Dana 60 going in...eventually

[david85]

As for the Dana60 axle itself, there are still a few odds and ends that are needed.

After looking at the double cardan drive shaft that came with the donor truck, I realized it needed a complete set of new U-joints and of course the center bearing was also shot. After wasting a couple of days trying to convince myself that I could save it (and save a little money in doing so), I broke down and ordered another shaft from Rockauto. The stub shaft that goes into the center bearing was already galled and pitted so even if I did rebuild everything, it wouldn't last very long. The only other way would have been to cut the old cardan style yoke off and weld a new assembly in. Which I may still do one day, just not today.

I also have some new front stabilizer bar links that can go in, but this isn't critical. Again, trying to fix the old ones was a waste of time.

As for the rear stabilizer bar, it seems the F350 had a different style of mount on the frame compared to the F250s (due to so much lift). It took me a little while on google image search to find the info I needed but it looks similar to the SD series trucks. Who knows, maybe the frame brackets from a superduty pickup will work? Otherwise I could make some out of angle iron (there I go again...).

And lastly, the truck's face is back on. I'm still not sure if it's happy to see me, but it did start up on the first try (with only one battery), and I was able to put the transmission through most of the gears (overdrive would be too fast to safely attempt on blocks). As for the yellow snot that's been sprayed all over the freshly restored rad-support, that's roughly one whole can of Fluidfilm to prevent rust from ever coming back. It's a coating that has to be maintained annually, but it friggin works.

The rear driveshaft angle is very noticeable now, so it remains to be seen if this causes me any vibration problems. I remember swapping a ford ranger to a single piece setup years ago and I would consider doing that here too. For now, I'll leave it as is and see what happens.

Oh, and I still have to do a front end alignment...

EDIT: Steering stabilizer is also on order...

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[catbird7]

Last couple years I've been spraying my truck with used motor oil & diesel mixture. Use a garden sprayer to apply.

 

[Farmer Rock]

Last couple years I've been spraying my truck with used motor oil & diesel mixture. Use a garden sprayer to apply.

the thing I don't like about using motor oil is that all the salt,dirt, and dust stick to it. I rather use a good undercoating.



Rock

 

[TNBrett]

Last couple years I've been spraying my truck with used motor oil & diesel mixture. Use a garden sprayer to apply.

Does wonders for hiding the majority of leaks as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[david85]

Dirt sticks to fluidfilm as well, but two passes with a pressure washer and it all comes off for easy inspection. Normal use will wear the coating off in some of the more exposed places but most of it can hold for more than a year. My truck had some kind of dealer installed rubberized undercoating before I bought it and it was wonderful stuff. The front half of the frame is mint because of it. Every kind of undercoating I've been able to find was never as good. I'm maintaining mine by keeping fresh layer of fluid film so it can't dry out. Once that happens, the tar ends up holding moisture and road salt against the metal and can take it's toll very quickly.

 

[jrollf]

I've had good luck with Fluid Film too.

I don't like rubberized undercoating as they can hide damage.

Ever seen what happens when moisture gets under the rubberized undercoat (through a crack, pin hope, etc)? The water gets trapped against the metal and creates a bad rust cancer environment that you can't see until it gets so bad the coating pops off.

1993 F350 Crew Cab Dually
7.3L IDIT with a Banks Sidewinder
ZF 5-spd manual transmission

 

[u2slow]

Woolwax is another one - they make a black version.

I avoid rubberized stuff for rustproofing. Wax/lanolin or actual tar-based product seems to do a better job.

 

[david85]

Fluidfilm is a blend of woolwax. I didn't know you could buy it in pure form though. I've also heard good things about cosmoline, but it seems to dry out and stay put. Fluidfilm and similar products will migrate across surfaces to protect hidden areas.

 

[u2slow]

Woolwax is a brand/product...
https://www.woolwax.ca

... and also layman's term for lanolin.

 

[david85]

Ah, I remember seeing that before (might have been you that time too). Might have to give it a try.

 

[david85]

First test drive is done. The fresh E4OD is looking good but may need some tweaking after how firm the shifts turned out (detailed in the other thread).

As for the 4wd parts, I did a quick and dirty "eyeball" alignment, since my old alignment jigs interfere with the lockout hubs. Ride quality did take a hit but this isn't much of a surprise. For the first time, the truck actually seems to have some body roll as well. The front stabilizer bar is connected, but the rear is not.

The rear driveshaft does appear to be exhibiting vibration though, just as I feared. It's most noticeable when pulling away from a stop, or under load, such as climbing a hill.

So based on this, I have a few options to correct the driveshaft issues:

1. Reduce the rear axle lift. Currently, I am using what I believe are OEM 4" lift blocks, but I have 2" blocks on order.
2. Install a spacer at the center support bearing to reduce the drive shaft angle.
3. Swap to a single-piece drive shaft ($$$)

Any thoughts?

 

[aggiediesel01]

I'm pretty sure that the 4x4 trucks had appropriately sized spacers for the carrier bearing or different length carrier bearing supports to get it back in line. I believe a number of the places that support the groups using D60s for SAS offer spacers for the carrier bearing.

One other thing I noticed in your pictures was the "weight" hanging under your trans crossmember. I've seen this on ZF-5 trucks hanging under there but never on an automatic. I can't remember if your truck started as a C6 or 4 speed but I'm curious what you know about hanging that "weight" on there.

 

[david85]

I think it's some kind of harmonic mass balance to reduce resonance. It came with the truck from its C6 days. I figured it wouldn't hurt to keep it there but I have no idea if it would make any difference.

Good to know on the drive shaft spacers. Most of what I see online are aftermarket kits, so I couldn't confirm if there was some kind of OEM deal on them. I ended up trying 1" spacers at the center support and it seems to have killed most of the vibration. It hasn't been highway tested though.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

I'm pretty sure that the 4x4 trucks had appropriately sized spacers for the carrier bearing or different length carrier bearing supports to get it back in line. I believe a number of the places that support the groups using D60s for SAS offer spacers for the carrier bearing.

One other thing I noticed in your pictures was the "weight" hanging under your trans crossmember. I've seen this on ZF-5 trucks hanging under there but never on an automatic. I can't remember if your truck started as a C6 or 4 speed but I'm curious what you know about hanging that "weight" on there.

Dang, good eye. You're right the first part of the driveshaft looks parallel to the frame but at least on my pickup is definitely a handful of degrees towards the ground. I've never measured.

David do you have a picture from the side of that drive shaft?

 

[david85]

Major milestone time. The 3.55 rear gears are now in.

I went with a new Yukon set instead of using the spare axle I had lying around. My free time is limited lately and I didn't know what issues the other axle might have had. It was also a perfect opportunity to upgrade to a long pinion yoke. Which was a good thing, because the pinion nut was loose (again).

I also put drain plug while I had everything open.

So with E4OD issues now figured out, I was able to drive the truck last night. Lockup works, the 4wd works. I'm happy.

There's still some issues left to wrap up but it's all downhill from here.

The biggest problem right now is resisting the urge to drive through the mud in our back yard. I wouldn't end well, because the tires are all worn out.

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