Hope somebody can give me some good ideas because i can't figure out what to do. I "scored" a Dana 70 rear and 60 front for cheap from an 89 Dodge 2500 Cummins. It turns out the rear is a weird 70 that only takes 3.08 gears, nothing else. Also, the front is actually a 61. It's got 35 spline inners and all that but the lowest ratio available is 4.10.
So I go back out to the yard and find a 2001 Dodge Dana 70 that actually will take different gears. It's a stripped housing- it has the center with guts and the tubes, no shafts, drums, backing plates. Can I and would it be worth changing tubes between the two, considering I'm into these for dirt cheap? Then the 35 spline shafts, drums, etc off the POS 70 would still work. Or just say screw it and go 14 bolt.
Then there's that front 61. Anybody figured out if you can make a 61 run 60 parts? I need 4.88's and if I can't hack a fix with these axles I'm out a ton of cash, good 60's are real hard to find cheap around here.
Anybody have some experience with this junk?

do a search I believe I've seen this topic before

Thanks, I already tried searching- on a few different computers, and I couldn't get the search function to work.
Anyone care to shed some light on the subject, or point a link to the old thread?

Cant help you on the 70 but it seems unlikely that there are no options. Call Randy's ring and Pinion.

Also give Randy's a shout on the 61. There is a shim to put between the ring gear and the case that will allow you to run 60 gears in it from what I have recently learned. I wish I had known that a few months ago. Would have made my search a bit easier.

Ed

I faced the same delima D60 / 70 from a '90 Dodge 1 ton with 3.04 gears. Turns out the 60 was a 61. I talked to guy in CA named Sandy, and he had a great deal of knowledge about 61's. Camo recommended him... He said it was possible to run 4.56 but it would take some custom machining of the gear spacer etc... I found a GM D60 housing and used it instead of the 61. Everything fits with exception of the short side shaft is about 1.5" too short. Inner shafts are $80 from spicer.

Regards

MT

MT
i run the axles from a 90 dodge
you are saying that the long side is same as chev? only the short side differs?

VeloCJ,
I am no axle guru or anything but I am unaware that dana made a special 70 housing equivilent of a 61 high gear only
is the carrier the difference they told you about?
the dodge 70 runs goofy 32 spline axles but you can go as low as 4.56 with a detroit using stock axleshafts. i bought replacement dana shafts to go with my 35 spline 4.88 geared detroit from rieder racing. I believe my axles had 3.54 though i never even looked.

MJ, that is correct my short side inner was 1.5" shorter but the long side was the same. One other thing was different on the D61 the mounting location for the tie rod on the knuckles is about 2" higher than the GM knuckle. Everything else was identical.

MT

I am photo documenting my cross over so will have images of the knuckles fully disassembled and cleaned, I will have to find pictures of other knuckles to compare tie rod mounting.
I cant remove my tie rod ends without pulling the knuckles or unthreading the tie rod out of them due to how close they are to the springs. i never thought to compare to a chev piece.

thank you for the info

just found a ford dif pic and my tie rod is way higher then that

http://bbs.off-road.com/wwwthreads_uploads/18-588735-frontend.jpg

http://coloradok5.com/boyce/boycehub.jpg
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/004/Gp/4b/ep/Ga40915.jpg
bottom one is my dodge

http://wsphotofews.excite.com/012/y0/sE/GD/Gv58274.jpg

Hmmmm.....interesting. My brothers 90 Cummins TD uses a true 60 fornt as far as i can tell. 3.54 gears, 35 spline inners and 30 spline outers. His rear 70 uses 35 spline shafts, not the 32 mentioned.

Is it possible that there is variation in the same year and truck model. I wouldn't put it past Chrysler.

Is your's stamped 60 or 61 on the center section? My bro's is stamped 60, I'm fairly certain.

Andy

Hey, thanks everyone for the replies. The BOM number of the 70 is 605311-1. I called Randy's, DTI, finally Spicer tech line and they all said the same thing, boat anchor. I said screw it and got a 14 bolt with 4.10's to match the deepest ratio I'll be able to fit in the front. I called Randy's asking about a ring gear spacer and they didn't know anything about it. Dana did make a 4.56 at one point but it's been discontinued. The part number was 706-661-8X. That's above the carrier break though so I don't know if it uses a regular 60 carrier at that point or modify the numerically low 61 carrier.
As for ID'ing the 61. It is not cast into one of the webs like a 44 would be. It's on the passenger side of the pinion support a few inches forward of the yoke on the vertical flat surface and says "61F".
Hope some of this info can help someone who gets similar axles inadvertently.
As for my Jeep, I'm gonna run 4.10's and 38's with the T-18 and let the 401 do its torque thing. If it's not enough I guess D20 low range gears. I wish it was a real 60 but you can't touch 'em around here. :confused:
Anyway, thanks again for the help.

I thought I was snagging a 60F and it turned out to be a 61 instead too. Bought it anyway and plan to machine the carrier to accept 5.38s up from the current 3.07s. Donor was a '90 Ram 2500 diesel. Similar problem; that's all I could find in passenger-side drop. Found a Ford HP 60F from a '79 for $150 but am going to sell it.

i wouldnt waste my time with a poopy 70 and a 61, jiMMy

Hey Slagburn, Where are you located in Northern Colorado? Two weeks from today I leave for Laramie, WY and I'm bringing my Scrambler. I'll be there for a year while I'm finishing my last year of school. Hopefully we can get together for some wheelin.

10-4,
Justin

the early dodge 3/4 ton diesel didn't have a overdrive, so they used the 3.07 gears. look for the trucks with a stick, not a auto. i have a 35 spline chevy 60 front without any knuckles.
mike

Yeah, you can get gears for a 61. Randy's has them and I've seen a couple of other places advertise on the web. All the rest of the parts are same as a regular 60. You can use any full-carrier locker (Detroit, ARB, etc.) with the 4.10-down offset (obviously any lunchbox-type if so inclined also). You can run any 60 gearset in a 61 with a ring gear spacer.

I've got that same BOM 70 (just with a -2 for powerloc). You can easily run a Detroit and up to-including 4.56's; just a matter of the right combination of parts. You *should* also be able to run other 70 gears with a spacer, although I've never seen this documented.
Don't know who you talked to at Randy's but ask for Bryce (x5561). He knows this stuff, and isn't afraid to pull the books when you ask a new question.

As for my Jeep, I'm gonna run 4.10's and 38's with the T-18 and let the 401 do its torque thing. If it's not enough I guess D20 low range gears. I wish it was a real 60 but you can't touch 'em around here. :confused:
Anyway, thanks again for the help. [/B]

My friend ran his CJ7 with 38.5x11 Boggers, 401, t-18 and 3.73's. It ran really nice! If you want, PM me and I can send you his e-mail addy!

Dana 61 front end?

WHY?! :confused:

No, not you. I meant why did Dodge do that?

Beats the heck out of me?...
I just happened to stop in a small-town junk yard in Texas and they had a 61F (power ram 250 actually). I only noticed it a moment or so before it got loaded but in my searching, anything 60 or 61 is almost impossible to find. The yard guy had it as a 60, not a 61. This one had thrown the carrier cross shaft, letting loose all the differential gears and thus slamming a spider gear into the diff cover from within hard enough to break the pinion yoke!

offoad that dodgy 61 :flipoff2:

send it down under, i will use it....3.05? i dont care!!

Reider racing makes a ring gear spacer for the Dana 61 that I believe will allow you to use Dana 60 gear sets & also Detroits intended for Dana 60's.

http://www.reiderracing.com/ringspacer.htm

Tom