Finally bought a front 60:D
But I found out the two holes that are tapped on the spring pad mounting surface look kinda shitty:confused:
My options are:
a) Find someone to fill ( weld up )the holes and retap the threads
b) Heli coil ( kinda shaky on that idea )
c) Drill and tap to a bigger bolt size

Anyone run into this and repaired it or know a shop ( Bay area ) thats repaired these before?

Any ideas?

dont bother with those studs you should u bolt it. i will be doing mine this weekend in livermore if you want to come check out how i do it its cool. just bring some:beer:

try keenserts (sp?)

Dont even F%@K with those stupid studs. They will eventually pull out or break again. Definetly U-bolt that side too. There are a few different ways to do it. Sorry no pics, but you can drill a hole in the webbing on the backside of housing, and notch the bottom of diff web to accept a long u-bolt. Or drill hole in front webbing, and feed u-bolt in sideways "under housing right next to about center of the diff". Either way is good. I know someone who sells, u-bolts, new spring plate, as a kit, e-mail me and I will send u his info. Its what I run. Ricktard94@aol.com

That 60 is not worth shit now, maybe $100.

well poop if you all are doing this send me your damn spring plate, my threads are fine just need teh proper plate and im all good! jiMMy

Originally posted by The Jerk
well poop if you all are doing this send me your damn spring plate, my threads are fine just need teh proper plate and im all good! jiMMy

lol:D :D :D :D :D
Only problem your spring plates have is the the proper torque on the bolts.

i have my own system, 2-3 grunts = 40-60 ft lbs! and so on! gues si need to figure out a new ratio then! jiMMy

your 2-3 grunts must equal about 3 pounds. Remember me unscrewing one with my hand?

Originally posted by Keith
That 60 is not worth shit now, maybe $100.

Whose is, mine or u just punking Highlander? :D

BTW, The Jerk, I got a Pass-side diff spring plate that will fit from a Dodge Dana60"mine". If u want it let me know!

If you're not keen on notching the webbing (I wasn't) you should be able to pick up a cast piece from Ford the fits over the D60 webbing by the diff. I looked at mine and see no reason why it wouldn't work on a chevy.

It's just a small cast piece that fits over the webbing, contours to the housing, and has 4 holes in it. You can notch it and run square u-bolts upside down, or run it the way it came (square u-bolts, nuts down:D ) I worried about notching that webbing and after a axle builder warned against it I decided to go this route. Something about possible cracking the housing on my $2500 axle made me wat to :barf: . I know it might be a rare occurence, but it would happen to me because of this trange thing called bad luck:)

Bigdude, I was intrigued by that idea and had the Ford dealer fax me some pics. Is there any way you could take a shot of your axle? I don't know how accurate the drawings in the fax are, but it shows more or less a completely round area of the diff casting with a flat perch cast in the top. My Dodge 60 looks way different than the fax, the piece would have to have lots more contours than a simple round channel.
I'm in the same boat- for proper pinion angle I had to redo the spring perch for 17 degrees off the factory flat, and though the studs are fine it just doesn't look right. I don't want to cut through the webbing either.

Your not gonna crack the freaking housing with a hole the size of a nickel in the outer web. Our competition jeep with a Dynatrac front D60 has it this way, and the same rig has competed in ARCA "getting 3rd overall", and currently Pro-Rock......Thank u Mr Paule:D
http://www.allprooffroad.com/xtoys/farm2002prorock/day1/9748.jpg

Originally posted by Ricktard
Your not gonna crack the freaking housing with a hole the size of a nickel in the outer web. Our competition jeep with a Dynatrac front D60 has it this way

I'm not saying it would definitely happen, but the thought of it made me stay away, sorry. Although it might never happen you can not deny that the housing is physically weakened when you notch the webbing. So what if it's not much at all, technically it's true;)

Slagburn- I'll take a closer look at it tonight and try to get some digi pics to email you or somebody for posting. I'm not saying it would definitely fit, but we'll figure it out. The piece goes on the bottom of the housing and it isn't round all the way through. It has open spaces and the piece is slotted for the webbing off the bottom of the 60. The inside contact (housing) patch is slotted for the webbing as is the outside (I think) which sits on the housing also (round portion that the tube is pressed into). This piece is off a '79 F350 HP60.

