I am trying to get all the parts lined up to do a SAS swap onto my 03' 2500HD. I'm sick to death of having to put front end parts onto my truck every 10k of use. it eats wheel bearings, pitmen arms, idler arms, idler pivot box's, power steering box's, tie rods, control arm bushings, ball joints and I'm sure other stuff I'm spacing out like they are candy. from what iv gathered its just something most guys put up with and call it even. well I'm fed up with it. I want to know my tow rig can go into the woods if need be and drag my crawler back to the road. I wouldn't take my truck into the woods as is in fear it would break and cause me 2 issues.

typically on a truck like mine guys use a 1979 dana 60 from a ford. well these are out there sure, but a used one cost about as much as a custom build axle from some of the top name shops. while that's a nice option to have wow its a lot of money for just a axle that will see 99% of its use in 2wd. I don't need a locker, or any other major upgrades. I just need something that will hold a almost 7,000 lb truck and be able to stand up to 37" tires.

how bad a idea is it to take something easier to get my hands on like a Chevy dana 60 and cutting the tubes so I can move the diff to the drivers side and simply flipping the axle shafts around and such?

or how about some other option like a 9" ford 3rd member w/ king pin dana 60 outers everythings?

would any of these options be A. safe B. cheaper C. just as good or better than searching for a 1979 ford dana 60?

I have done cut and turns on axles before, among regearing and such. so I'm not worried about putting it all together. more geared toward getting a middle of the road result between price and need.

what would u guys suggest I do, stick to going broke finding and probably shipping a axle to me or putting something else together that will just be labor intensive?


here is a older pic of my truck just after i got done painting it, not eveyone's taste but hay, so go's life. its got 35's on it now and needs bout 2" more tire. im thinking once the sas is done goign to semi tire's.

http://www.jessdawg.com/web/photos/truck/445.jpg

thanks

I know you said you didn't want to spend a ton, but tons and little money dont' always go hand in hand. But I have a 79 HP60 that I dont' think I'm gonna use, or need really cause I have 35s. But I can ship it to you dirt cheap. It's just about 100% rebuilt and complete, just needs to be painted and put back together. PM if your interested, gonna put in the for sale section....


But it would be cheaper and easier just to find the right axle to begin with. I wouldn't go any less than a 60, you have a heavy truck with sorta big tires, anything less would probly break....

I know you said you didn't want to spend a ton, but tons and little money dont' always go hand in hand. But I have a 79 HP60 that I dont' think I'm gonna use, or need really cause I have 35s. But I can ship it to you dirt cheap. It's just about 100% rebuilt and complete, just needs to be painted and put back together. PM if your interested, gonna put in the for sale section....


But it would be cheaper and easier just to find the right axle to begin with. I wouldn't go any less than a 60, you have a heavy truck with sorta big tires, anything less would probly break....

I would take this offer!

I know about where you wheel, but the types of places I go I wouldn't even consider triying to take my tow rig "into the woods" to recover my trail rig. I wouldn't even be able to get anywhere near it without thrashing and trashing it in the process. It generally takes another trail capable truck to recover the wheeler.

35" tires and the associated lift on your tow rig is most likely what is eating all your front end parts.

i have a 6" lift, built idler arm and pitmen arm supprots for it, put in a heavy duty pitmen pivot box, upgraded tie rods. and balh ablh... still kills parts fast. i know its a heavy truck and the lift dostn help much. over all not a fan of ifs.

most the time my tow rig is too big to get realy all that far into the woods but, its alwase nice to have the optoin. when ur wheeling w/ no other rigs u just dont have a choice. a few years back i laid my fj on its side and after waiting over night to get help geting it back onto its wheels i realized how badly it sucked not being able to at least try to fix my own screw ups.

thanks for the info guys

My best advice would be to keep looking, or just look harder, for the axle you are wanting. A friend of mine just sold this exact axle ('79 Ford HP60) on eBay for under $900. Don't know what prices you are using when comparing to "custom built" units but you can't touch an axle from Dynatrac or the like for that type of money (another guy in our club just dropped $15k on a pair of 60's from Dynarape....errr, Dynatrac).

