Chadillac
Registered User
Was this for the D60 or D50?
Lifting a 94 F250 idi
- Thread starter Chadillac
- Start date
Was this for the D60 or D50?
lotzagoodstuff
Full Access Member
Two questions:
What's your budget? A D50 to D60 swap can be done in your driveway, but there's nothing cheap about it. I'm about 30 miles northeast of you, but I've lived in four different states and I can tell you that the price of an OBS Dana 60 was pretty similar no matter what my address. You are going to spend 600-1200 for the axle, and the price spread will depend on how much of the additional hardware you get. The springs, sway bar, driveshaft, etc all adds up, and you'll want to freshen that axle up while it's out and easy to work on.
How bad do you really want 4" of lift? You don't need 4" to clear 35s, I did it very inexpensively with a leveling kit ($70ish bucks) and a 2" body lift ($110 if I recall). A properly maintained D50 will wear tires and ride just fine, and you already have one under your truck. Take a look at my old rig with a 2" body lift. It got a lot of compliments and wore tires perfectly with the correct upper ball joints (very critical and overlooked on a D50).
Don't confuse my response with claiming a D60 isn't a great axle. It is a fantastic front axle.
Don't confuse my response by telling you that a D60 can't be put under an OBS F250 in your driveway. It can be done.
There's one D60 for your truck on CL in Tacoma right now. They are asking $1200. Towcat had a very complete Dana 60 kit that was literally every single part. I don't know if it sold, but he was asking 1800 (link attached, you can use this link to get an idea of all the other parts you'll need).
I love a great driveway thrash, just know what you are getting in to.
Good luck whatever way you choose
https://www.oilburners.net/threads/dana-60-conversion-kit-from-a-1995-f350.83702/
What's your budget? A D50 to D60 swap can be done in your driveway, but there's nothing cheap about it. I'm about 30 miles northeast of you, but I've lived in four different states and I can tell you that the price of an OBS Dana 60 was pretty similar no matter what my address. You are going to spend 600-1200 for the axle, and the price spread will depend on how much of the additional hardware you get. The springs, sway bar, driveshaft, etc all adds up, and you'll want to freshen that axle up while it's out and easy to work on.
How bad do you really want 4" of lift? You don't need 4" to clear 35s, I did it very inexpensively with a leveling kit ($70ish bucks) and a 2" body lift ($110 if I recall). A properly maintained D50 will wear tires and ride just fine, and you already have one under your truck. Take a look at my old rig with a 2" body lift. It got a lot of compliments and wore tires perfectly with the correct upper ball joints (very critical and overlooked on a D50).
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Don't confuse my response with claiming a D60 isn't a great axle. It is a fantastic front axle.
Don't confuse my response by telling you that a D60 can't be put under an OBS F250 in your driveway. It can be done.
There's one D60 for your truck on CL in Tacoma right now. They are asking $1200. Towcat had a very complete Dana 60 kit that was literally every single part. I don't know if it sold, but he was asking 1800 (link attached, you can use this link to get an idea of all the other parts you'll need).
I love a great driveway thrash, just know what you are getting in to.
Good luck whatever way you choose
https://www.oilburners.net/threads/dana-60-conversion-kit-from-a-1995-f350.83702/
Last edited:
u2slow
bilge rat
IME, balljoint Dana 60's (92ish-97) are half the price of the kingpin ones. The cost is also offset by the TTB problems you leave behind. No more buggered tires; prob never need to see an alignment shop again if you can work a tape measure. I recall the book time on having a TTB 'front end done' being brutal, and its not a job I want to tackle. If I'm taking it out, its staying out 
lol
I think the D60 I swapped into the F250 (with extra bits) was $700ish... 12 years ago. Got another without hubs for $400. Sourced a 95-97 style recently for a buddy for $400.
lolI think the D60 I swapped into the F250 (with extra bits) was $700ish... 12 years ago. Got another without hubs for $400. Sourced a 95-97 style recently for a buddy for $400.
Golden Helmet
Full Access Member
It sold, that's the dana 60 that lives in my truck now
(edit: not the one in that link, he had another D60 kit listed a few years back for the same price)It was definitely above regular market price, but considering he knew every single piece needed to do it right, it was well worth paying a little extra to benefit from his knowledge. He also got it completely rebuilt for me, all new seals / balljoints / u-joints / bearings / etc, and him and his crew installed it. My truck hasn't driven this good since the day it left the factory
I still miss him, every time I make a U-turn that I couldn't do before with the D50 I think of him and send some thanks his way.
Chadillac
Registered User
That is a nice truck! I was under the impression that I would have to cut/move the bumper or other things with 35s and no lift. At the price point you mentioned, a body lift with leveling will free up more cash for really nice tires and wheels. Would you mind telling me where you got your body lift and leveling kit from?
As for the upper ball joints you mentioned, should I be running something different in my rig?