I knew the PBB would have some answers , thanks to all except Keith :flipoff2: ya smatazz!!!

Mossberg : PM your # and I'll try to make Livermore

Ricktard : I'll Email you for the info.

Bigdude : I'd like to see pices if you can get them.


Cheers to ya:beer: ( except Keith )

Some turkey took the digi-cam yesterday from work so I couldn't get it. I'll get it this morning and snap some pics because I drove the beast to work. Who can I email them to to post for these guys?

Originally posted by bigdude
Some turkey took the digi-cam yesterday from work so I couldn't get it. I'll get it this morning and snap some pics because I drove the beast to work. Who can I email them to to post for these guys?

Send them to me, and I'll post 'em here.

hey i c my jeep...and ricktard is right my axle is notched and doesnt have a single problem but ohh well.....its only been in about 20 comps and hasnt cracked yet but im sure its about to:rolleyes: and keith im sure my front end is only worth a 100 bucks huh:rolleyes:

Originally posted by rockracer
hey i c my jeep...and ricktard is right my axle is notched and doesnt have a single problem but ohh well.....its only been in about 20 comps and hasnt cracked yet but im sure its about to:rolleyes:

Why give the rolly eyes because someone decides to do something different than you? You big meanie :flipoff2:

I'm heading out to take pics now and I'll send them to you in a few Aggro

big dudes pics:

had to resize...

but you can still get the idea...

Aggro / Bigdude : thanks for the pics,

How about welding studs into the housing? Anyone done this?

I busted off another set of studs on my Dodge W250 D60 front and I'm not having any success retrieving them with conventional means, such as those detailed in: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187185

Anybody actually try bigdude's cast underplate with success? I have a Ford Dana 60 up against the wall in the garage and may have the cast bottom plate as pictured, in the box of parts that came along with the axle, but I can't see it fitting, since the plane that connects the center axis of the two Dodge studs intersects with at least two of the diff cover retention bolts.

I don't have the garage expansion wired well enough for the weld-a-nut copper-sleeve trick that I used last time this happened, either. :rolleyes:

Those last Dodge-dealer studs lasted me all of a calendar year, and I was anal about retorquing them. :( Mebbe U-bolts *are* a superior solution...

Randii

Originally posted by Garza


Whose is, mine or u just punking Highlander? :D

BTW, The Jerk, I got a Pass-side diff spring plate that will fit from a Dodge Dana60"mine". If u want it let me know!

Hey Garza, I'll take that Dodge D60 Pass. side spring plate if Jimmy (the Jerk) doesn't! Need one bad!! let me know

Thanks
Jeff

Originally posted by Highlander
How about welding studs into the housing? Anyone done this?

Exactly what I just did. I dont know how long it will last. But I'm not a total freak on the skinny pedal and thought WTF, try this first. If this dont work, gunna do the Ford cast piece thing. I'll report in when it breaks. (notice I said when :D )

Got a lame little write up and pics here:

http://www.rps4wd.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1077499677

I have several of those Ford plates if you need 'em.

They do fit a chevy housing and work quite well in this application.

Originally posted by randii
I busted off another set of studs on my Dodge W250 D60 front and I'm not having any success retrieving them with conventional means, such as those detailed in: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187185

Anybody actually try bigdude's cast underplate with success? I have a Ford Dana 60 up against the wall in the garage and may have the cast bottom plate as pictured, in the box of parts that came along with the axle, but I can't see it fitting, since the plane that connects the center axis of the two Dodge studs intersects with at least two of the diff cover retention bolts.

I don't have the garage expansion wired well enough for the weld-a-nut copper-sleeve trick that I used last time this happened, either. :rolleyes:

Those last Dodge-dealer studs lasted me all of a calendar year, and I was anal about retorquing them. :( Mebbe U-bolts *are* a superior solution...

Randii

Get rid of those puny 9/16" studs and drill/tap up to 5/8". The stock studs on a chevy 60 are 5/8", where the dodge ones are 9/16". Clean out the holes real good and slather the red loctite on the housing side of the studs. I did this on mine and I have never had any problems. You have two evils working against you- I used to have problems with the nuts loosening when I used anything other than the oem cast spring plate. (dodge doesn't use a cast plate, it's stamped/bent mild steel) Also on the dodge 60f's the stud holes are located closer together than the chevy so they have more leverage working against them.
You could redrill and tap to the chevy dimensions and use a chevy cast spring plate- that may help. I am leery of the ubolt idea since I have seen a few housings die when the casting webs were grooved for the ubolt.

