Dana 60 or 14 Bolt?

Nissanwheeler

Nissanwheeler

Active Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2010
Location
kannapolis NC
What i want out of the a rear axle:
-Almost indestructible
-More aftermarket products
-More bang for the buck(aftermarket wise)
-The most ground clearance
-A width between 63" to 65"
-Better design
-Easiest/cheapest disc brake conversion or comes with disc brakes

After saying that which one is for me? I cant decide.
 
-Almost indestructible
I think the 14 bolt wins here. I have seen only one 14 bolt break, I vave seen many 60 break
-More aftermarket products
probably the 60 has more stuff, but the 14 bolt really don't need as much as it's already
about as strong as you need there is however, more and lower gears available for the 60
-More bang for the buck(aftermarket wise)
Same as above
-The most ground clearance
-A width between 63" to 65"
The 60 wins here, but with a shave kit, the 14 bolt is the better option
-Better design
The 14 bolt is the heavier designed diff, it has an extra pinion bearing the really adds strength, bigger and heavier duty ring and pinion. a Dana 70(same case as the 60) already has the 35 spline axles.
The 14 bolt has the option of the bolt on pinion guard, where as the 60 doesn't.
-Easiest/cheapest disc brake conversion or comes with disc brakes
Kits are about the same for either of these
 
D70 (like the smooth bottom D70) or 13 bolt (shaved 14B). You have deeper gear options with a Dana axle, but you could go with 4.56 or 4.88 gears in the 14B and get your gear reduction from your t-case.

Ground clearance would be the only category the 60 would win in stock form.
 
less weight good strenght tons of support is the 60. A built 60 will still be lighter than a 14.

heavier, but superb strenght, stronger than a stock 60 is the 14

the 14 has all kinds and its carrier design and drop out pinion is easier for novices to set up. I however would not run one with a 38 inch or smaller tire because of the chunk hanging low. I like them Shaved....hehehe.... To do the shave isn't all that bad if you got some skills but, when you get one to that state she pretty well is a dressed out hot rod and you have put plenty of other money else where in the axle build.

many people agree that 14 parts are cheaper.
 
14b, no question.
 
i'd say 14 bolt. mine has been very tough and virtually maintenance free, but with that said...if you are running a tire smaller than ~39-40" it'll be an anchor and hang on lots of stuff unless you do the shave kit. on 37's mine snagged almost every rock i went over. on 40's its a little better, but still gets hung up a lot.
 
14Bolt. Since a lot of people run a mechanical locker and gears usually no deeper than 5.38 once you shave it and drop discs on it there is not much difference in "aftermarket support".
 
I have seen 450hp rock buggies on sticky 42's beat mercilessly on stock 14b shafts and no breakage the strength ,ease of setup and extra pinion support bearing get my vote for the 14b
 
14 bolt.

If you go with a shave kit, don't use Ballistic Fabrication.
 
Nissanwheeler said:
why not Ballistic Fabrication, who else makes them
Click to expand...

No one that I am aware of.

Ballistic is one of those companies that has some people singing and some people cursing. I look at ALL companies that produce specialty products in the same manner: I expect failure to ship on time, lack of communication, vague/no answers to questions, being charged up front for things I have to wait for, and possibly being disappointed with the product when I receive it. If any of those prove to be incorrect I am pleasantly surprised.

There are other vendors that cause just as many headaches, but Ballistic was uniquely on the top of the forum list on Pirate (alphabetically) and thus received a lot of business from that position and a lot of exposure. They do a fair amount of innovation and offer a wide range of products. They seem stretched a bit thin and recently had their Laser table crap out which was the lifeblood of their business. I do know of actual screwups that they did not stand behind, so my opinion is biased a bit.

I think that they are a victim of two things: their own success and people's lack of patience.

My apologies for the thread jack.

You can shave the thing yourself a few different ways, many have been documented on Pirate and elsewhere. Anywhere from 1/2" to 2" can be gained, depends on what you want to put into it and whether you want to trouble yourself with getting the ring gear turned down.
 
Ballistic owes me $300 worth of link joints I ordered dec. 2010....... yes, they know about it.

They aren't worth a shit, and i doubt they will be in business much longer. I really sincerely hope no one on this site would ever give them anymore money for anything. The thousands of unsatisfied customers on the internet are not just a series of unrelated or isolated events. I got screwed once and gave them the benefit of the doubt. They got my next order right. The one after that, i never got, and never actually expect to.

Blacksheep10 (IIRC) on pirate sells a shave kit that a lot of people run.
 
haha well thanks for the heads up guys thats exactly who i was going to get the shave kit and gears from! i guess i need to get on Pirate 4x4 more.
 
Go with the 14 bolt and never look back. MUCH cheaper to build than a 60.

To build a 14 just put disk brakes and a locker and a shave cover.

To build a 60 you will need to bore the spindles to fit 35 spline shafts. Buy a new carrier for the 35 spline shafts. Then add disk brakes and a locker.

Gears are about a wash.... But the 14 bolt has a pinion support!


PS. I have a 14 bolt shave cover.
http://www.barnes4wd.com/product_info.php?cPath=510_504&products_id=2424
 
If you find a 35 spline 60 or a 60 with big bore spindles then build a 60. Doing a 30 spline 60 is a huge waste of time. 35 spline 60 will take all you can throw at it, but you will need to buy 35 spline shafts.

14 bolt I am a big fan they are cheap and nearly indestructable and you can pick up a cheap detroit or grizzly locker for one. 14 bolts are the strongest cheapest axle. Regear and lock. Downside is weight and ground clearence.

Barnes has the covers we do the shaved gears http://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-6268292-gm-14-bolt-shaved-gears.html , we also have solid spacers, mud pro has really nice trusses. so no need for ballistic. You can stay in NC and get all the best pieces, prices and service. And yes they do suck they owe us money too, I have had two dealings with them and both ended in us waiting 2 plus months for parts. This second dealing is still ongoing, how they are still in bus is beyond me.
 
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