Dana 60 swap questions

[itsacrazyasian]

Its to bad you wernt on a few months ago. I sold a 91 d60 for 650 when the economy was crappy, I needed the money bad though.

Thanks for ruining my night. i'm sick too, just keeps getting better.

Well whoever you sold it to got an awesome deal. Actually the whole reason why i registered on OB.net is because i was following seawalkersea swap. I had my diesel Suburban but the 6.5 was ******* me off. Couldn't find a crew cab long bed 4x4 diesel (7.3 with known SCA service) or priced right so i decided to swap a 6.9 in my gas F350.

edit: actually a few months ago i probably wouldnt have bought it as i wasn't interested in making my F350 4wd and what are you talking about back when the economy WAS crappy. It still is!

 

[gonecrazyi]

Crappier lol. Now were just hanging in one spot till we crash again lol.

 

[matt-jenkins]

The king pins front ends seem to be cheaper to rebuild, are tougher (show me a big rig with ball joints instead of kingpins) and might be easier to find being that they came in older trucks. 1992 was the first year for ball joints.

Thinkin' of goin D60, eh Matt? You will LOVE it!

Its always been on my to do list. My front end is feeling really loosy goosy and I decided to man up and just do the stop and ******* with the TTB, ball joints alone were gonna be at least a $700 fix, for $1000 I can get a D60.

Edit!

So I found this ad on a local 4x4 site, he says its out of an 89-91 but I thought only the D60s were High Pinion, at a glance can anybody tell me if this is the Front End I need?

click here

 

[u2slow]

The D60 in that link is probably the very best candidate for your truck. Kingpins *and* the same style brake.

A few things you need though....
- u-bolt bracket for the driver's side
- steering links
- trac bar (or some say you can go without if you reverse the shackles (RSK kit)
- D60 driveshaft, or shorten your D50 TTB shaft by about 2".

 

[MUDKICKR]

Its always been on my to do list. My front end is feeling really loosy goosy and I decided to man up and just do the stop and ******* with the TTB, ball joints alone were gonna be at least a $700 fix, for $1000 I can get a D60.

Edit!

So I found this ad on a local 4x4 site, he says its out of an 89-91 but I thought only the D60s were High Pinion, at a glance can anybody tell me if this is the Front End I need?

click here

how can 4 balljoints cost $700 bucks? i honestly see no reason to install a dana60. i have one in my back yard and it wont ever go under my f350. im perfectly happy with my dana50. after replacing all the ball joints whl bearings and all the bushings in the frt end i see no reason to waste my time with a frt end swap. oh yea, the trk is called MUDKICKR for a reason

 

[82F100SWB]

$700 for balljoints is insane, you're looking at probably $170 in parts, and maybe $120 for a good ball joint press set.

Yes, you can drop $1000 on a 60, but, there's not guarantee it doesn't need work too.
One last very important part of the swap is the F350 leaf springs themselves, without them, due to the TTB's much higher spring rate, you will end up with the majority of your suspension being your tires.

 

[u2slow]

For the TTB vs. monobeam debate you have to decide on your own what you value. A few things that make me very pro-D60 for TTB rigs:

- simple diff cover - ease of inspection and fluid changes
- bigger/stronger internals (I run a locker, so increased peace of mind)
- alignment can be done reliably with a tape measure
- improved steering (does not change with suspension travel)
- easier to detect and isolate suspension gremlins (IMHO)
- less prone to eating tires (static camber)
- lose 2 pivot bushings and extra u-joint (but gain a trac bar - oh well)
- 2" suspension lift with stock parts (usually levels an F250)

 

[Goofyexponent]

That's your axle Matt! It's a kingpin D60 fron an F350.

Someone cut the track bar, so you can either make one from dimensions I can give you, or buy another, it's been gutted, so you can put all new seals and whatnot in it and you can enjoy the F350 front end when you are done.

Your F250 shocks will work fine. You should get F350 front springs from and 1987 - 1997 F350 4x4, and the 4" rear lift blocks. Get some proper length U bolts made up (dirt cheap) and the track bar bushings should be new as well. All the steering linkages are gone, so a couple hundred there and you will have a whole new front end! Other than that, you won't have a proble puttin' this in!

We did mine in like 5 or so hours. I will qoute the thread in a second.

Here you go Matt!

 

[94turboidi]

I have had plenty solid axles and ttb axles. Nothing wrong with any of them. I wouldn't swap thinking of saving money over fixing what I already had. The axle you go buy will need routine maintenance also. You can rent the press for free at most parts stores and the parts don't cost that much. I considered the swap early this year, glad I kept what I have. The. Dana 50 ttb is beefy. You don't exactly hear about them falling apart.

 

[riotwarrior]

.....at a glance can anybody tell me if this is the Front End I need?
click here

YES

For those wishing to D60 a F250/350 2whdr 4x4 conversion; start looking at and considering a newer balljoint 60 from superduty 07 I believe, it's a coil sprung unit that should bolt under a 2wh dr with just adding trailing arms and track bar steering should be near bolt up.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

YES

For those wishing to D60 a F250/350 2whdr 4x4 conversion; start looking at and considering a newer balljoint 60 from superduty 07 I believe, it's a coil sprung unit that should bolt under a 2wh dr with just adding trailing arms and track bar steering should be near bolt up.

i was wondering about that. But when i measured a F250 4wd for spring spacing it seems to be wider. I've been looking for a D60, the newer ones are far more easier to find.

Actually at this point i'm debating on putting the D50 under it for now.

 

[94turboidi]

You can get a dana 50 solid axle out of the newer leafsprung superdutys also. The only thing is they are metric bolt pattery and hub centric where as our axles are lug centric. We have a bolt pattern of 8 x 6.5" and the newer ones are 8 x 170 mm. I am not sure on the real new ones though but I believe they are the same. They changed something on them I believe around the time they went to coil springs. If I was going to do this I would get the rear axle also so the wheel pattern matches and rear disc brakes would be nice. The only thing I don't like about the newer axles you can't just replace wheel bearings, its a bearing assembly like dodge has been doing for awhile now. Its alot cheaper to replace wheel bearings on our trucks. If you don't mind a ball joint front axle and "need" a solid front axle I would go after one from a 95-98 They have bolt on brake calipers instead of the pins we use.

 

[94turboidi]

Also from my experience our wheel bearings seem to last longer. My dad has had a 96 dodge ram and the wheel bearing assembly is like 150 and he has replaced both several times.

 

[Diesel_brad]

Yea if i buy a DRW D60 i might have to swap the front hubs from the D50 parts truck i have. But i'm not ready to buy an axle yet, still saving up for the OBX front reverse shackle kit to make doing the 2wd to 4wd a little easier. Might be dropping for the ATS turbo gonecrazyi has first. I find more D60's than i do turbos. I just dont know about a non gated turbo.

What is the OBX RSK? Or do you mean ORU? Because those are over priced. Go to SKY manufacturing and save $200

 

[itsacrazyasian]

sorry my iphone likes to autocorrect things. I was looking at the Sky manufactuing front RSK and rear shackle flip. Thought about doing a 4in one, with a add-a-leaf since the D50ttb in my parts truck has saggy fronts. I dunno, i wanna convert to 4wd. the transfercase is in, just need the front axle.

And unit bearings are cheap, i just went through a D50 solid axle in a V10 excursion doing the axle seals, vacuum seals, dust seals and lockouts. Good unit bearing with abs sensor was 99 my cost, 75 for a chinese one. Breeze to change out too.

Its either buy a D60 or turbo right now. going towards turbo first since i can drop the d50ttb out of my parts truck in.