Originally posted by Grendel
I have several of those Ford plates if you need 'em.


You dont need them, make your own. This way you don't have to run with the bolt side down on the u bolts. Mine was made with a Warrior spring perch and some plate. I'll run a squared u bolt with the nuts on top with a spring plate.

***axle upside down in this pic****
http://www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album250/MVC_415S.jpg

http://www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album250/MVC_416S.jpg

goign to make simlar stuff to that last 2 images..

but i was wondering if u are susposed to have something on the leafs rippled stuff so that u bolt wont be sliding around?? will try find that in my local part store hopefully they will have something..

and not going to cost me arm and leg

Originally posted by DanB
goign to make simlar stuff to that last 2 images..

but i was wondering if u are susposed to have something on the leafs rippled stuff so that u bolt wont be sliding around?? will try find that in my local part store hopefully they will have something..

and not going to cost me arm and leg

I'm not really sure what you're asking, but I just made some spring plates last night that will sit above the leaf springs. They have holes in them for the center pin and the u bolts will go through them.

ohhh ok.. well i was thinking of what i have in my 14 bolt rear axle..

some metal peice to make the u bolt stay.. with centering pin.. instead of having a plate.. i will ask that spring shop on monday while they make me new u bolts for 20 bux (for 2.. nice guy)

last time i went to local part store.. 35 or something :(

Originally posted by DanB
ohhh ok.. well i was thinking of what i have in my 14 bolt rear axle..

some metal peice to make the u bolt stay.. with centering pin.. instead of having a plate.. i will ask that spring shop on monday while they make me new u bolts for 20 bux (for 2.. nice guy)

last time i went to local part store.. 35 or something :(


Okay I finished the spring plates and bolted them up. I mismeasured the hole spacing a little so I'll probably remake them. They're 1/4" plate and I might use 3/8s this time around. But anyway you should get the idea now.
http://www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album191/ubolt0001.jpg

allrighty thanks for the pics but i was planning on mounting them other side down.. also did u weld that bracket to your axle?

people are saying its cast u should be heating it up and use nickel rod

im not a expert welder so i might get some guy i know to do it.. or is it just placed on and u bolted? since the top plate for the leafs to sit on will make it not move..


let me know

i just u bolted that bitch inj

perfecto one less welding worries i have to worry about..

thanks bunch for those info..hopefullyi can finish it tonight.. and move my truck since its parked at my buddy's house.. kinda in the way.. should have took out my diff other location.. oh well

Rise!

That's it, I'm tired of those stupid studs, they let loose again, and this time no amount of mojo is gonna summon their remnants forth from the casting... without completely removing the axle and chucking it up in the mill. :rolleyes:

I've drilled the back-side web, put a *small* notch in the bottom-side web, and test-fit the U-bolt in the resulting space. I'm having Dentoni's Spring Shop form a U-bolt to my spec tomorrow AM.

Randii

FWIW, the U-bolt that I had made was 9/16" in diameter and 4.5" (between legs) and 11" long. The stock passenger-side U-bolt is 3.75" (between legs) -- I can't comment on the actual stock length, since the previous owner lifted the truck. My outter U measures 9" long, FWIW.

I welded a reinforced tab to my stock spring plate and redrilled the center hole, and I was able to re-use it.

Randii

Okay I finished the spring plates and bolted them up. I mismeasured the hole spacing a little so I'll probably remake them. They're 1/4" plate and I might use 3/8s this time around. But anyway you should get the idea now.
http://www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album191/ubolt0001.jpg


I need to do this repair. In this pic how is it possible to have the front U bolt run along side the housing? If I use square U bolts my front U bolt runs right in front of the dif cover bolts. Is this a Dodge axle or something? Whats up with that? I know you don't want to re-drill the spring pin hole in the axle and move the spring pack over. Thats what it looked like this guy did.

drill and tap those fawkers to 3/4" fine thread... plenty of meat on the chevy castings, and no more problems, and no extra custom made u-bolts to deal with...:flipoff2: