Pirate 4x4 banner

Building a 608.9 front end

51K views 76 replies 33 participants last post by  dvn4life1972 
#1 · (Edited)
The 608.9

My Front 60/44 hybrid + some build begins:

Since i got a couple of PM's recommending i post a seperate thread regarding this I guess Im going to start one. there isnt a whole lot to cover and i was posting pictures in my jeep build thread but what the heck. heres my bonified full on polished turd for a front end.

As it comes together i'll post pictures, the same info will be post in my build but this seperates it for those looking for info on a 60/44 hybrid build.


wasnt sure what to call it there is nothing that rolls off the tongue like 609, or 60/44....but its not entirely a 60/44 hybrid its more imho with a jk44 R&P which is a different animal in many regards with the d60 sized pinion shaft, larger ring gear and deeper cut gears it deserves a little more consideration.


So Im going to call it a 608.9 since its a hybrid running a ring gear is 8.9" and its being matched to D60 outer parts


For my application i needed a low pinion front end, im doing a low slung sua build on my old cj and wanted a lp sua housing that would fit that part while looking clean and somewhat deceeiving.

I was eyeballing a 609 but for the money and parts that i already have this seemed like a fun alternative to try and build. My .02 is the RD147 is a little bigger than the RD99 air locker and they both have 35 spline side gears but the pocket bearing forces the RD99 case to be smaller but only marginally so. the dana 44 locker and the pinion offset of the D44 was a little better than the 9" for my passenger side front low pinion application .........the hypoid on the 9" is better for more tooth engagement and stength but the new cut on the jk gears seem to make up for alot of the old school dana 44's short comings in the pinion department.

Anyways a 3rd member drop out front end is so 2000...... if im going to be sticking to my old school build i got have it look the part and a dana 44 housing just looks like 1989 and therefore nothing special and a slightly modern upgrade with a tiny weenie run of the mill D44 girdled cover keeping it togehter and as a mask hiding the beefed up internals. Anyways I already have dana 44 housing so cost wise its a wash until you add the additional cost of a custom 9" housing and a high strength low pinion drop out, pinion supoport/skid.......



So this is the way the parts have fallen together:



So dug I up a J20 Dana 44 front housing (3" tubes with 1/2" walls) and low pinion
(YES I WANTED LOW PINION)

Picked up a new 4.88 JK Dana 44 8.9" ring in pinion (maybe not a ford 9" ring and pinion but close enough and an improvement over a 8.5" lp D44) and install kit. through Carl with Jana enterprises
I picked up a front dana 61 for cheap to steal most my parts from
Welded on the D61 king pin C's
chased down A 35 spline dana 44 ARB 3 series or also called a high speed carrier
Set it up so the short side shaft out of a chevy D60 can always be ordered or used and made the long side shaft the custom unit.
Axle seal for the 3" x 1/2" wall D44 tubes to 35 spline shafts is Napa #15292 its a double lip seal
did a little bit of shaving (grinding) to the bottom of the 44 housing

What i'm expecting this to end up being is Good clearance, lighter weight, stronger than a dana 44, close to a 609 in strength and in a package that is fairly decieving on the outside.

i'll have no doubts about running sticky 37's or 38's on this setup. granted ive picked my tire size and configuration just saying. sure the 609 would have a stronger R&P but the carrier is arguably weaker and a front 60 would have been ideal but would have hung down more and weighed more...... this way my setup keeps the rig a sleeper somewhat.


thats where things are at right now.......... the 608.9 is starting to come together.


Low budget 35 spline 44 hybrid axle project to look at also
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?p=14399620



I've gotten some PMs regarding this thread Sorry about the pictures webshots closed up and it'll take me awhile to remember what pictures used to be posted where, I'll be updating it as i have time
 
See less See more
#2 · (Edited)
pictures speak louder than words


left to right Dana 60 4.88, JK 4.88, std D44 4.56

the side by side shots tell a little more



dana 60 4.88 vs jk dana 44 4.88 vs std dana 44 4.56


some close ups:
4.56:1 std dana 44 pinion on the top, 4.88 JK dana 44 pinion on the bottom






