Would I be stupid to not jump on a D60 rear for $100?

[homemadesin]

I wasn't planning on doing the 1 ton thing yet, but I may have found a deal on a D60 rear from a 2 wheel drive truck. From what I've seen in previous posts, it would be a steal. I just thought I'd ask before jumping in....

 

[Greg72]

Troy,

You might be getting confused about which end the D60 needs to go on!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

A "typical" 1-Ton conversion is a 14BFF rear and a D60 front axle. From my own experience, rear D60s aren't that hard to find....(I've seen a few in junkyards myself)

For a rear D60, I'm not even sure that it's a full-floater design. I know it's 8-Lug, but can't recall if it's got that hub that sticks through the wheel. I suspect that it doesn't and that MAY be why it's not a common swap.....plus the 14BFFs are SO cheap and plentiful and strong it's hard to make an arguement for installing anything else!!! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[Ryan B.]

Those dana 60 rears are supposed to be pretty common like the 14ff.
I believe they come in both semi float and full floater versions. If it has the hubs sticking out where the axles bolt to the hub, then it is a full floater.
If you look at the big picture it also depends what gears are in it and what you want, you might be looking at doing a gearswap. Depending on what its out of and since its 2wd you're gonna most likely be relocating the spring perches and shock mounts.
Another factor is the size of the ring gear for a Dana 60 rear is 9.75". A 14ff is 10.5" which is comparable to a Dana 70 rear with a 10.54" ring gear.

Think about the big picture and what you want.
My $100 14ff i picked up... I've completely rebuilt it with new bearings, changed gears & put a detroit in it, 1410 yoke and disk brakes. That cheap axle soon has over $1000 into it before its ready to go in. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif

 

[jasonkh2tg]

100 bucks for a D60 rear yea it's a good deal..Even if it wansen't a full float and was going into a car it would be a good deal, but that's another story...there are a lot of things that factor in...First do you really need 1 ton stuff y or n....or If I swap in a D60 FF 8 lug from a mopar or ford then you need to make sure you have matching gears both front and rear....also you must be willing to convert the front to 8 lug...and if you convert the front to 8 lug it still won't be a 1T tell you put in a Dana 60...

 

[homemadesin]

Ok, I am confused. One of these days, I'll figure it out. All the req's to go 1 ton is over my head. I haven't found the need to 1T yet, but I thought it could've been the start of something. I guess I'll try to beef up the stock stuff....

 

[Burt4x4]

I run a D60SF rear. It's by far not a stock D60. I have MarkWillams 6lug axels, power-lok & 1410 yoke. One thing that a D60, well actually two things a D60 has over a 14bolt is lighter weight and better gound clearance. BUTT there are things you can do to a 14bolt to make it better. Shaving and disk brakes.
Sounds like you have alot of planing to do before you run out and start buying parts.
The best starting point would be to ask yourself...Self, what do I want to use my rig for? Self, what is the BIGGEST tire I want to run. 1/2 ton running gear in good shape with some beffy parts can handel up to 35" tires but I wouldn't go much taller...
Extream Rock crawling?
Massive Mud Monster?
Camping/Hunting/easy trail riding/family truckster
I built mine for the ability to do some of the harder trails and halling my camping gear plus taking the family on road trips to far away places.
Once you start to build you ain't never gonna beable to stop!! It is ver addicting...well for me anyway.

 

[Ryan B.]

[ QUOTE ]
Once you start to build you ain't never gonna beable to stop!! It is very addicting...well for me anyway.

[/ QUOTE ]

Naaa it's not just you burt. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/pimp1.gif /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

There's nothing special about a D60 rear. A 14 bolt SF is approximately the same strength and will bolt straight into your rig. If it's a full floating D60 rear, that would be nice, I suppose, but really there's no reason to run a D60 over a 14 bolt full floater. Youc an get lower geas for it, but you can get 5.13s for a 14 FF, I can't imagine why, other than pulling, you'd want anything lower than that.

 

[Anthony72K5]

Depends on why you want the Dana 60.

If you have gears or lockers for it already then it isn't a bad idea.

It doesn't have much better ground clearance than a 14 bolt, and it will most likely be harder to set up on your truck than a 14FF.

A thing to remember is that most 14FF have 4.10 gears, so you might be able to get one and install it without a gear change in the rear.