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The dana 70 thread

536K views 739 replies 248 participants last post by  cj8scrambld 
#1 · (Edited)
Welcome to the 70 bible. I don't claim to be the be-all, end-all, expert on these, although I have learned quite a bit about them while assembling this. If you have good info to share, post it up. If you want to know what version of the 70 you have, read this and look for yourself.

I want to add more info about the Super 70 (the 70-1SU?) to this, if you have any or know where to find any good info, please share with the class.

Identification...

The 70 uses (basically) the same cover as a 60 (everyone knows how to spot a 60 right?). The bolt pattern is the same and for all practical purposes the covers are interchangeable. As far as I know the easiest way to tell a 70 from a 60 is the lip on the bottom of the pumpkin. Most stock 70 covers will cover all the way to the bottom of the 70 housing, but the mounting lip is about 1/2" wider than a 60. With a 60 cover on a 70, the thicker lip is very obvious, but with the stocker you may have to look closer.

There are a lot of different versions of the 70, for the most part the parts are pretty interchangeable between them. They came in trucks, vans, and industrial equipment in a wide variety of widths, with bolt patterns ranging from heavy duty 6 lug, the standard 8x6.5”, and up to 10 lug, and have several different spline counts available. Almost all of them are 8 lug, with 35 spline or 32 spline shafts.

The tubes are fatter than a 60, and thicker than a 14 bolt. My 70-B uses 3-9/16" tubes (a 60 front or rear is typically 3-1/8"). The 70-HD has 4" tubes. Tube thickness seems to be ½” on pretty much all of them. The tapered down sections are rolled smaller, so the wall gets thicker in these sections.

Here is a pic of a 70-B, showing both the lip on the bottom (that is a high pinion 60 cover on it), the lip on the top, and the taper down on the tubes (note that I cut the stock brake flanges off). The wider lips are not normally so obvious, because factory 70 covers have wider flanges, so look closely when your axle hunting.

The lip on the bottom can be shaved down for the same ground clearance as a 60. I reccomend using a saw to remove most of the material, then finishing it out with a grinder.



Here's a better view of the taper down...



Variations...

There are several versions of the 70:

*70 (.500" pinion offset, used from late 1950's to '71 according to dana) these would likely have the lower spline counts, least desirable
*70-B (.625" offset, '71-82) Probably the most common version. Generally 35 spline, but checking is the only sure way.
*70-U (.625" offset, '82+) There seems to be less of these than the 70-B. Known as the "Teardrop 70" because of it's smooth underside. Shares all bearings with the 60
*70-2U (unknown offset) same pinion and carrier bearings as U, but big wheel bearings.
*70-HD (.625" offset, '68+) These come in big trucks, lots of them out there but many in weird widths.
*70-3HD (.969" offset, '87+) Out of newer trucks, not a lot of low gears available for these ones.
*70-High Pinion (unkown offset, 2000ish+ Kodiak/Top Kick K4500/K5500 fronts) 10 lug high pinion 70, with 1550 joints (a 60 uses 1480) 5.13 gears are the only ones available for these axles.
*70-1SU (.625” offset) Super 70. Little info available, Dana lists only available ratios as 4.10 and 4.56. Teardrop housing and HD tubes and outers.

Often the variation will be cast into the housing, but not always, and in the case of the 3HD, it may be labeled as 2HD according to rocklobster87. The only way to know for sure is to check the BOM number. It is a 6 digit number, typically starting with a 6, stamped into the axle tube just to the right of the diff, when looking at the cover. Go to www2.dana.com and look it up to see what you’ve got.

The 70-U uses a smaller pinion bearing than any of the others (the same as a 60) All the others use the same inner pinion bearing. Carrier bearings and outer pinion bearing are the same as a 60. Wheel bearings vary, and can range from the same part numbers as 60’s and 14 bolts, to bigger.

The carrier bearings on the 70, 70-B and 70-U are all the same size (same bearings as a 60 carrier). The HD carrier is .125” narrower than the others, and can be use in the other 70’s with the addition of a 1/8” spacer. This leads me to assume that a normal 70 carrier won’t fit in a HD.

