D60 Help

DonohueNC

DonohueNC

New Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
Location
Wilmington, NC
I have a '98 TJ that I am looking to put D60s under both front and rear. I'm looking for some guidance in what specifically I should be looking for in an axle as I start my search. Budget is a concern for me, but I want to do things right.

Thanks.
 
well..... drivers side drop on the front unless you want to flip the tcase

There will be a debate until the end of time whether ball joint of kind pin is better.

You also want a full float rear
 
Dont forget, if you get passenger side drop you will not only have to flip/replace Tcase, but you will have to re-route all of ur exhaust to the other side so that you dont have front driveshaft issues
 
Thanks. Ok.. taking notes. Any idea which vehicles run driver and which run passenger? Should I be looking for one out of a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, year range?
 
77.5-79 ford F250 or F350 dana 60 front is the axle you need. it's a high pinion with kingpins, not balljoints....

those same year trucks had a 60 out back that was full floating, mostly 30 spline but some were 35 spline i think....

-Erik <----- would suggest 60's F&R but that's just me
 
sha_ba_do_bang said:
well..... drivers side drop on the front unless you want to flip the tcase
There will be a debate until the end of time whether ball joint of kind pin is better.
You also want a full float rear
Click to expand...

Who has said bj's are better?

I agree, if you're planning big tires...skip the 60 rear.
 
I love a good BJ.

I have been runnin 60 bj fronts with big tires for yrs. They hold up fine.
 
With a rear 60, make sure you get the BOM# to be positive it's a D60 and not a D61. The 61's were very common in the E-series vans. If you find a 78-79 F250 in a yard, it'll have a D60 in back. Also, be sure it's a full floater.
 
The only negative I see to a balljoint D60 front is the added cost of having to purchase knuckles if going with highsteer.

I would also recommend a 14bolt or 70 rear for the 1.5" shafts.
 
as eric was saying you'll want the 77.5-79 ford dana 60 front, it will be the easiest to mount coil buckets to, as well as control arms mounts. For the rear, depending on what you are trying to accomplish you'll have a lot more options. You could go with a ford 9, dana 60, 14 bolt or a dana 70. The 14 bolt and the dana 70 will be the easiest and cheapest ways to get a strong axle in the rear, but they have drawbacks as well.
 
I think its mainly the fact that you can buy a 14 bolt or dana 70 with comparable gears that will have bigger shafts and ring gear than a 60, for the same price. You lose a little clearance but gain a little strength. Your call.
 
You said budget ? How much are you putting twards the swap? It can be done cheep, but it all adds up.. There was a thread a while back where everyone posted up factual info. on how much they had into the swap. It was comparing ROcks vs 1tons but the numbers still hold.. I'll see if i can find it..

Might also serve as a good list of things/parts etc. that people typically have to address with swaps..


found it..
http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28067
 
so a 14 bolt or 70 with stock 1.5" shafts is a stronger axle than my 60 rear with 1.5" chromo's and detroit?

it was my understanding that once you went to (edit: 1.5" 35) spline chromo's in the 60 it was a damn near bulletproof axle. i know my ring gear is a bit smaller than that of a 70 or 14 bolt but how how often do you see those break....
 
I'll agree to a 60 having chromos being just as strong, minus the ring gear.... but it's the whole 1.31" versus 1.5" shafts that a lot of people, even on pirate, have trouble breaking. The chromo shafts have worked well in the 70s, but a lot of people have found that running just a stock 14 bolt shaft will last as long as a chromo, in most cases (I suppose they're too brittle).
 
Erik said:
so a 14 bolt or 70 with stock 1.5" shafts is a stronger axle than my 60 rear with 1.5" chromo's and detroit?
it was my understanding that once you went to 25 spline chromo's in the 60 it was a damn near bulletproof axle. i know my ring gear is a bit smaller than that of a 70 or 14 bolt but how how often do you see those break....
Click to expand...

It's not too hard to twist off the pinion. Especially on a rear 60 or 70.
 
i edited my post... i was in a hurry and meant to specifiy 1.5" 35 spline chromo shafts and somehow only got 25 spline typed in...

in regards to the pinoin gear, i guess i never thought about that aspect of it... anyone know the spline counts and shaft diameter of the various pinion gears between the 60, 70, and 14 bolt?
 
pinion sizes

Dana 30: 26 Spline 1.375" dia.

Dana 44: 26 Spline 1.376"

10 bolt: 27 Splines 1.626"

9 inch: 28 spline 1.313"

Dana 60: 29 spline 1.626"

Dana 70: 29 spline 1.750"

10.5 14 bolt FF: 30 spline 1.750"

9.5 14 bolt SF: 30 Spline 1.876"

Sterling 10.25: 31 Spline 1.940"

Dana 80: 37 Spline 2.000"
 
jrraw23 said:
Nah, ball joint 60 knuckles use dana 44 high steer arms, you don't have to buy new knuckles for high steer.
Click to expand...
You are probably right... I have only messed with kingpin 60's.

Do all BJ 60 knuckles have enough meat to machine and tap for highsteer?

Here's the only photo I could find of a BJ 60 highsteer. The bolts holding the arm in the picture are ghey, but at least it gives an idea of the setup. However, the knuckle doesn't appear to be stock. Anyone have problems running big tires and full hydro w/ only 3 studs holding the highsteer arms?
aimg.photobucket.com_albums_v289_panthers65_BJHighSteerarm.jpg
 
jesster said:
Dana 30: 26 Spline 1.375" dia.
Dana 44: 26 Spline 1.376"
10 bolt: 27 Splines 1.626"
9 inch: 28 spline 1.313"
Dana 60: 29 spline 1.626"
Dana 70: 29 spline 1.750"
10.5 14 bolt FF: 30 spline 1.750"
9.5 14 bolt SF: 30 Spline 1.876"
Sterling 10.25: 31 Spline 1.940"
Dana 80: 37 Spline 2.000"
Click to expand...

The D70 pinion doesn't go to 1.75" until after the front bearing. They usually twist off at the splines.

There might be a D70HD variant that uses a 37 spline yoke, but I've never seen it.
 
Back
Top