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Help please. Ford D60 questions.

C

crazyorigin

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I have found a parts truck for cheap, it has a pair of what i am 90% sure is a pair od Dana 60's and an NP205 case. The truck is a 78 or 79 Ford 1-ton. The front axle is not a High Pinion.

Are the front non high pinion axles basicaly the same ad the High Pinion ones besides the pinion position? I plan on gutting the axles and replacing evreything with good aftermarket pieces, i just want to make sure if i get these they are not gonna be crap. The last chassis/drivetrain i bought turned out to be some old junk not any better than the 1/2 ton axles under my truck now. The axles and t-case will be going under my 87 project, hopefully a dovorced t-case too.

I have been searching for a Chevy/GMC truck with the axles, but cannot find any for as cheap as i'de like. I dont mind having to fabricate the mounts for these, and have been thinking of doind a custom suspension anyways, i have lots of time =P The truck i found is cheap, i figure as long as the front axle isnt total crap.

Thanks for any help, before i drag this thing home i want to make sure it will be worth it this time.
 
few things dont add up on the info provided for the correct axle. pics would be best.

and if true 78-79 dana 60 its a bolt in to a chevy other than drivers drop tcase required.
 
how many bolts are holding the steering arm on? you should know how to ID a d60 before going out to look for one. all ford d60 are high pinion also.

you said it is a 78-79 1 ton. if it is, then it should be a high pinion d60. but like sweetk30 said, it doesn't add up.
 
I will take another look at them, it was a couple months ago when i looked at them last. I am pretty sure it was not a high pinion front end, it is an old railroad service truck. I'll try to get some pics too.
 
Now that i am looking for some Ford front d60's online, maybe it is a high pinion, i really gotta get back up on the hill and check this heap out. The high pinion d60's arent offset as high as i originaly thought they were. Thanks for the help, the cover and nuckles looked like d60 pieces to me, the truck is rusty, but all i reamy want arer the acles and t-case, i know the case is a np205. I'll dig out the camera and snow shovel.
 
They did have low pinion 60's but I think only in 77 at least the truck I saw had one in it and it was a 77. All three of the HP60 I have had came out of 78-79. The HP's are stronger the LP is the same as a chevy just other side.
 
I want to say the only year of the low pinion was 75, and that was in a crew cab only. Dunno how true that is.
 
According to FSB sources, the front D60 was not installed on Ford trucks until 1979. At that time, it was available on F250s, with the Snow Fighter package, and standard on the F350. Scrape off the gunk on the driver side FRONT of the axle tube. There will be a BOM number. Decode that number on the internet, and it will tell you exactly what the axle is.
 
I have seen with my own little eyes at my neighbors house a low pinion 60 in his truck I will even get some pictures of it.
 
you do that. get some of the brakes, knuckles, inner and outer c's, steering arms.


it won't be the desireable one everyone wants.
 
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IIRC, the low pinion 60 looks like any other Dana 60, just low pinion driver drop. I've never seen one, just from a pic and what I've been told.

And the high pinion didn't come out in 79, I had several from 78. 77.5 was techinally the first year...
 
I have done a good bit of research, and from what i remember seeing it was a low pinion d60. I am definetly still learning all of this, but arent we all? This is by far my biggest automotive project yet, basicaly my first "real" customization. For $300 for the whole truck, possibly a matching pair of Dana 60's, an NP205, and god knows what boat anchor of a Ford motor/trans is in it. I am definetly learning as i go, the only way to learn how to do it is to actualy do it.
 
I plan on scrapping evreything but the axles and t-case, and linkages and other handy items. The truck is totaly shot, a real Upstate NY rustbucket, all i realy want to start with are some axle housings and a good t-case, for $300 i cant go wrong, but i did think that last time i bought a $300 chassis for the same parts, haha. I am also hopefully bringing up a 2wd GMC Shotbox from Texas in the nex couple weeks, i need a new DD, i'll feel bad subjecting it to the NY salt, but i love driving these old GM trucks, and my 4x4 is gonna be out of comision for a while, work is cutting back overtime/staff, and the economy in general is crappy. I'm gonna try to get some pics of these axles in the next week.
 
Since no one's said it a D60 rear isn't all that super great or anything. You'd be better off with a 14FF.
 
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