---------------------------------------
And for comparisons sake a 4.88 JK pinion on the left and a 4.88 dana 60 pinion on the right

or since i was an idiot and for got to rotate the picture the JK is on top dana 60 on the bottom
the pinions are the same diameter the jk just caught the light flash and looks larger but they are the same. 24 spline (jk) vs 29 spline (D60)


This gives a pretty good idea of the multiple size similarities between the 60 and the jk
jk is on the left dana 60 on the right



Whats interesting is the depth of the teeth on the JK pinion are the same as the dana 60..... i was quite shocked holding the jk R&P next to the 60 R&P, the only difference is length of the pinion and the diameter of the ring gear. but the surface area of the teeth on the ring gear, and the surface area of the teeth on the pinion and the depth / amount of tooth contact is really close. it is a significant difference from a std dana 44 pinion to ring gear relationship.


to build a 609 i was going to have to buy a aftermarket nodular 3rd member, $300 +/-, a ruffstuff housing $600 +/-, and a pinion gaurd $60+/-. On top of all my other parts.

this way i will be in this front end a smidge less than $2k and that includes buying the new ARB and new R&P. Hat tip goes out to Carl at Jantz enterprizes for figuring out the bearing and spacer combo to make the JK r&p fit a std LP housing via his jana 4k kit. Sure i could have done a 60 but looking at this R&P i think i'll be fine if i jump up in tire size ever, plus with my 401 its a little extra peace of mind, it may not be a 60 but it sure is alot closer in strength to a lp dana 60 front or a 609 than a std dana 44 or run of the mill dana 60/44 hybrid would be and i get the lighter package, clearance and the different factor.


jk and d60 pinions, obviously the dana 60 pinion teeth are still a little larger but the jk and dana 60 are much closer in size


dana 60 ring gear there is more meat but pretty close


jk ring gear
 
#3 · (Edited)
Why are you going through all this trouble (read: buying the Jana kit) to run JK gears in your low pinion 44? Why don't you just find a HP44 housing and run standard reverse cut gears? The 44's weak point is not the R&P... the u-joints, ball joints, and shafts are what break. I see no need to run the bigger JK gear set for 37" tires. :confused:

Edit: just read that you "for my application i needed a low pinion front end." :zzz:
 
#4 · (Edited)
Well thanks for giving the usual "why are you going through all the trouble response". kind of like the "why dont you just run a sbc" response that shows up in every different engine swap thread somebody has to say it for a thread to really get going so now this qualifies as a complete thread.

:confused:I guess a good question back at you is why do guys on here go through all the effort to build Low pinion 9 inch (609)front ends? If there is something to be gained and it fits the application its worth the effort. shoot just think if we were still stuck using spicer u joints and stock shafts for our front ends like 15-20 years ago


You dont, i do. who says its just limited to 37's and a 6 cyl thats a pretty bold assumption in the hardcore forum.


I dont need to put all the details in this thread but think 400+ ft/lbs 140:1+ gearing yet not wanting to have the hangdown and weight of a 60 while im on the smaler tires.


dana 44 pinions are a known problem look closer at picture of the std 44 pinion.

my front end has been flawless with the ctms and warn shafts it really has been a fantastic front end ......... and i could just regear and keep on going for alot longer but the lure of building something different, a combination of parts that appear to be stronger on all fronts yet in a compact package is tough not to attempt. the hard part is now i have to sell my existing front end and thats a shame.


Trouble...I call it fudge factor i'm giving myself more wiggle room strength wise....... trouble is doing the same thing everyone else does and buying off the shelf parts....setting up a r&p isnt difficult and why not show others how to do something a little different for better results and a possible cheaper avenue than a 609 and with less weight than a 60 and arguably similar r&p strength to a D60. but then again why not just put a lp 60 under there like every other tom dick and harry.


The jana kit is pretty affordable shoot a timken bearing kit would have cost me $125+/- and this came with a new yoke so im really only into the parts an extra $125 and then just have to invest a little extra effort.


as to clearance issues. starter, motor mounts and oil filter housing are all too close with a HP front end it limited my up travel on the passenger side.

After holding the two (a hp44 and a LP JK D44) and looking at them side by side Id put the JK low pinion 8.9" R&P up against a std HP 8.5" dana 44 any day the pinion shaft and pinion head diameters make up for any LP short comings and then some. especially since almost every front R&P ive ever fractured or broke has been while trying to do something in reverse. Like when you get high centered and try to back up and all the laod transfers to the front end.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Very Rough numbers for comparisons sake:

ADD $1000 + for alloy shafts and joints across the board.



