Anyone have some better ideas to do this other than cutting the spindles off and welding them back on? The housing is apparently too long to fit into a mill and won't round out in a lathe even if it will fit. I know there is a better way than chopping on it. Talk to me...

There is a tool available from Pro Fab (406)256-6348 to do this. They charge $350 for it. PM or email me next week and I'll tell you if I recommend getting it or not. :D

I talked to a machime shop about mine, and they were going to line bore it, then I found out that I had one of the nice 60's with 1.7" ID spindles.

I know you don't want to hear this, but I used a warn full float kit with my rear 60. I cut off the stock spindles and machined a flange out of 5" bar stock that we pressed in and welded into the ends of the housing that the warn spindle bolted onto. It worked great.

My bud did mine on a lathe with a drill bit, hard stuff to drill.

I'll just buy your tool when you're all finished, Kay? I just ran out and pulled a shaft hoping I might have a 1.7 spindle. Nope. But I do have some wonderful 16 spline shafts. What the hell? Actually, they looked beefier than 30 spline 60 shafts.

Cut them off and weld on 14bolt outters.

I'm not cutting on the 60. I am building this truck with absolutely no weak links to worry about. Yes, I know 8 million people have done it with no problems. But I am not going to.

I did it the hard way. You need a few things to do it this way though...
1) 1.5 dia adjustable reamer and tap handle
2) 2 cases of beer
3) buddies that like beer enough to work for it
4) about 5 hours

I started at 1.460 and it took a LOT of work and a Lot of time to go to 1.515 at .003 per pass.
Dave (Still hurting)

Uh, that doesn't sound like much fun, but it does sound like something I would try! Any chance you could hook up a power source to the reamer?

Originally posted by twistedmetal
I'm not cutting on the 60. I am building this truck with absolutely no weak links to worry about. Yes, I know 8 million people have done it with no problems. But I am not going to.

Hello. How do you think they are attached from the factory? You cut them off at the weld and reweld them back on. You are making way to big of a deal out of this.

find a shop with a Horizontal mill with a 4" spindle and get a 1.531 dia 3 flute or 4 flute core drill. have them indicate the housing in and drill it. rotate the table 180 degrees and drill. done. should take no more than an hours labor to set-up and do.

Eric

<<Uh, that doesn't sound like much fun, but it does sound like something I would try! Any chance you could hook up a power source to the reamer?>>
I tried a 3/4 drive drill but it wanted to rip my arms off. The best way would be on a mill/radial arm drill/lathe/etc... I'm a machinist and could have probably taken the housing to work and did it but you need a very Large lathe/mill to do it and I didnt feel like getting it there and finding out it didnt fit. Now that I think about it probably a small horizontal mill would have worked with the reamer. Just clamp the housing down in V-blocks and let the other end hang off into space.
Dave (needed the exercise anyway)

Originally posted by twistedmetal
I'll just buy your tool when you're all finished, Kay? I just ran out and pulled a shaft hoping I might have a 1.7 spindle. Nope. But I do have some wonderful 16 spline shafts. What the hell? Actually, they looked beefier than 30 spline 60 shafts.

I'll let you knwo when I'm done with it. It may (or may not) be for sale after I've done mine.

I just had a thought.......... so far the conclusion is: cut the spindles off, and ream, then re-weld..... or, use a big lathe..
And that lathe would have to have at least a 24" throw, because
from the axle centerline to the tip of the pinion it's about 10+ inches.....

or,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, make a fixture to "clamp" the axle
assembly onto the crossfeed of the lathe, then just run the
axle in/out to the chuck. which would be holding a 1.62"--ish
drill bit...............

then again, what the hell do I know............

(not very much)


--Sherpa

Cutting off the spindles and welding on 14 bolt spindles:idea:
I just had a great idea! I have one of those old 60's with small spindles and a 14bolt lying around. I am going to cut the 60 down, weld on 14 bolt spindles, put 14 bolt short shafts in both sides, machine 14 bolt side gears to fit in a 60 carrier, weld em, and I have a bad ass narrowed axle for super cheap!

I think I'm gonna make a special plate to bolt to the rear of the 60
housing, to attach it to the crossfeed on my lathe.... just to see
how it works.



---Sherpa

Originally posted by TJTRUBL
I did it the hard way. You need a few things to do it this way though...
1) 1.5 dia adjustable reamer and tap handle
2) 2 cases of beer
3) buddies that like beer enough to work for it
4) about 5 hours

I started at 1.460 and it took a LOT of work and a Lot of time to go to 1.515 at .003 per pass.
Dave (Still hurting)

OK, so if I buy two adjustable reamers:

Reamer Price List (http://www.blueridgemachinery.com/Pages56to65.pdf)

1 11/32 --> 1.5" for $42.50

and

1.5" --> 1 13/16" for $47.50

.. and use a regular T-style tap handle..

