Dana 60 identification

[ramses]

Im looking for a Dana 60 front axle to put under my 73 3/4 ton truck thathas a Dana 44, but im having trouble finding one. It would help if I knew how to tell the difference between a Dana 60 and a Dana 44. A friend of mine just put 3/4 ton axles under his 1/2 ton truck and I think the front end may be a 60 that I could probly get from him if I was sure of it. Do Dana 60's all have "60" stamped on them like my 44 does on the bottom right truss? If not, what other ways could I tell the difference? The covers seem to look almost identical from pictures ive seen.

 

[sapper]

Yes they should be marked 60F, a big give away is that there are only three u bolts, the inside of the pass. side will have one and the other side of the spring plate is bolted into the housing /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

 

[big83chevy4x4]

yes it has the "60" in the same spot as your "44"
the cover is the same shape, but is alot bigger
it has 3 ubolts and 2bolt/studs instead of 4 ubolts
has king pins (4 studs holding cap on) instead of balljoints (1 big nut)
steering arm has 4 studs holding it on, instead of 3

if its a 3/4 ton then its not a d60.

 

[atho]

the easiest way to check (for me) is to see if it has a castle nut or a king pin cap on top of the knuckle. the 3 ubolt method works 99% of the time, until you find an oddball Dodge D44 with a 3 ubolt setup. /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif
(true story...I almost bought one that some guy had sitting in a pile of parts. He wanted $200 but didn't know what it was, I saw 3 ubolts and freaked. but then my dad pointed out that it had BJ, so I was crushed...until I got my $150 JY d60 ).

 

[ramses]

Ok I think the steering arm method works best for me now thanks. So how much would a Dana 60 in from a junkyard cost me ya think? In various states of repair how much? (like if it needed a ring and pinion)

 

[txfiremank5]

Most bone yards are pretty picked through for D60's... not to say that they are not out there, they're just very hard to find that way. Expect to pay anywhere from 750-1200 bucks for one, since it will likely be from someone who knows what he has, and knows what to ask for it.

 

[atho]

It depends...mine was $150, but apparently this junkyard owner doesnt know what D60's are worth. JK5 also bought a D60 from the same yard, for not that much more money, from under a K30. Mine is from a Dodge, but the truck it was under is long gone, and I found the axle buried in a pile of trash in the bed of an F250.

Usually the asking price is closer to $1000 from a junkyard, from what I have heard, and it gets more expensive the further out west you are.

fwiw, my axle needs new EVERYTHING. r&p, bearings, shafts, pretty much everything except the housing, outer knuckles, and drive flanges.