Because of the different pinion offsets available, it’s important to know exactly what you have when looking for gears and carriers.

If there are other ways to distinguish the variations with visual checks, post up what you know and pics if you can so we can make this as complete as possible.

Differences and similarities with the 60...

The std 70 uses some of the same bearings as the 60, the outer pinion bearing is the same one (splines and seals are also the same as a 60, so yokes are totally interchangeable), but the inner pinion bearing is significantly bigger. The carrier bearings are the same as a 60 also.

The inner wheel bearings are bigger than a 60, but the outers are the same. Here is a pic of a 4.10 pinion out of a 60 and one out of a 70. The bearing in front of each pinion is the inner wheel bearing. Which is the 60 and which is the 70 is pretty obvious.



Here's another view...



Shafts...

There are also different axle shaft spline counts available. The 35 spline is the most desirable (and I believe the most common too). Off the top of my head, here's the list, 16(?), 23, 30, 32 and 35 spline. Can anyone confirm these, I'm like 80% sure about those #'s.

Donor vehicles...

There are just about a million different applications that came with Dana 70 axles. There are too many to make a useful list. There are links to Dana's backdoor website below that list most of the applications. There is a ton of info in them, so make sure you're in a comfortable chair if you choose to navigate through them.

Misc info...

The ring gear diameter is 10.5"
The 35 spline versions are the same spline as the 35 spline 60’s and 9 inches we are all used to
The pinion nut requires a 1-5/16” thin wall socket, and should not be torqued beyond 300 lb/ft
The axle shaft flanges are typically larger than 14b and 60’s, and often use tapered cone washers on studs :smokin:
The oil capacity is about 3 quarts, Dana recommends 80w90 gear oil
The housing is ductile iron (a high quality type of cast iron)
The input torque rating is 7000 lb/ft max, 1750 lb/ft continuous for most (all?) versions from what I have gathered, the main differences are in the GVW rating.
Swapping SRW hubs on a DRW housing will make the axle effectively wider, not narrower.
Disk brake swaps are pretty much just as straightforward as they are on a 60. ¾ ton GM D44/10bolt front rotors, and the common 7-1/16” GM calipers.

Helpful Links

Dana BOM lookup page
Dana 70 Maintenance Guide
Dana 60/70 Powr-Lok LSD Service Manual
Dana Ring and Pinion Pattern guide
Dana shim kits
Ford application guide 1995-2005 (70 info p.34 to p.39)
Dodge application guide 1999-2001 (70 info p.40 to p.44)
Dana axle application/BOM guide 1979-1998 (all models, not just 70)
Dana axle application/BOM guide 1967-1978 (all models, not just 70)
Dana Light Axle General Information Guide, about a million applications and their BOMs (for all models, not just 70), from 1979-2005)


I'm planning on updating this post with anything you guys have to add, since it's missing more info than it has. It should make a pretty handy reference for all us 70 fans.

-Redd
 

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#2 · (Edited)
AWESOME!!!

i JUST bought a 70 HD. haven't even picked it up yet.
as far as axle tube Dia. the HD is 4" before it necks down, which is a pretty easy way to tell the difference between a normal 70 and a HD.

here's some helpful links for the 70:
70B: http://www.dana.com/offhighway_systems/products/70B_axle.pdf
70HD (the one i have): http://www.dana.com/offhighway_systems/products/70HD_axle.pdf







LOTS more pics and measurements to come when i finally get my ass in gear and drive to Connecticut to pick this MF'er up!
I'm taking out my 14BFF to make way for the 70HD, so i'll have them both cleaned up in my shop. i'll make sure to take some nice comparison shots.
 
#3 ·
mine is a DANA 70 HD. the cast 70HD is very clear. It is for a dually. necked down tubes. Came out of a 1989 chevy crew cab dually. Not sure what i am doing with it yet as I dont have a dually anymore. Anyhow thats the extent of my knowledge on the subject.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I used a 70-hd rear, to make my front axle out of. I cut the axle tubes of the 60 right at the housing. then I flapper wheeled them a little bit to fit into the hd tubes. worked awesome. I did cut off two 3" peices off the long side 60 tube, had them machined for the seals.

