hello. well i have run into a bit of an issue i hope you can can point where i get what im looking for.

i have a dana 60 out of a mid 80s dodge and im putting it in my 79 chevy 3/4 ton.
well i like to keep the chevy steering setup and i was wondering where i can find the steering arm for the dodge axle thats simular to the chevy if possible?

really dont want to do high steer then i would need to change to a 2wd steering box and what not.

the chevy arm bolts right on and i have one.

the perches are .5-1" wider than the chevy, if you have a tall lift you can just spread the springs over to reach, if not you can easily cut off the front hanger and shift it out and rewelded it on, then just spacer the shackles over and out with some wahers and longer bolts.

Not sure what your intended use of this truck is going to be, if you are going to be using it offroad on anything more than dirt roads going into or out of your campsite, I would seriously reconsider swapping over to crossover steering. Highsteer...a personal preference for some, not required all the time.

Reason I say that is stock GM steering on those trucks sucks SO BAD when trying wheel it. Sometimes the steering gets bound up to the point that you can't steer the truck in the right direction to save your life. Literally.

Crossover fixes that problem.

I would not reccomend cutting and welding the driver side perch if it will be run on the road. The front axle would be offset causing the truck to "dog track" down the road. I've seen guys do that for trail rigs. Most guys putting a chevy axle into a dodge use wahsers and and longer bolts or bow springs as mentioned above. The method you choose depends on lift height.

Crossover is always a good idea since the stock steering sucks even without lift. Depending on tire size, the pitman arm will hit the tire when turning right and peel the boot off the TRE.

Dodge 60's have less caster angle than Chevy's so I would not suggest shims as part of the lift.

When you are running stock gm stearing arm it is very close leaf springs and cap. Also with the gm arm on dodge axle with the placement of the stearing arm at full compression it will hit your shock. I had this problem myself. Also check your caster angle. I had to shim mine 6 degrees to get rid of a horiable death wobble. Good luck and if you're doing a 52" spring swap send me a pm. I can get the 1/2" spacers made and shipped to you for $20 (thats cost) to offset your axle so you dont need to spread the springs so far, if at all.

My recommendation is go with the crossover but make sure you measure your drag link length first before ordering it.

I would not reccomend cutting and welding the driver side perch if it will be run on the road. The front axle would be offset causing the truck to "dog track" down the road. I've seen guys do that for trail rigs. Most guys putting a chevy axle into a dodge use wahsers and and longer bolts or bow springs as mentioned above. The method you choose depends on lift height.

Crossover is always a good idea since the stock steering sucks even without lift. Depending on tire size, the pitman arm will hit the tire when turning right and peel the boot off the TRE.

Dodge 60's have less caster angle than Chevy's so I would not suggest shims as part of the lift.

you dont cut and shift only one perch scooter.

I just got done with my dodge D60 swap in my 78 1/2 ton truck, and as rustrtal said, a set of heavy 1/2" washers will work perfect to fit the axle in the stock spring perches as long as you are using 2.5" wide leaf springs.
You might as well do the crossover now, because you'll definately end up doing it at some point. Might as well do it right the first time.

you dont cut and shift only one perch scooter.

Shifting the passenger side would be interesting....


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1049/871963063_9ca2b0eb49.jpg


What do ya do, notch the housing and cover and weld in some plate?

the chevy arm bolts right on and i have one.

the perches are .5-1" wider than the chevy, if you have a tall lift you can just spread the springs over to reach, if not you can easily cut off the front hanger and shift it out and rewelded it on, then just spacer the shackles over and out with some wahers and longer bolts.

Not sure what your intended use of this truck is going to be, if you are going to be using it offroad on anything more than dirt roads going into or out of your campsite, I would seriously reconsider swapping over to crossover steering. Highsteer...a personal preference for some, not required all the time.

Reason I say that is stock GM steering on those trucks sucks SO BAD when trying wheel it. Sometimes the steering gets bound up to the point that you can't steer the truck in the right direction to save your life. Literally.

Crossover fixes that problem.

Shifting the passenger side would be interesting....


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1049/871963063_9ca2b0eb49.jpg


What do ya do, notch the housing and cover and weld in some plate?

maybe i misunderstood, maybe you did, maybe you misunderstood my misunderstanding:rasta:

i said hangers the first time and you came back with perchs, then i repeated perchs.

you dont have to touch any thing on the housing, you cut the hangers off the truck and move them out .25-.50" each.

maybe i misunderstood, maybe you did, maybe you misunderstood my misunderstanding:rasta:

i said hangers the first time and you came back with perchs, then i repeated perchs.

you dont have to touch any thing on the housing, you cut the hangers off the truck and move them out .25-.50" each.

Gotcha.