If you had your choice of ford dana 60? What would be the best option bj or king pin and what year would be best i know there are 2 diffrent widths

I suppose that would depend on what I wanted to do with it...

well the kingpin 78-79 axles are the prefered because the kingpin it srtonger and there is more room between the diff and inner cs for coil mounting

Ok sorry guys its in a cherokee and im leafsprung

Any Dana 60 up to the 90s when they switched to balljoints is a good Dana 60. And balljoint vs kingpin is more a matter of preference. Some will argue that if a u joint lets go, it could force the balljoints apart.

A balljoint 60 with the unit bearings from a later model Ford isn't a bad axle, but I would recommend converting to the Dynatrac kit.

personally... I'd love a ball joint 60 with unit bearings...

It all depends on what features you want...

It all depends on what works best for everyone's application. Most would prefer the 78-79 kingpin I think mainly because of aftermarket options. And because it has more room for mounting options.

The BJ 60 is still a 60 anyway you look at it. Same shafts, same R&P, same tube size....all the same except for the externals and some diff positioning.

People dont like ball joints becasue there non servicable and a bitch to replace. In the 99+ models, the 60 goes to unit bearing. Again this is not desired because you cant sevice the hub so when it goes....its gone. They are also quite pricey to replace. The BJ is also frowned up because not too many companies offer 35 slpine stub kits and those that do are insanly exspensive. Also in 99+ the mounting area on the driver side decreases significantly. It's much more difficult to mount coil buckets and the LCA on that side. Not imposible, but certainly not easy.

However I choose to run a 02' BJ. I am using Branik Motorsports unit bearing hubs. They are machined to your choice of bolt patern and are broatched to accpet 35 slpine stubs. They too offer the stub shafts. The rest can be set up with F450 D60 parts, or with a little work you can easily set them up with drive flanges as well. This is about half the cost of Solid or Dynatrac's conversions. Of course you dont get everything THEY offer but essentially you end up with the same thing. And that being the 35 spline stub.

A balljoint 60 with the unit bearings from a later model Ford isn't a bad axle, but I would recommend converting to the Dynatrac kit.

Why specifically? The Dynatrac kit converts the axle to live spindle. Which isnt neccisary. Most look into that product in the intrest of the much desired 35 spline stubs. The spindle vs. unit bearing hub has no dictation of the axles strength. Durabilty, perhaps...but by switching to live spindle you gain no strength advantages whatsoever. The only thing debatable is the strenght issues put on unit bearing hubs in off camber situations. With big offset wheels and hgh camber you could potentially pull the whole assembly appart. Its not commen but it can happen.

Again the only problem with the unit bearing is its seviceabilty. You cant grease it (if your cleaver you can) and if you play in a lot of mud and water your doomed from the get go. But on a flip side if you blow a bearing in live spindle look at some down time to dive in and replace whatever componant broke. But if I blow a unit bearing, i simply take out the old unit and bolt in a new. Down time is decreased big time.

Also in the case of seeking a 60 to use, most of us wont put more than 2,000 miles a year on our rigs. Its takes far more miles to blow a unit bearing hub.
And Dynatrac isnt the only company catering to BJ needs.

Ok sorry guys its in a cherokee and im leafsprung

If you want front leaf springs and under the frame not outboard, full width, and DS drop, your only option is the 78-79 Ford D60. 31.5 center to center leaf mount same as the XJ frame.

If you want a front narrower then 69.5in you can get the newer d60s and shorten the long side.

Read the D60 bible.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/60_front/

id definately go for a unit bearing D60, so much easier to work on when something lets go. less pieces to lose in the mud, dirt or snow when you pull it apart onthe trail. no grease to clean up. BUT that my preference.

Thanks for the link to the bible i got a lot of reading to do

People need to keep in mind that BJ fronts are in trucks rated for over 12K lbs so they are MORE than beefy enough to handle our little 4-5K rigs. King pin Ford 60s were available until 1991 - after that they went BJ. The 92-98 BJ fronts still used a standard spindle/hub so they are a good option if you don't mind the offset.