609 low pinion
Dana 61 for shafts, C’s, knuckles, spindles and misc other parts. $300
3rd member Nodular drop out $310 shipped http://www.amazon.com/G2-Axle-Gear-66-2011BN-Member/dp/B004PHB7N8
Pinion support, yoke $120
Ring and pinion $220
Bearing kit $130
Ruff stuff Housing $675
Axle tube Seals $40
RD99 ARB $1050 shipped
Narrowing/ welding $500
$3345.00

Dana 60
Complete axle housing $750 +/-
Narrowing/welding $500
Ring and pinion $220
Bearing kit $130
Diff cover $110
ARB RD167 $1050 shipped
$2860.00

608.9
Housing already had but cost of a housing is $100
Dana 61 for parts $300
Narrowing and welding $400
Ring and pinion $210
Jana k4 kit with bearings and seals $250
RD147 ARB $895 shipped
Axle tube seals $40
Diff cover (already have) $110
$2295.00
My cost minus cover & minus housing is at $1885.00 tecnically minus the welding too but figured id leave that in there to make the comparison fairly close.


Wagoneer Dana 44 std
Housing $100
Ring and pinion $210
bearings and seals $125
RD109 ARB $875 shipped
Diff cover $110
Alloy shafts $400
CTM joints $375
$2195.00 +/-



And for the high pinion comments and crowd
If i could fit a high pinion heres how i would have looked at it: obviously a ford dana 60 high pinion would have run +/- $200 of what a low pinion housing costs + more work flipping it around.

609 Tru High 9 style
Dana 61 for shafts, C’s, knuckles, spindles and misc other parts. $300
3rd member Tru high 9 drop out $2629 + $50 shipping
Ruff stuff Housing $675
Axle tube Seals $40
Narrowing/ welding misc assembly $600
$3894.00

call it a 6054 or 6050 or whatever you want to call it because once you stuff a 9" dana 50 R&P in there it ceases to be just a 44 even though its got dana 44 guts in there
high pinion dana 44 F250 Housing cost is $200 +/-
Dana 61 for parts $300
Narrowing and welding $500
dana 50 Ring and pinion $210
Jana 54 kit with bearings and seals $250
RD147 ARB $925 shipped
Axle tube seals $40
Diff cover (already have) $110
$2525.00



There are ways to get it lower via shopping on all of these used ctms or cheaper over stock alloy shafts.
Saving $500 to $1000 goes a long ways towards other parts and upgrades and i am by no means claiming im a genius and have the right idea doing this combo but just thought id throw some numbers up for the sake of comparison. my numbers could be missing something feel free to correct me but thought it was worth adding the info into the thread. granted the hypoid on the 9inch gives it a R&P strength advantage that should be noted and is indisputable but i think there is wiggle room and a balance to between cubic dollars spent and strength needed.
 
#11 ·
Nice,

It's funny, I was just thinking about putting one of these together for my Jeepspeed. I want to enter it in the KOH Stock class, but would lose too much up-travel with the bulk of a Dana 60 center. Currently have a very well built HP44, but it is all trussed out and drags too much with the 35" tire limit for the class in the rocks. Besides, the Dana 44 u-joints and shafts will always be a time bomb in the rocks IMO.

I will probably to balljoint 60 C's with the Currie aluminum knuckles to save weight.

Looking forward to the build. I hope to do mine for next year's race.
 
#13 · (Edited)
i always was opposed to a 44/60 hybrid the weak link on a std dana 44 was always the pinion.........so there was never any reason to go much past a 30 spline carrier and alloy shafts... but when carl started toying around with his kits, the JK kit really caught my eye as something i could bring myself to look at later on and when i started my re-build on my jeep i was going to build a 61 front but the lure of doing something a little different got the best of me.

