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Dana 60 swap done!

Larry

Largarto Rancher & Tumbleweed Farmer
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A windy corner of a dirty street: Pueblo West, CO
Not that Dana 60 swap threads are anything new around here but this D60 swap thread is my favorite as it is finally mine!:haha: Hell, it only took 16 years of the K10 ownership to finally join the front Dana 60 club and I probably still wouldn’t be a member if it wasn’t for Mosesburb and his well-tuned nose that tends to sniff out good deals of the metal variety. I never even noticed this axle on in the classified section or on Craigslist. For years I searched for a Dana 60 but refused to pay ~$1000 for a ragged out used axle that would have probably had the wrong gear ratio and probably would have had dual wheel hubs. But for $1200 it was too good to pass up being it was a brand NOS single wheel axle with the correct gear ratio (4:56) to match the rear. Good job birddog Nick! I guess you can say that I have joined the “74” club now (14 bolt rear/D60 front = 74) :haha:

I have to say this Dana 60 was the easiest swap for such an upgrade in brute strength. Unfortunately, this upgrade in strength also means a downgrade in traction for the K10 as the outgoing Dana 44 was fitted with a Detroit TruTrac. The D60 is currently open but hope to add an ARB to the front and rear in the near future.

Fresh out of the box
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This wax paper tag was wire tied to steering arm
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Nothing new to you guys but still a neat comparo of the D60 next to the D44 that I had just refreshed to go into the Polar Bear. The D60 is huge…and heavy!
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Neat comparison picture of the D60 next to the D44. King pins vs. ball joints, different tie-rod mounting, etc. Its not everyday you find two clean axles next to each other for a family portrait
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Out with the Dana 44
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Crappy cell picture
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After spraying some fresh paint on the leaf springs the D60 was rolled under
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Used a real camera for the rest of the picture take’n
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Even the driveshaft was a direct fit. I did have to score a different set of U-joint straps as the D44 uses the flat strap while the D60 uses the Ubolt type strap.
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Superwinch hubs. I love these… ¼ turn to lock or unlock, durable and cost much less than Warn hubs.
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ORD raise steering arm block and brake lines. I love their brake lines!
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Poor ole D44 in the corner. Anybody need a good used D44? 4:56, TruTrac’d, 2 year old ball joints and all new bearings. Actually, I am thinking of pulling the TruTrac out and stuffing it in the Polar Bear Burb now that it has a D44 in the front. I would have just used this entire axle for the Burb but the 14 FF that went into the Burb was 4:10 and I didn’t feel like spending $400 to regear yet another 14 bolt to 4:56.
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All that is left is to bleed the brakes, bolt on tires, drive it up and down the street to set the steering wheel then ready for the trail. Ah, wait....will probably have to add a zero rate to the rear spring packs next as the D60 will make it sit a bit taller.
 
Very cool. Everytime.one of those new ones pops up I wish I.could get and just set aside for a rainy day.

Looks, as always, all your work
 
Thanks guys! I forgot to mention that I tore it down and repacked bearings and replaced seals before stuffing it in the truck. Glad I did too as that 22 year old grease was pretty stiff. The stuff even smelled weird. If anybody else scores one of these NOS axles I highly recommend tearing it down to do the same. It would be a tragedy to destroy a brand new axle stub and hub over old grease.

It was also a good time to use a biscuit sander to get the cosmoline off the rotors.

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Sweet. I really like the comparative pictures of the axles side by side.


Never heard of the 74 deal though.
 
Wow what a score on the 60. Like mr250 said, I wasn't sure I could like your rig anymore than I already did, but I sure do now. :waytogo: Definitley one of my top 5 favorites on CK5.
 
Thanks for the kind words guys! :waytogo:

nice. Was this a surplus gov axle?

Yeah, this is a NOS CUCV axle.

Got the brakes bleed last night and steering wheel all set then ran it to the car wash today. I swear it steers and has better road manors now with the added unsprung weight. :dunno:

The ole dog never got a good bathing and rub down after the last fishing/trail riding trip in early October. Because I am a picture wh0re and the fact the wife got a new camera plus it was such a beautiful day it was a good excuse to snap some new beauty shots today.

Now don’t be getting the notion just because it has shinny paint that it is just a mall crawler. Those that know me from here and other forums know this truck gets used and abused but overly maintained. What you can’t see in these pictures is the desert pin-striping in the paint (this color of blue really hides a lot), gouges in the fender flares and chunks missing out of the tires. In the pictures above you can see how the bumper is pretty beat up along the bottom :haha:

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The D60 hub do stick out much further than a D44, especially with the tall skinny meats bolted on.
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Looks like the next project is to get the zero rate installed in the rear as it is a bit low in the rear. Once the tanks and fridge are loaded it will really be on its ass. I picked up a set of leaf spring center pin bolts yesterday so installing the zero rates is this weekends project.
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Just playing with the camera wishing this was someplace out in the AZ/UT desert instead of my yard :haha:
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There hasn't been any fresh engine pictures lately so today was as good as day as any to snap a few
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Yes, I am a nerd to have a decal like this made. Its all in the details :haha:
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Family portrait
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Jealous. Truck looks awesome.