I already need to replace all the bushings in the front end so if I’m able to diy the lift, level and ball joints at the same time that would be ideal.
Don't get too excited. Body lifts have their problems also. The fan doesn't line up with the radiator anymore. You have to mess with the shifter linkage. Sometimes the transfer case shifter hits the floorboard before it will go in 4 lo. I believe it does give you more room for a turbo.
Chadillac
Registered User
Thanks for the heads up! Do the kits usually come with the center drop brackets that you mentioned in an earlier post.
austin92
Full Access Member
Probably gooseneck hitches too, deal breaker for me
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The official lift kits you buy (the nice ones) will give you the lift springs up front, the center pivot dropped brackets, a dropped pitman arm for the steering box, longer shocks, and spacer blocks and longer shocks for the rear.
You either have to move your brake line frame bracket down so the rubber brake lines are long enough, or you can pay a little more for longer brake lines and they will add them to the kit. If you want to pay a little more they will also include lift springs for the rear instead of blocks.
Like someone mentioned in this thread previously, all hard mounting points need to move down for the lift. The steering box was never mentioned but it is bolted to the frame also, hence the need for the dropped pitman arm.
lotzagoodstuff
Full Access Member
Franklin is correct: there are a bunch of little things, but most can be dealt with pretty easily and without much expense.
- The fan shroud is a pretty easy fix: you can simply trim the bottom of the shroud (that's what I did).
- The transfer case shifter was actually a pretty simple bend. After figuring out where I needed a little more clearance, a vise and a little heat, I got mine right in one try.
- I was totally prepared to move my shifter up 2 inches with an aluminum adapter I made, but the rubber boot took up all the lift with zero modification. I actually liked my shifter location more when I was done than the stock position, and you really could not tell looking at the shifter boot.
- You will have to shim the bumper out to clear 35s with just an add a leaf, and while you are at it you should allow the bumper to move up 2" or you'll have a larger than normal gap between the bumper and the valance panel below the grill.
- The most important piece of the body lift: you have to use a 2" kit or you get some crazy interference between one of the exhaust manifolds and the firewall. You might get a little bit of interference with the correct 2" lift if you body mounts have sagged a little (you will still have the old ones in place even with the new 2" mounts as they go on top). You'll know right away as it will make quite a racket as the firewall makes a great amplifier for the inside of your truck. I was very fortunate as my interference was pretty minor and I managed to massage the firewall with a porta-power and there was no interference at all afterwards.
Yes, there's some shortcomings of going body lift, but I felt like it was a really nice compromise that let me keep my original front axle.
- The fan shroud is a pretty easy fix: you can simply trim the bottom of the shroud (that's what I did).
- The transfer case shifter was actually a pretty simple bend. After figuring out where I needed a little more clearance, a vise and a little heat, I got mine right in one try.
- I was totally prepared to move my shifter up 2 inches with an aluminum adapter I made, but the rubber boot took up all the lift with zero modification. I actually liked my shifter location more when I was done than the stock position, and you really could not tell looking at the shifter boot.
- You will have to shim the bumper out to clear 35s with just an add a leaf, and while you are at it you should allow the bumper to move up 2" or you'll have a larger than normal gap between the bumper and the valance panel below the grill.
- The most important piece of the body lift: you have to use a 2" kit or you get some crazy interference between one of the exhaust manifolds and the firewall. You might get a little bit of interference with the correct 2" lift if you body mounts have sagged a little (you will still have the old ones in place even with the new 2" mounts as they go on top). You'll know right away as it will make quite a racket as the firewall makes a great amplifier for the inside of your truck. I was very fortunate as my interference was pretty minor and I managed to massage the firewall with a porta-power and there was no interference at all afterwards.
Yes, there's some shortcomings of going body lift, but I felt like it was a really nice compromise that let me keep my original front axle.
Chadillac
Registered User
That’s good to know. I have been looking at skyjacker lift kits and they seem to offer all the components. So with a proper alignment it should be ok,right?
lotzagoodstuff
Full Access Member
These are adjustable, and if you park your truck on level ground and use a few simple homemade measuring devices, you can get the camber really close, and as your leaf springs wear, you can adjust these for more positive camber. As mentioned earlier, the trick to aligning a D50 is to have the weight on the tires when you perform the alignment. And don't ever look at your camber after you've backed up your truck as you'll rub your eyes and think something is wrong, but it's quite common to see additional negative camber.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...80108/20516917-P?searchTerm=adjustable+camber
lotzagoodstuff
Full Access Member
The body lift came from Performance Accessories. It was a 2" kit and it was very complete, including a little spacer for lengthening your steering shaft and a bunch of hardware.
I don't remember what brand the add-a-leaf came from, but it was just one additional leaf and some hardware. It was less than $100, but that was a while ago, I'm sure there's lots of options out there including new springs to level your truck. Do some research, I'm sure there's more options today than when I did mine.
Chadillac
Registered User
Thanks for all the info everyone.
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