Ok, first off, i am searching, just not successfully so far. For background information, i am pretty new to the offroad scene, and i'm wanting to build a decent rock crawler. I plan on doing a shackle flip in the rear and 52" springs up front, with at least 39.5's. I have a 1/2 ton k10, so i've been looking for some better axles, which brings me to my question. I found a dana 60 rear out of a ford, and i'm not sure if i can use this, and if so what about the front. Are there interchangeable 60's for the front, and would it be woth the effort. Is the rear 60 gonna be up to the task, and i guess i had more than one question :D. If there are posts on this stuff, could someone send me a link. Also, is crossover gonna be adequate for the set-up i've mentioned? Thanks

damn dude, its gona be rough.

This is all real commonly available info that has been discussed to death. Get good at searching, or you'll hear about it. You'd better stick to the newbie section until you get your feet wet and can come up with some serious tech or it's likely to get mighty hot in a hurry. Before you post... SEARCH, SEARCH, SEARCH. Damn near every subject you (as a newbie to 4x4s) can imagine has already been discussed on here at some point. Just some friendly advice since it's your first post.

I'll get you started in the right direction:

You could make a rear 60 work, but there is an easier, stronger, and cheaper solution: the 10.5" 14-bolt. Check out this link:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/14b_bible/index.html

The Dodge and Chevy D60 fronts can be interchanged and are very similar, but there are a few differences. The Ford D60 front has the pumpkin on the opposite side (drivers side drop), so cannot be interchanged with the other two unless you get a matching T-case. The Ford version has quite a few other differences too. Read the Bibles.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/60_front/index.html

Crossover would be great, but figure on bracing up the frame where the steering box bolts on. It may well be cracked already; they all crack eventually, and 1/2-tons are the worst. Crossover is even harder on the already weak frames. Do a search on frame cracks. This would be a good place to start with the bracing:

http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm

This is all real commonly available info that has been discussed to death. Get good at searching, or you'll hear about it. You'd better stick to the newbie section until you get your feet wet and can come up with some serious tech or it's likely to get mighty hot in a hurry. Before you post... SEARCH, SEARCH, SEARCH. Damn near every subject you (as a newbie to 4x4s) can imagine has already discussed on here at some point. Just some friendly advice since it's your first post.

I'll get you started in the right direction:

You could make a rear 60 work, but there is an easier, stronger, and cheaper solution: the 10.5" 14-bolt. Check out this link:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/14b_bible/index.html

The Dodge and Chevy D60 fronts can be interchanged and are almost identical, but there are a few differences. The Ford D60 front has the pumpkin on the opposite side (drivers side drop), so cannot be interchanged with the other two unless you get a matching T-case. The Ford version has quite a few other differences too. Read the Bibles.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/60_front/index.html

Crossover would be great, but figure on bracing up the frame where the steering box bolts on. It may well be cracked already; they all do eventually, and 1/2-tons are the worst. Crossover makes this even worse. Do a search on frame cracks.

Thanks for the help, and i've mainly been looking for a 14b, but a i came across this one that was pretty cheap. Just figured i'd ask before i buy.

it sucks when people do this.
just a couple years ago, if you did a google search for dana 60 interchangability, you would find EXACTLY what you wanted. right down to different OEM's spring perch spacing.

now, if someone google searches the same words, they will turn up a hundred threads like this one.... thank god the guys here have decent information to give to you... because half of the google responses will just lead you to a bunch of worthless SHYTE in some other random forum.

and sooo.... i'll contribute SOMETHING, for the greater good of the internet.

REAR: go with the 14BFF over a rear 60 EVERYDAY of the week.
or, for more strength, go for a dana 70HD or 80.


FRONT: if you are going to stick with leaf spring, the interchangable dana 60 you will be looking for is ford 78-79. this is the only axle worth swapping. the only reason to do this is because the 78-9 ford 60 has a high pinion, so you will get better driveshaft angles. any other year ford 60 won't fit because the center section (diff) is too close to one of the knuckles. 78-79 ford 60's have the correct leaf spring perch locations to just bolt up. if you aren't worried about driveshaft angles, then just stick with a chevy 60 front.

FRONT: if you are going to stick with leaf spring, the interchangable dana 60 you will be looking for is ford 78-79. this is the only axle worth swapping. the only reason to do this is because the 78-9 ford 60 has a high pinion, so you will get better driveshaft angles. any other year ford 60 won't fit because the center section (diff) is too close to one of the knuckles. 78-79 ford 60's have the correct leaf spring perch locations to just bolt up. if you aren't worried about driveshaft angles, then just stick with a chevy 60 front.

Yeah, that's going to work great with a passengers drop t-case.

Hi pinion is great, but it isn't an absolute must. Saying that it's the only one worth swapping is completely ridiculous.

Congratulations, you just added one more piece of BS information to the WWW, that you were just complaining about.

thanks guys. i think i'll take your advice and stick with the 14 bolt, and sorry for littering the internet :flipoff2: i will admit that i haven't done much google searching

Yeah, that's going to work great with a passengers drop t-case.

Hi pinion is great, but it isn't an absolute must. Saying that it's the only one worth swapping is completely ridiculous.

Congratulations, you just added one more piece of BS information to the WWW, that you were just complaining about.



NO. YOUR post is the SHYTE i was talking about. :shaking:
so... to ADD some useful information.

hopefully he finds more stuff in more searching... but....

the Driver drop T-case is kind of a non-issue, because newer chevies are driver drop anyway... so just swap your T-case. or clock your T-case, or rotate your doubled T-case... there's ways around this. duh.


I assumed he was talking about non-GM when he mentioned 'interchangability'. between the big three, there's only one Dana 60 that's very different, and that's the one i told him about.
so.... if you are just looking at chevy or dodge 60s, and you want high steer, then you're already looking at kingpins instead of balljoints.... so i don't need to tell you about that preference.

if you notice at the end of that paragraph, i told him that if he didn't care about the high pinion, to just stick with a GM 60?

hey ghettofabjuMky... you're BS is completely ridiculous. and i now respect you less.

Sooooo, when he was talking about interchangeability, you assumed he was looking for the one that would require the most modifications.

My bad, When someone asks me about whether something is interchangeable, I just make the assumption that they are looking for something that is as close to a direct swap as possible, and if you are replacing a GM D44, then that would tend to steer me towards a GM D60, or even a Dodge.

Anything is interchangeable, if you are willing to modify enough.

Guess it's all in the definition of interchangeable, and I took my definition straight from Old Man Webster. Have no idea where you got yours.

Please look it up sometime.

Oh, and I'm crushed, that your respect for me is diminished.