, locks, oil pump, timing set...it adds up quick.

A TBSS intake is a good upgrade too, along with a bigger throttle body and some long tubes.

See the last line of my previous post!

All depends on what you want out of it. I wanted massive amounts of torque. Our setups would be about the same, but you'll have half a point more compression.
 
Croatan_Kid said:
Stall will depend on the cam. I've got a guy that does custom grinds. 50 bucks more than off the shelf and totally worth it.

I do know that you'll likely have a grocery list for the cam swap. Cam, springs, lifters, pushrods, spring seals, seals, locks, oil pump, timing set...it adds up quick.

A TBSS intake is a good upgrade too, along with a bigger throttle body and some long tubes.

See the last line of my previous post!

All depends on what you want out of it. I wanted massive amounts of torque. Our setups would be about the same, but you'll have half a point more compression.
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Seems like you’re good at making me want to spend $. lol
Part of me just wants to run the stock cam and just get the thing going. I’ll PM you and we can talk more so I can try to keep this to just Dana 60 talk.
 
Having installed Barnes and Artec trusses back to back, on several occasions, Artec is set apart for sure. Fitment is true and quality top notch. Barnes isn’t bad, but we’ve had to trim here, clearance there to make them fit right. Now to be fair, this has been on GM KP60 fronts, and older 14B. No personal experience with 05+


TMR also makes a great Truss. The Barnes truss ain’t bad, there was nothing wrong with it other than spending some extra time to make it fit vs dropping the Artec on and it was ready to burn in right away.
 
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I'm running a 99-04 DS60 so there definitely differences in the parts but here's what I've gone with and my experience.

Artec Truss (not low profile) - Didnt need low profile and the housing I bought already had it on it. Clears everything just fine.
TMR ram mount - Easiest to install and super compact
Off-road Anonymous weld on high steer - They make an 05+ version. I had some weld cracking issues initially. Some of it was lack of preheat to the knuckle (my fault) and the most of it was improperly adjusted steering stops (again, my fault). The 8" ram had more throw than the factory steering stops so I ground them down to clear. Tires clear the links and I have no ujoint bind with the 1480s.
Trail gear 8" ram - I believe with the 05+ you can use a 10" ram and get more steering angle using the 1550 joints.
Motobilt SD60 diff cover - Nothing really special here except its lower profile than a standard cover to account for the casting differences between the SD and nonSD 60s. It did make it a ton easier to run the steering since it was more compact.

Again, this was all on a 99-04 60 but a lot of the MFGs have stuff that will apply to the 05+.
 
adamk said:
I'm running a 99-04 DS60 so there definitely differences in the parts but here's what I've gone with and my experience.

Artec Truss (not low profile) - Didnt need low profile and the housing I bought already had it on it. Clears everything just fine.
TMR ram mount - Easiest to install and super compact
Off-road Anonymous weld on high steer - They make an 05+ version. I had some weld cracking issues initially. Some of it was lack of preheat to the knuckle (my fault) and the most of it was improperly adjusted steering stops (again, my fault). The 8" ram had more throw than the factory steering stops so I ground them down to clear. Tires clear the links and I have no ujoint bind with the 1480s.
Trail gear 8" ram - I believe with the 05+ you can use a 10" ram and get more steering angle using the 1550 joints.
Motobilt SD60 diff cover - Nothing really special here except its lower profile than a standard cover to account for the casting differences between the SD and nonSD 60s. It did make it a ton easier to run the steering since it was more compact.

Again, this was all on a 99-04 60 but a lot of the MFGs have stuff that will apply to the 05+.
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From what I’ve gathered snooping around, most people on this forum haven’t run the 05 up 60.
I just hate to ask questions like this on Facebook cause I’m gonna get about 100 different opinions. Which puts me back to where I am now. Too many to choose from.
How does a “low profile” truss affect suspension performance?
The chassis side mounts are already figured out on the goatbuilt subframe. So I haven’t messed with a link calculator. And it’s designed to clear the motor so I assume I don’t need a truss to stay low profile.
Does the truss need to weld all the way around the casting? Like fuller did?
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Truss doesn't "need" to weld all the way around the casting. A low profile won't affect performance. You will get more strength out of a "standard" height truss and you won't have to worry as much about the forces on your upper link mounts since they won't be as tall/cantilevered off the truss.

75438a51-e71c-476b-90a2-2bae2b7349cc-jpeg.324019
 
Van-go said:
Hopefully around 400-450
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So like Derek is learning today......around 165hp to the ground once it goes thru the trans, transfer case, axles and stickies
 
CasterTroy said:
So like Derek is learning today......around 165hp to the ground once it goes thru the trans, transfer case, axles and stickies
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Pretty much right. The TH400 robs a bunch of power
 
CasterTroy said:
So like Derek is learning today......around 165hp to the ground once it goes thru the trans, transfer case, axles and stickies
Click to expand...

One of my favorite past times when quoting a build for a given power range…then being told they had a cousin/Buddy/knew someone that would do it for 1/3 the price. Then receiving a message a few months later trying to get LEB to trouble shoot because the hp numbers on the side of summit parts boxes didn’t yield the expected results. Should I tune my carb (twists a/f screws)…or maybe advance my timing (twists distributor). The liars would end up with a ‘scalded dog’ after that…a very small percentage would come back with fuel dumping out the exhaust and pony up the cash for something closer to what they actually wanted.
 
UTfball68 said:
the hp numbers on the side of summit parts boxes didn’t yield the expected results
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I was shocked at the pony-suck the driveline makes on an offroad rig.

I too love the "my brothers, sisters, cousin has a (insert nasty motor) turning umteenbajillion HP to the tars" liars tales

Dis Gon B Good GIF
 
So anyone have any first hand experience with 05 up Dana 60 build parts? lol trying to spend some $ in the next week or two.
 
Van-go said:
So anyone have any first hand experience with 05 up Dana 60 build parts? lol trying to spend some $ in the next week or two.
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I have one in my garage that @Chris_Keziah said he wouldn't allow me to put under my Bronco without his magic touch. I'm pretty sure that just means he's gonna tea bag the axle and rattle can it black...
 
Van-go said:
anyone have any first hand experience with 05 up Dana 60 build parts
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This is kinda remarkable. For as little as they cost, you'd be best off to buy one and run it nearly stock rather than buy RCVs for anything else.
 
shawn said:
This is kinda remarkable. For as little as they cost, you'd be best off to buy one and run it nearly stock rather than buy RCVs for anything else.
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I mean I would but I’d rather not break a ball joint and be stranded on a trail. Stock shafts are 35 spline, but I’ve seen plenty of them broken with 40in tires.
 
Van-go said:
So anyone have any first hand experience with 05 up Dana 60 build parts? lol trying to spend some $ in the next week or two.
Click to expand...
There’s like 90 pages of 05 Dana 60 tech on pirate. Never see a lot of 40 spline talk other than RCVs. More over sized ring gear discussion than anything else. Seems weld on hi steer from any mediocre company is good to go.
 
adamk said:
Paging @Chris_Keziah

I know he's researched a ton since he has one sitting in the shop waiting for him to swap it into the TJ (cough cough)
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I just called David instead, I'll post up later though to drop my 2 worn pennies in here.
 
Van-go said:
I mean I would but I’d rather not break a ball joint and be stranded on a trail. Stock shafts are 35 spline, but I’ve seen plenty of them broken with 40in tires.
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Agreed, just kinda surprised there aren't more people with firsthand experience. I mean, they're like $275 at the pull-a-part. Odds and ends for the swap are going to add up quick, but when you consider that you can regear and drop a spool or lock-rite in and have an axle that's stronger than most anything out there for not a whole lot of money... kind of a no-brainer from a bang-for-your-buck perspective.

The only other thing that came close were JK Rubicon take-outs a few years ago. Those deals are long gone, though.
 
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