I should also note that a 50 suffers from the same 26 spline small dana 44 sized pinion shaft, the pinion on diesels will break at the yoke splines......but the larger ring gear and pinion head still are a worthy upgrade

pictures when i get around to it, took a little work..... pictures of the housing work and details concerning the headaches and relative easy parts to follow when i get around to pulling the open carrier and R&P back out but it all fits took about 3-4 hours with grinding to get it close. looking forward to installing the narrowed shafts and clicking some pictures of the final assembly but alot is going on with the jeep this axle probably wont get wrapped up til the new year. right now just finishing up on a whole lot of frame work. pulling the body again to finilize
 
#17 · (Edited)
and for the sake of visuals
Super dana 60 HP 4.88, vs std dana 60 HP 4.88 vs JK rear LP 4.88

Just to recap: i'll be running the jk 8.9" R&p cryo'd for the front and the HP dana 60 10" super dana 60 R&p cryo'd for the rear. the ARB's used are an RD147 front and RD35 rear.

Super 60 on the left, dana 60 on the bottom right, jk ring on top right


super 60, std 60, jk 44 all are 4.88's then there is a std D44 R&P 4.56 ratio
look closely at the dana 60 ring gear vs the jk dianeter aside the actual contact patch across the face of the gear is very close.








jk and super 60 on top
std d44 and std dana 60 on bottom
I think this really shows alot the jk over the top of the std 44 shows the additional girth of the ring gear


std dana 60 with super 60 under neith, and std dana 44 4.56 with jk 4.88 on bottom




No more R&P pictures till the install jsut since i had all of them sitting hre i figured it was good to post up


j20 housing before the knuckles got welded on. somewhere i have a picture of the knuckles welded on when i find it i'll post it

yes those are 1/2" thick 3" tubes



 
#21 · (Edited)
Thats got to be the flash of the camera doing that. the super 60, the D60 and the jk all have the same diameter splined area, same diameter upper bearing surface and same diameter lower bearing surface. so they are very close in size obviously the 60's have longer pinion shafts. the differences the jk is 24 spline the d60's are 29 spline.

pinion gear wise the super 60 is bigger not sure what i could do to help that picture maybe a different angle. With the Super 60 there is more teeth engagement and gerth. The std D60 pinion and the JK pinion are very similar when measuring the head of the gear and and the base of the gear also is nearly the same diameter....



I did not know the J20 D44 tubes were so beefy.

I assume you are using the Napa outer shafts for multiple reasons, one of them being the hopes of the most easily replaceable piece being the weak link.

The subtle little unknowns of some model jeep front ends. also note the webbing around the pinion area as well as up and down the sides of the housing, more than a std wagoneer housing has also which can only help stiffen things up

the napa seal i listed above is a seal that fits a 1/2" wall 3" diameter tube and it is a double lip seal.

as to the stock outer shafts..... cost is a major factor right now, i could easily drop big bucks on 35 spline hubs, alloy inner and outer shafts. this way i'll run the 30 spline plastic hubs and 30 spline outers for this year just to get up and running and keep the fusable link in one of the easier to reach spots.

I might run some cheap usa standard 4340 inner shafts and then if i come across a set of 4340 outers and keep my 30 spline hubs with stock D60 joints that way cost is still down in terms of $340 for inners, $300 for stubs and $250 for new hubs + some super joints at another $400. right now i can get the usa std inner blanks for $89 a pc+ 60 to spline per side. so $300 +/- for my inners, then on stubs i can get spicer 35 spline outers for $70 a pc so $150 +/- then hubs at $230 +/- for a total of $680 but if im going to do 35 spline outers i should do 4340 so really itd cost me $830 out the door. Or my budget wise alternative is $230 on inners, $115 a pc for new outer 30 spline 4340's and im out the door for $530. i get plenty strong bigger u joints, 35 spline inners and outers that are equally as strong as a spicer grade 35 spline outer and have strong ears i keep nearly $300 for other aspects of the project and can always upgrade later

obviously lots of clean up left to do but i finally found a couple of picutures of the knuckles welded on



 
#24 · (Edited)
Anyone got pics comparing a HP dana 50 r&p versus a HP Dana 44 R&p??

I have an HP44 dying to have this done to it. :smokin::smokin:

Searching found this thread

stolen from various jana build threads and reposted
"Dana lists the D50 as suffering lower bearing load capacity due to the higher leverage of the R&P agaisnt the smaller D44 sized beaings
D44___________19,700
D50___________16,000
D60___________23,700


"So here are the specs for comparison, compiled from Dana's web site and the Differentials identification, restoration & repair guide.