I'd jump on a D60 deal like that too....but after the mess that was my axle swap, don't think i'll jump on rebuilding one myself.
 
Man i sooo love that you are a pic whore! Its a sickness/obsession, but i can look at even "mundane" pics like this all day! Let alone the over all beauty shots! I often find myself looking on craigslist just to look at truck pictures...

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Thanks dude! Actually, I am indeed a picture whore but I got lots of nervous energy going on. Get this, all of this project progress will be slowing down in the coming months because we just found out after 20 years together and 14 years of marriage, we are expecting our first bundle of joy. We just learned this Monday! We are so excited I can’t even explain it. I really wish my dad was still alive to be here for this. I’m 40 and wife is 38 so we have our fingers and toes crossed for a healthy and uneventful pregnancy and delivery. This will be a huge change to our life for sure but we are so excited! Did I mentioned we are excited?! :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Got a bunch of shop projects lined up to get done before the little one shows up so I have been busy ordering parts and what not for the NV4500 swap into the Polar Bear and a few other things. Hopefully, I’ll get the 8.1L stuffed into the Polar Bear by then too but it will be a close race.
 
Congratulations man! I have a hunch im going to be in the same boat. Im 26 and my wife is 24 and both of us want kids but neither of us are ready. Im really happy for you! Thats going to be a lucky kid to have a dad that takes him out in the country in an old chevy! I know thats how i was brought up and i couldn't be happier about it! With the exception of this dern obsession!!! Could be worse, I could be obsessed with fords!
 
Nice! I see you have the hickey hidden winch also. Did you have to drill holes into the frame to install it?
 
Congratulations man! I have a hunch im going to be in the same boat. Im 26 and my wife is 24 and both of us want kids but neither of us are ready. Im really happy for you! Thats going to be a lucky kid to have a dad that takes him out in the country in an old chevy! I know thats how i was brought up and i couldn't be happier about it! With the exception of this dern obsession!!! Could be worse, I could be obsessed with fords!

Thanks buddy! Ya, being obsessed for Fords would just be wrong.


Nice! I see you have the hickey hidden winch also. Did you have to drill holes into the frame to install it?

Heck, I don’t remember for sure. If I recall correctly the Hickey used existing holes in the frame. It’s been several years, a few project vehicles and a million mods ago on this truck since that Sidewinder got mounted. :haha:
 
Simple Things

Funny how the simplest of things can make such a big difference. When I installed this 8.1L almost 5 years ago I bought an engine cover for an early 8.1L. I also did not want to run electronic throttle on this truck (I am not a big fan of unnecessary electrical BS) so I used a L29 7.4L mechanical throttle body instead of the electric 8.1L TB. Unfortunately, the clearance for the cable to bend round the oil fill tube was pretty sketchy resulting in a stiff gas pedal. In helping guy on a different forum with an 8.1L swap into his project he mentioned the later 8.1L had a different cover and oil fill tube with a bend in it which should help with the mechanical TB cable routing. I never knew that as vehicles my company builds do not use engine covers on any of the chassis we built with 8.1L engines. Man it made a huge difference! The gas pedal is much easier to step on now! Sure I could have run it without a cover all these years but 8.1L engines are horribly ugly without them. :rolleyes:

BEFORE: 2001-2003 Engine cover and oil fill tube. The cable working angle wasn’t desirable but worked fine for 15,000 miles. It looks like the cable is rubbing on the tube but it wasn’t although you couldn’t side a hair between the cable and tube.
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AFTER: 2004-2010 Engine cover and oil fill tube.
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Early cover on the left. Late design on the right.
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Best $60 spent and 10 minutes of labor used in a while. I am sure it will be much more capable off-road now. :haha:
 
I love the 8.1 and love how clean your conversion is.
I read it sometime ago....don't even remember where. So cool your putting a 8.1 in the burb also.

I hope one day to be able to get my hands on one for either one of my projects.
 
Yep, I always loved the 8.1L. When my 7.4 kicks the bucket I will for sure bore/stroke it up to that level. I already ported my heads and got the top end ready for it, just it refuses to blow up already. haha.

Beautiful truck btw, that 8.1 swap is not even swap looking, it looks like it was a factory option.
 
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