Then beat them bastids into the 70 tubes. Tight mofo fit let me tell ya. Just out of curiousity how long does it take to get a red star if I send the money tonight? I will post up the pictures when I get it.
 
#5 · (Edited)
this is a complete ( I THINK ) list of all 32 and 35 spline applications with .625" pinion offset.
these are the applications that the most available lockers.
i'm not sure at all about any of the other spline counts or axle diameters.

feel free to correct my vehicles and models descriptions... i know what the models are... i just don't know what they ARE.. get it?!?! :D

**Chevrolet**

VEHICLESS / MODELS:
30/3500 series (1 ton)
C (2WD pickup), K (4WD pickup), G (van), P (step van), RV ( :duh: )

1976-on- 35 spline, 1.5" shaft REAR 70HD
1976-on- 35 spline, 1.5" shaft REAR 70U



**Dodge**

VEHICLES / MODELS
250 (3/4 ton pickup)
D (D = pickup truck 1961-1980), W (1 ton pickup, SRW or DRW)

1989-1993- 32 spline, 1.41" shaft FRONT 70
1994-on- 32 spline, 1.41" shaft REAR 70
1991-on- 35 spline, 1.5" shaft REAR 70U

VEHICLES / MODELS
200 (?), 300 (?), 350(?), 400(?),
M (motorhome) , W (1 ton pickup, SRW or DRW)

1971-1974- 32 spline, 1.41" shaft FRONT 70
1979-2000- 35 spline, 1.5" shaft, REAR 70HD
1971-1993- 32 spline, 1.41" shaft REAR 70

VEHICLES / MODELS
RAM 2500 (3/4 ton pickup), RAM 3500 (1 ton pickup)

1994-on- 32 spline, 1.41" shaft REAR 70


**Ford**

VEHICLES / MODELS
250 (3/4 ton),
F (pickup truck), E (van)

2002-on- 32 spline, 1.41" shaft REAR 70

VEHICLES / MODELS
350 (1 ton),
F (pickup truck), E (van)

1975-1985- 35 spline, 1.5" shaft REAR 70HD
1975-1985- 35 spline, 1.5" shaft REAR 70U

oh yeah... almost forgot... you're welcome :flipoff2:
 
#7 ·
Something to note, the carrier on HD is about 1/4" narrower than on a regular D70. Also they did make 70's before 75, but they have a different ring and pinion offset and they are not interchangable.

74 and earlier .500 offset
75-77 mostly .625 offset
78 and newer .625 offset

I would love to see this thread end up in the tech section as a D70 bible.
 
#14 ·
American said:
But why the Chevy section? :flipoff2:
Cause gen4x4 is always clogged up with all kinds of shit. Besides, Chev is where all the cool guys hang out :smokin:

:flipoff2:

Damn thanks for all the info senator and 2slow!

After looking through it all, there are just too many possible donors to make a list that would be useable. I have found some good info on the variations, I'll update the first post with it.
 
#15 ·
Couldn't find any pics, but this year chevy offers its 4500 and 5500 kodiak trucks with a new HP D70 front. Maybe worth looking at.
 
#16 ·
Red Chevy said:
Couldn't find any pics, but this year chevy offers its 4500 and 5500 kodiak trucks with a new HP D70 front. Maybe worth looking at.
I have seen pics of them, but with price and availability making them practically untouchable, I didn't mention them. Man that would make a sweet front end though. :smokin: :smokin: :smokin:

All I need now is a way to convert it to 8 lug and a more trail friendly width.
 