Model........Ring gear size".....Max momentary output torque FT-lb
D30...............7.125.............2350
D35...............7.562.............2500
D35 super.......7.79..............2700
Toy 8"............8.0 ................NA
D44................8.5...............3460
GM 10B...........8.6...............4500
GM 12B...........8.875..............NA
D50................9.0................5000
D60 30sp........9.75...............5500
D60 HD 35 sp...9.75...............6000
D70...............10.5................8000
D70 HD...........10.5...............8800
D80...............11.0.............10,000" (source Carl Jantz, Jana Enterprises)

couple of stolen pictures but they show some of the similarities and what they do have in common

D60, D50, D44 , D30


D44 on top D50 on bottom


Some pinion comparisons


ring gears stacked. the D50 being Reverse cut stands out a little


D44 vs Dana 50
]

HP Dana 50 Ring and pinion installed in a Dana 44 HP housing, i still believe the two are kissing 1st cousins


A good thread with details about stuffing 50 gears into a hp44 housing
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=949738


it is interesting to see the late model rubi dana 44's did have a different cut to the gears and more contact and then they took it further with the JK gears..... only took 57 years for them to finally do something crazy with the 44 rear R&P and really come up with something noteworthy


pictures to come in the next few weeks of the assembly
 
#25 · (Edited)
making a girdled differential cover. there is probably a million ways to do this. carl at Jantz enterprises does his with 4 studs and sleeves through the cover. bang for the buck his is less headache and a nice product and really does cover all angles.... ...... i just want to try something different but highly recommend his approach

but i wanted to have / try and make something myself similar to an LPW style cover for my setup and this seemed to fit my idea and fit my budget for this portion of the project. im starting to get to a tight budget and a diff cover i build myself is alot more appealing right now


I started with a Ruff stuff cover. because i got it for alot less. the Great lakes cover with 1/2" flange would have been better but this was the test child and i didnt want to spend $160 on a 1/2" cover only to screw it up on a bad idea.

used 2 1/2" x 3" grade 8 set screws

Got 2 pcs of 1" x 3" x 9-1/2" long sticks of solid stock hot roll for $6 out of the scrap bin at the local steel shop.

and had to cough up a case of beer to motivate the mad engineer that i call on when i need to barrow his skill and garage milling machine.

clamping it down:




Digging in:



i wish the drain plug wa s a touch smaller or a 1/4" higher sure would have made this easier


first nights work is done. since this is going to be more than one night of messing around. just know thats a 1" gap.

Now we have a giant leak to contend with in the face of the cover.


i wish someone would sell a 1/2" face flange in a DIY kit with 3/8" face pieces. the 1/2" flange would go a long ways especially since after you get done welding you'll be machining off a 1/16" +/- in some cases the fange is off 3/32 so almost an 1/8" to get a flat surface meaning the finished flange end up under 3/8" wehre as if one could start with 1/2" loosing a 1/16 or an 1/8" in the planning process wouldnt seem so significant ....... but thats splitting hairs i guess


Id love to drill everything out to 3/8 and tap new thread sbut all these 5/16 grade 8 bolts should get me close enough



Template for my idea of what the solid stock piece will look like. it will stick up 1/4" above the highest point of the cover face. the squigly lines will be where the load bolt holes will go down.



dana 44 bearing caps stick up 1/2" above the face of the housing. you need about 1-1/4"-1" of clearance from face to threaded hole for the load bolt.

a little more accurate template





I also plan to weld a few face gussets from top flange to center solid stock and lower flange to the solid stock. partially to prevent lifting of the flange as well to make sure everything is rigid. the outside of the solid stock will not follow the taper of the cover the angle will be steeper and then the flat surface spanning between will rise up slightly above the cover. hopefully i can machine that to say "D - 608.9"

Heres what i wish they made out of steel

http://www.lpwracing.com/Ultimate_Chrysler/Ultimate_Chrysler.html



I was going to use a load bolt like this



but after fitting the piece of 1" solid into the hole i realized the ange of the cover doesnt lend itself to that idea as well as i thought. more likely i will get 2 grade 8 1/2"x3" set srews with a flat bottom and use them instead because i would have to fight the lack of distance between the solid stock and the bearing cap. also i'll have to check for clearance for the arb air line.