trade it in on a ford. Thats what I had to do.

as pricey or hard to find as 78-79 Ford HP60s are, try to find one out of a later model 80s or 90s Ford.

trade it in on a ford. Thats what I had to do.

i couldnt ever do that, every time iv owned a ford i about had to hang my self sorry.

other htan the ifs being a total POS the truck is just fine.

guess i should hold out and find the proper part adn stop being such a panzy.

thanks guys

i'm pretty sure i saw someone on here with a 78-79 HP60 for $500, I know that is kinda low but that was recent...within the last week or two.

Look for a HP 44. From what you are describing you don't really need a 60. For 35" tires and mainly daily driving and towing an open 44 should be just fine. Rebuild it with quality parts (Timken, Moog, Spicer) and maintain it and it should do everything you need it to do. There are plenty of trucks out there with D44/10 bolts up front towing and mild off roading.

Just my .02

i'm pretty sure i saw someone on here with a 78-79 HP60 for $500, I know that is kinda low but that was recent...within the last week or two.


I bought it:D
They are out there and cheap enough I think so keep looking.

a friend changed his d60 to drop on the other side, no special axle requiered, just remember to trim the axle with the same blade you used to cut the housing with. thats on a fj40 on 42's and a small block and a heavy foot. has not broke it yet and he's tried.

I don't understand why you think you need a kingpin axle for DD/tow rig. What's wrong with later model ball joint D60 from either a Ford or Dodge. It'll handle your needs just fine, is a lot easier to find and will most likely be a lot cheaper than trying to find a '78-'79 HPD60.

I would stick with at least a D60 for truck. You'll want the bigger brakes and load capacity for towing.

woodchuck2 has a d60 hp out of a 79 for $500.its in my yard which unfortionatly for you is in New York

problem with the newer ford balljoint axles is the super short tube on h driver side. theres bare any place for link mounts, you will have to go with leaves with one of these axles. the newer Dodge axles have almost all the link mounts you need already in place I think theres even a kit to put these axles under a GM. I am putting a low pinion ford 44 from a 76 f250 Under my 1500 this fall.

its a lot of money for just a axle that will see 99% of its use in 2wd. I don't need a locker, or any other major upgrades. I just need something that will hold a almost 7,000 lb truck and be able to stand up to 37" tires....


. im thinking once the sas is done goign to semi tire's.


thanks

Maybe that is why he wants the KP D60......possibly doing the semi wheels/tires....not light!

yes, my truck is super heavy, wheels/tires are not light at all. towing, ifs, heavy truck, blah balh.... = broken ifs parts every time i take a tirp. its alwase something.

its time to fix it for once and all.

thanks for the info guys im going to sell some of my not geting use parts and man up for the proper d-60. i hope to sell some of my stuff and get the axle "b454rat" offerd me, seems he has a realy close to being done set up that should work well onmy truck.

once i have this in hand ill be sure to post up info on what i do with it.

going to keep it simple, 4-line, coilvers, maybe ram assist.

thanks

Theres a 79 HP 60 still hooked to the truck and still smashed into the tree that killed the truck in one of the pick and pulls there in Denver. I saw it about a year ago and they said that parts off that truck werent for sale, but maybe you could sweet talk'em. I seriously doubt the goobers at that place even know what a 60 front is.

A 60 in Denver??? You think they are gold in Cali, try there. I almost bought one that threw something out the diff cover and they still wanted $750 for it. That was back in '02. I went to every yard I could find out there, nobody had one. I want to say Dynatrack had scouts that drove around to yards buying everyone they could, and didn't care about the price. They bought whole trucks just for the front and junked the rest. It might not have been Dynarape, but someone that builds 60s and is in of the surrounding states...

check out the classifieds(axles). I'm sure this one will work for you.

My old 44 is for sale 100$ obo.