dana 60s in a yj

[jakec]

i just got a deal on a dana 60 chevy front for 600 bucks with 4.10s and an aussie locker already installed. i have a rear 60 with 4,10s in it also. i was looking for tips or pitfalls when putting them in. i have a np205 with passenger side drop i was going to use but was thinking about trading it for a dana 300. im gonna run em full width and get some wheels to tuck the tires in a little. i plan on running 38s or 40s.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

That's a good price and it's a decent axle but is low pinion, not as desirable as the high pinion d60 found in some Fords. I hit my pinion on too many rocks so I'll be switching to high pinion axles in both my jeeps.

 

[jakec]

yea i wish it was high pinion too but i live in florida and its mostly mud and the little bit of climbing we can do around here is on dirt or sand hills so i think itll be ok. itll definitely be better than the d30/d35c i have now! bounty hunter what do you think about running the np205? would it be better to try to swap for a dana 300?

 

[xjmarc]

The 205 and 300 are both good cases but there is a chance the 300 will bolt in and the 205 will need an adapter. Wish I had gone with a 60 front instead of a 44. You'll need to redo the exhaust to clear the front drive shaft but that's not all that hard. I run full widths and 8" wheels with 4" of backspacing and it isn't that wide. Full width is only 6-8" wider. You'll like the extra width if you run 38s.

 

[jps4jeep]

I have low pinion, and I drag my pinion all over the place and It has yet to fail me, So I do not concern myself with a LP front axle for that reason. also the LP axle in forward will have the gears contacting on the coast side of the gear, not ideal, but highly doubt you will ever break anything. The Chevy D60, IIHO is a better axle than the ford for multiple reasons, larger caliper bore, larger wheel bearings and spindles, beefier factory knuckles, you can get aftermarket knuckles fairly easy, the aftermarket is now just starting to address the need for beefier ford knuckles. except for the carrier, there really are no similarities or interchangable parts between the ford or chevy axles.

the only other benefit I can think of for the ford over the chevy is that SRW hubs for the ford are very plentiful, any F250 TTB D50 front hub can be swapped onto a DRW ford D60. the chevy hubs used to be easy to find, I recall a couple years ago I paid $170 for two brand new hubs, rotors, studs and bearing sets from the dealership. About a year ago, they stoped making them. so they are getting scarce.

To add, I am installing chevy D60 my jeep. and a steering 14 bolt in my buggy using Chevy D60 parts and it as well is LP.

 

[jakec]

yea man i have a d44 front also that i was going to run at first but a few buddies convinced me otherwise. the main thing im worried about is breaking axles not the pinion im in florida so there aint many rocks here mostly mud. im gonna run 38s or 40s so axle sterength is my main concern. pinion angle factors in a little but i dont think that will be a problem either.

 

[rdtj]

i know a guy that might trade a 300 fr a 205