Also i forgot to mention earlier. The stock bearing cap bolts only engage 3/4" of thread and with 3 hash marks appear to be grade 5 from the factory as well they were 2-1/8" in length. i ran a 1/2x20 NC tap down to the bottom and it looks like i can engage 1"-1-1/4"+ of thread. I will be installing some 1/2x2-1/2" or 1/2x 2-3/4" Grade 8 bolts when i do the final install on everything. i was going to run studs and still might with the same objective in mind the more thread engagement the better. the more thread engagement the more cast iron i'll be pulling on and the addition of grade 8's over the original grade 5s should limit bolt stretch. add the load bolts into the equation and stiff cover and we should be a ways ahead on minimizing deflection from what a std dana 44 would do. On my rear 44 8 years ago i had few carrier bolts that did stretch significantly enough so when i backed them out they wobbled


A little more time and consideration and i'll be closer to my objective
 
#27 ·
Current tie rod to drag link situation. I am not getting enough travel of the knuckle vs the travel of the wagoneer pitman arm. here is what things look like. the drag link TRE is pitched up but there is no contact issues that was just from tightening the drag link bar.





My idea is i will move the spring perches and shackle mounts forward about an inch to address the new geometry i will get after machining the knuckles

I will machine and re drill the knuckle arms putting the TRE at 6-7/8" or 7". the existing surface are where the TRE hole currently is has 3/8" of material all around the top of the hole. the hole is 3/4". so if i move back an 1" i will retain the 3/8" of material all around my new hole, the knuckle is solid in thhe area that i am considering machining and it appears that at 7" i will have no contact issues and retain a more correct ratio. I can tell you im going to pick up a spare set of knuckles to try this out on and machine and if all is well i'll make a duplicate set to keep as a spare set. that is if my ramblings make sense to you.





 
#70 ·
For those doing a 609 or any other hybrid with 60 knuckles and not using high steer you'll find out that with the GM and Dodge stuff steering is an issue and requires some thought. i poked around for awhile and couldnt seem to find anything longer than a waggy pitman arm. there is probably something out there but id have to move the box even further forward to clear it. with a 9" of a 44 housing the diff cover clearance isnt as much so doing this seems like it might be an option for some setups



here's one option

I am back 1-1/8" from the existing hole which puts me at 6-7/8" from center of KP to Center of new hole VS the original D60 knuckle is 8" center of King pin to center of TRE


Heres the drawings that i made up for doing this







I can move my housing forward up to an inch if I ever want a little more WB stretch, I will later but since i have so much else to do right now I dont need to so i won't. I thought i would have to to get everything tight and close but as it sits the modifcation is working fine. here is an after shot without moving anything else

I currently have full travel bump to bump on flat ground with an available small amount of more pitman arm travel. About a ¼ more rotation of the wheel. I did have to grind a little on the upper steering arm area to allow full pitch of the TRE but I doubt any of the machine work or grinding will effect the strength of the knuckles its all solid in that area and still significantly more material than a D44 knuckle. anyways with high steer arms id be applying the same amount of leverage





shitty angle looking up at the bottom on the steering arm. Got a little excited installed, snapped pictures and the picture of the holes prior to installing the TRE's didnt turn out so here's what you get to see]

can you by any chance pop some pics back in to this part? having a hard time visualizing whats going on here. thanks.
 
#28 · (Edited)
For those doing a 609 or any other hybrid with 60 knuckles and not using high steer you'll find out that with the GM and Dodge stuff steering is an issue and requires some thought. i poked around for awhile and couldnt seem to find anything longer than a waggy pitman arm. there is probably something out there but id have to move the box even further forward to clear it. with a 9" of a 44 housing the diff cover clearance isnt as much so doing this seems like it might be an option for some setups



here's one option

I am back 1-1/8" from the existing hole which puts me at 6-7/8" from center of KP to Center of new hole VS the original D60 knuckle is 8" center of King pin to center of TRE


Heres the drawings that i made up for doing this







I can move my housing forward up to an inch if I ever want a little more WB stretch, I will later but since i have so much else to do right now I dont need to so i won't. I thought i would have to to get everything tight and close but as it sits the modifcation is working fine. here is an after shot without moving anything else