#17 ·
I get the sense from reading 70 posts that a lot of people think that the spindles from all 70s are the same, they are not.
70Us use a smaller inner pinion bearing than the rest of the 70s. The cup is the same as a Dana 60 and the cone/roller has the same id as any other 70.
It is possible to use .625 offset gears in a .500 offset housing by taking .125 off of the carrier. I have done this several times when a particular ratio was unavailable at the time that I needed it. (7.17s)
Bolt circle on the flange comes in at least 3 different sizes, so an axle from one 70 might not work in another 70 even if the spline count and length are the same. The bolts that hold the axle to the hub can be 3/8", 7/16" or 1/2".
Most of the early 70s (.500 offset pinion) were 23 spline but some were 35 spline. The early pinions were coarse spline (10 IIRC) not the 29 spline like the present ones.
There are other variations but this is what I can think of off the top of my head right now.

Gus
 
#20 · (Edited)
u2slow said:
Good call.

For GM, any 8-lug FF spindle from 73-91 are the same (D60, D70, 14b inclusive).

This is true(at least ofr the 14ff and D70)... I have a D70HD that is dually width(73" or so wms-wms).. I swapped on some 14ff SRW hubs to bring the width out to be about 77".. Same as the DRW D60 fronts.... Got the info that it was possible from another member here(sorry, my memory sucks and cant remember who)....

The stock D70HD dually width hubs are the same hubs used on a 14ff DRW(C&C)....

Also, the stock D70hd axles bolt right up to the 14ff hub with no mods....

I bought disc brake brackets from DIY4x.. Kert is aweomse to deal with. We decided to go with a new backing flange to weld on the axle closer to the hub and then just bolt on his caliper bracket... No spacers needed.


**EDIT** if you want anymore info(measurements, pics, etc) let me know!
 
#653 · (Edited)
The stock D70HD dually width hubs are the same hubs used on a 14ff DRW(C&C)....

Also, the stock D70hd axles bolt right up to the 14ff hub with no mods....

Good questions.

The offset of the spider gears in the carrier appears to be specific to the D70S stock carrier. This means that any replacement carrier other than the open or Gov-lock versions that came in a D70S will most likely have the same issue. It becomes a problem with respect to axle shafts. If you are replacing your axle shafts with custom ones, you can get around the issue. Or, you can do as I did and cut down two long axles and make a spacer for one side. I doubt you can simply swap a detroit into the housing and use the stock axles as-is, you will have the same issue I did with the ARB.

The side adjuster...the design of the part is weak IMO. I compared it side by side with a 14b adjuster and the 14b is MUCH more substantial in how it's designed. A big difference is in the holes for turning the adjusters. The 14b has round holes that are well away from the edge of the part. The D70S has slots that are located much closer to the edge of the part. This thin section is where mine was cracked. I could see evidence of a screwdriver or prybar being used in the hole (not a proper wrench). No, the 14b adjuster will not swap into the D70S housing, I tried. I'm sure they are plenty strong enough once properly installed, but getting the carrier bearing preload correct did require me to use my case spreader. The adjuster is so much nicer than using shims!

Axle shafts: Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant that the axle shafts are bastard D70 shafts and are specific to the D70S. They have a Dana 35 spline and the AAM hub pattern on the flange. Yes, they will bolt up to the AAM hubs (14b). The problem is that the AAM 35 spline is not the same as a Dana 35 spline, apparently the contact angle is different and they are not interchangeable. This means that if you buy a D70 shaft, the flange pattern is wrong. If you buy an AAM axle, the spline is wrong. From my Dana Spicer supplier, these axles are a dealer only item, and he found no other axles with the same specs to interchange.

I do not believe that the 14b and the regular/typical/normal D70 use the same axle flange hub patterns. Only the D70S uses the same pattern as the 14b as far as I know.

For the record, my D70S is in my 2006 GMC Savana. Maybe there have been changes in other years. Hope this info helps.

This is what I have come up with on the shafts.