I can ream the spindles myself, but it'll take a day n' a half? :)

I wonder if I can stand the axle on end under my drill press.. might have to put the "floor mount" drill press on a bench I guess. :D

Another easy fix is to go to pick-a-pull and get a dana 70 housing and cut the spindle off and weld to your 60 housing and use factory 35 spline axles. If you use 2 sort sides axles if come out to be 63 in. If you want longer use the sort side and lond side it will be right around 641/2 in wide. It cheap and you can get 35 spline axles all day at pick-a-pull.

Originally posted by snipes
Another easy fix is to go to pick-a-pull and get a dana 70 housing and cut the spindle off and weld to your 60 housing and use factory 35 spline axles. If you use 2 sort sides axles if come out to be 63 in. If you want longer use the sort side and lond side it will be right around 641/2 in wide. It cheap and you can get 35 spline axles all day at pick-a-pull.

That is what I was going to do. I bored out my spindles and got 2 Dana 70 short shafts. They will still be 2" too long but I was just going to make 2" spacer on the end. It would have worked but I decided not to use it when I realized it would be like 7" narrower than my front axle.

Originally posted by tsm1mt


OK, so if I buy two adjustable reamers:

Reamer Price List (http://www.blueridgemachinery.com/Pages56to65.pdf)

1 11/32 --> 1.5" for $42.50

and

1.5" --> 1 13/16" for $47.50

.. and use a regular T-style tap handle..

I can ream the spindles myself, but it'll take a day n' a half? :)

I wonder if I can stand the axle on end under my drill press.. might have to put the "floor mount" drill press on a bench I guess. :D
You got it, I think the one I used was 1.5 and when you adjust it all the waydown it goes to like 1.460 with no tension on it. If you can make the press work you will be very happy. I didnt try that but it could work if you could get it high enough. Use lots of oil to keep the blades of the reamer cool and you should be fine.
Dave

Well, so far, the cutting and rewelding vote is winning. But, I just don't wanna! I think I'll shop around for a big ass lathe. I have a lot of burly friends, maybe they would turn that T-handle for me? For :beer: . Maybe :beer: :beer: :beer: . Whatever it takes, right?

By the way, tsm1mt? I totally dig the quote! I miss my Scout!

Which REAR Dana 60's came with spindles large enough to fit 35-spline shafts? I have a '78 Ford F-250 Crew Cab 2wd Rear 60 that is casted "60-HD" in the center section. But it has 30-spline shafts. Before I pull out the calipers and measure, who thinks that this has the big spindles?

Cochese,
I just pulled a 79 RC D60 Front and D60Rear nope. My d60 rear had 30 spline small spindles ~1.38" No luck here.

Quick question, will the spindles be strong enough after they are bored out?
Rearend specialties ( San Jose shop that does ALOT of axle work) said they will be to thin after reaming them large enough.
Anybody beat up on spindles that have been bored out?

I think the big bore spindles have the same OD as the small bore spindles.....so I would say there should be no difference in strength based on size.

Afriend of mine works in a machine shop.
We are going to tackle the bopring of the spindles next week
I'll take some photos and report back.

Originally posted by wsilva
Quick question, will the spindles be strong enough after they are bored out?
Rearend specialties ( San Jose shop that does ALOT of axle work) said they will be to thin after reaming them large enough.
Anybody beat up on spindles that have been bored out?

What Eric said:D....most people who haven't done this or doesn't have a lot of experience with D60s will prolly say this...even in the September issue of Petersens when they did what Ghetto Rig is doing they had doubts about the strength with their fullsize rig but they went to moab and beat on them and they were just fine:rolleyes:

my rear Dana 61 came with small shafts but the spindles were drilled for 1.5" shafs... i got D70 shafts within 1/8" of my original 61 shafts and a 35 spline spool, a ring gear spacer and was set
no mods required

Originally posted by wsilva
Quick question, will the spindles be strong enough after they are bored out?
Rearend specialties ( San Jose shop that does ALOT of axle work) said they will be to thin after reaming them large enough.
Anybody beat up on spindles that have been bored out?


Now that sounds like something that "Rear-End Destroyers"
would say...........

DOH.......the OD of both spindles are exactly the same.

infact, the OD of a dana 80 spindle is the same, but the
ID of that spindle is even bigger than the hd 60. which is
around 1.62"

--Sherpa


And my d-60HD came with 35 spline shafts stock..........