I currently have full travel bump to bump on flat ground with an available small amount of more pitman arm travel. About a ¼ more rotation of the wheel. I did have to grind a little on the upper steering arm area to allow full pitch of the TRE but I doubt any of the machine work or grinding will effect the strength of the knuckles its all solid in that area and still significantly more material than a D44 knuckle. anyways with high steer arms id be applying the same amount of leverage





shitty angle looking up at the bottom on the steering arm. Got a little excited installed, snapped pictures and the picture of the holes prior to installing the TRE's didnt turn out so here's what you get to see]

 
#30 ·
liking it!

When you drilled and tapered the knuckles.. did you need to mill a flat area around the tie rod or was there enough existing?
Very cool build by the way ..I am definitely considering trying a 60/44/ jk hybrid

BTW Late 70's Camaro/Firebird Pitman arms are the key for full travel steering on a Dana 60 knuckle...Dead flat /same spline as a CJ and a skiff longer than the waggy arm....
 
#31 · (Edited)
When you drilled and tapered the knuckles.. did you need to mill a flat area around the tie rod or was there enough existing?
Very cool build by the way ..I am definitely considering trying a 60/44/ jk hybrid

BTW Late 70's Camaro/Firebird Pitman arms are the key for full travel steering on a Dana 60 knuckle...Dead flat /same spline as a CJ and a skiff longer than the waggy arm....




now you tell me. :laughing:

man i missed that one in all my digging.


on the top i had to grind down a little due to the area where it tapers up from the arm. but that was on the outer edges of the TRE, so 3/8"+ away from the new hole. but otherwise on the top not much to do


on the bottom i milled a flat surface for the nut to seat up. this was where it needed to be flat.

plenty of material all around the area of the hole pretty minimal grinding on top. All flat in the vacinity


thanks for the props. im having fun with playing around with this one. just for the sake of trying out a bunch of old ideas and being different


another pitman arm option is 7" CTC
 
#32 · (Edited)
Axle shafts:

I was going to run 35 spline stock inners and 30 spline stock outers with spicer joints ......... but

I found a decent deal on overstock diff parts .com $89 a pc for 1.5" blank dana 60 4340 shafts (usa Standard brand which i believe is yukon's blem line)

Then i stumbled onto a new set of 12" GM/Dodge 4340 30 spline outer yukon stubs here on pirate for $120 for the pair.

I still plan to run a std spicer joint with full circle clips


Looks like i'll be running 30 spline outer stuff for awhile, cheap and i've got it now. doubtful i'll ever break it and its a step up in the ear department and in the spline diameter from a std dana 44 outer 19 spline stub.
 
#33 · (Edited)
A little axle softcore porn, threw a 760x joint in there just to contrast it against the spicer 5-806x joint.






full circle snap ring for a 35mm shaft with a 1.6mm grove, part #98541A146. It measures out at a hair over 0.058 whereas the spicer c-clip is 0.059.


pictures of a full circl installed


38" 4340 axle blanks that i ordered they ended up coming with Yukon tags attached to them but were listed on the invoice as USA standard. for $80 a shaft hard to argue

Dean at Performance Cryo did my axle splining

Planning to run spicer 5-806x non greasable forged joint with one of the caps drilled and tapped for a zerk (at least thats my plan till someone tells me im nuts), full circle clips, 30 spline hubs and carry a drive flange for the day when a hub pops.


sure id love 35 spline outers but thats buying new hubs and more money for stubs and these were hard to turn down at the price and im sure i'll probably never kill em
 
#35 ·
Planning to run spicer 5-806x non greasable forged joint with one of the caps drilled and tapped for a zerk (at least thats my plan till someone tells me im nuts), full circle clips, 30 spline hubs and carry a drive flange for the day when a hub pops.
You may need to drill and tap all the caps if you are looking to service your u-joints. I believe the new spicer joints are a solid cross and each cap is pre-lubed with the correct amount of grease for that cap. The seals aren't designed to take more gease and will cause a shorten u-joint life. At least thats what I was told about the new solid 760 joint. I imagine that Spicer did the same on their new 60's joint.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top