The 14 bolts use a 30 spline 1.5 axle (not 35 spline shaft like the super 70) that is different than dana's 30 spline shafts, the pressure angle is different between the two like you pointed out. I think it might be confusing to say the shafts use an AAM pattern because the 14 bolt isn’t really an AAM design..but that’s another thread. If the super 70 shafts bolt to a 14 bolt hub which they do…most 70HD shafts should slide into a super 70..I'm sure there are exceptions there are a lot of dana 70 variants as we all know. A lot of guys run 14 bolt hubs on their 70HD’s for extra width when running H1 wheels. So that might be good to know if trying to gets aftermarket shafts. Even so I would have to agree if the spider gears are offset in the carrier it can become a money pit trying to outfit it with even something as simple as a locker, unless somebody starts producing a locker specifically for the super 70.
Also as we mentioned earlier there may be some differences between super 70s however mine is from a mid 2000's 3500 chevy van as well.
 
#21 · (Edited)
here was some info from a 70hd vs 14 bolt thread. hope it helps. if you see anything funny let me know and i will edit it.

...............................................dana 70hd ---- 14 bolt
steel type:................................nodular iron ---- cast iron
lowest gear ratio:..............................7.17's ---- 5.13's for now
ft lb torque capacity:...8,800ftlb hd /8000 std ---- 6242 ft lb torque
spline count:.................................35 spline ---- 30 spline
preload:............................................shims ---- adjusting collar preload
pinion length:............................longer pinion ---- shorter pinion
pinion support:....................no pinion support ---- pinion support
weight:............................................450lbs ---- 465 lbs
alloys?............................alloy axles available ---- alloy axles available
traction:...........................expensive detriots ---- cheap detriots
thickness:..........................1/2 inch wall tube ----1/2 inch necking down to 1/4-5/16 wall tubes
.................................more ground .clearance ---- less ground clearance
 
#25 · (Edited)
The first pic is the inner seal peices I made, they were both cut off the long side of the d-60 axle tube, then taken to a machine shop. The next pic just gives you an idea of how thick the axle tubes are.. And the last one show the drivers side inner C.

I will try to explain what I did, I cut the axle tubes of the D-60 right at the pumpkin on both the long and short side, then I cut off two- 3" peices off the long side 60 tube(the two inner seal peices).

These had to be beaten into the axle!! then I flapper wheeled the two D-60 tubes enough to fit into the 70-tubes. Yes that was alot of work! I had to cut the 70 down to make one side smaller, I then used a peice of the 70 tube I cut off to make the total length for the long side.

I can't remember off hand how long that was.. I chamferd the two peices of the 70 tube so I would get a good deep weld, then I slid the short peice I cut over the 60 long side tube and then slid that into the rest of the long side till they touched to keep them lined up correctly, made some small welds then took out the 60 tube end and finished welding.

If you look at the last pic you will see were its been ground down..(the shiny area) then I placed the axle under the truck after I made some spring pads out of box tubing.. I made them a little longer so it would help with axle wrap, and then I set C's up at the angle I needed for the drive shaft.. total cost was around $80.00 bucks, machining for the axle seals, and the u-bolts.
 

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#61 ·
the first pic is the inner seal peices i made, the were both cut off the long side of the d-60 axle tube, then taken to a machine shop. the next pic just gives you an idea of how thick the axle tubes are.. and the last one show the drivers side inner c. i will try to explain what i did, i cut the axle tubes of the d-60 right at the pumpkin on both the long and short side, then i cut off two- 3" peices off the long side 60 tube(the two inner seal peices). these had to be beaten into the axle!! then i flapper wheeled the two d-60 tubes enough to fit into the 70-tubes. yes that was alot of work! i had to cut the 70 down to make one side smaller, i then used a peice of the 70 tube i cut off to make the total length for the long side. i can't remember off hand how long that was.. i chamferd the two peices of the 70 tube so i would get a good deep weld, then i slid the short peice i cut over the 60 long side tube and then slid that into the rest of the long side till they touched to keep them lined up correctly, made some small welds then took out the 60 tube end and finished welding. if you look at the last pic you will see were its been ground down..(the shiny area) then i placed the axle under the truck after i made some spring pads out of box tubing.. i made them alittle longer so it would help with axle wrap, and then i set c's up at the angle i needed for the drive shaft.. total cost was around $80.00 bucks, machining for the axle seals, and the u-bolts.
That is a great and clever idea on how to make a front axle out of a D70HD. Good job on the build!

Scott
 
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