Dana 60: Worth it?

[shdybrady19]

Its a dana 60 with the inner axles and thats it for 300. Is it worth it?

[MR. HOGG]

depends........what dana 60 is it???

Kingpin
Ball joint
metric
low pinion
high pinion
etc....

[shdybrady19]

going to be honest I dont know how to tell. But its out of an 89 f350. I believe that makes it a kingpin

[GreatWhiteXJ]

Rear- NO WAY!
Front-Definatly.

[shdybrady19]

sorry i thought i typed it in. Yes it is the front. Quick google searched said it was a kingpin.

[flatlander757]

Hell, buy it just for the center section and retube it with some reid inner knuckles however you need it. If I had an infinitely long build deadline(read: my own damn garage to work in) I wish I could do that.



By "just the inner axles" does that mean the carrier isn't in there? Just make sure you have the carrier bearing caps if not.

[MR. HOGG]

so, no knuckles spindles, hubs, or outter shafts?
or
just missing the outter shafts?

[KW01TJ]

buy it. I lucked out and got the same axle but complete with new hubs rotors and calipers for 500 and that was a killer deal.
It now sits in front of the jeep in my garage waiting for enough money to build it so it can go in

[MR. HOGG]

regardless, its not a bad price, but not a steal.

[shdybrady19]

yeah its a bare axle. I figured for the spindles knuckles and all that. I could luck out and find them on here where people upgraded. Also I wont be saving up 1000 for a 60 anytime soon. This way I can rebuild over time and do what I can when I can

[shdybrady19]

also what is the carrier caps? WHat do they look like?

[flatlander757]

The two caps that have 2 bolts each going through them keeping the carrier from falling out. They are machined specific to the housing and can't be mixed up or installed upside down or you'll have some issues. You CAN get replacements but it's a pain in the ass because they will need machined down to match the housing.

From Billavista's Regearing Bible:




It is labeled "D"

[shdybrady19]

judging by the picture it does not. Are those hard to come by?

[flatlander757]

Originally Posted by shdybrady19

judging by the picture it does not. Are those hard to come by?

They're housing-specific, and you can't just buy some and slap them in... they need to match the housing correctly or else it will either squeeze the bearing races to be egg-shaped when torqued to the proper spec or it won't allow the races to have the proper preload when torqued causing a bearing to spin and all kinds of hell to happen inside your diff.

At least that's the way I understand it.


If they are indeed not provided I'd be inclined to pass unless you can find some replacement caps aftermarket(not sure if any even exist?) and even then I hope you're good friends w/ a machinist.

edit:

Interesting google shopping search:

http://www.google.com/products?q=d60...cap&hl=en&aq=f

Your search - d60 carrier bearing cap - did not match any products.

[shdybrady19]

damn that sucks I hope he has them. Can anyone confirm this?

[CSP]

Confirm what?

That they have to be machined? That is true.

[shdybrady19]

well I found a machinist and he said he could do it. So thats good. So two questions. Where can I find the bearing caps? And what do I need to get him to clearance it? Bearings and the caps? Is that it?

[flatlander757]

Well for starters the caps you find need to be LARGER than necessary, machining takes away material, doesn't add it... so as long as you do that you'll be fine.

I'm pretty sure that he might just need the bearing races and the caps and the housing. He'll need to machine the flats of the bearing caps off(where it touches the housing when bolted in) until the bearing race surface is PERFECTLY round to ensure the races will be held tightly and not warped out of shape.


edit:

I wouldn't pay over $100 for that axle if the caps are not there.

[shdybrady19]

they guy said he would do the machining for free. He has a machine shop. Of course Im going to check it all out before purchase. But he said if I get the necessary parts he will do it

[jpnjim]

I think in the case of installing new caps, the axle would need to be line bored, with the caps in place like an engine is when you install aftermarket caps.

So, you would need the axle + caps & bolts for a machine shop to do this job.
I don't think he'd need the carrier bearings, only their specs, but having a set with you couldn't hurt.


One question tho,
the guy selling the axle (who lost the caps) isn't the one offering to do the machine work for free, is he?

I did a quick search for caps, the only aftermarket D60 caps I could find were billet aluminum that claim to be xxX's stronger than original caps, for $80.

1)I think I'd try to find steel caps
2)Without caps, this D60 doesn't sound like a $300 axle to me
(tho there's lots of D60's here in New England where the bodies rust away, but the axles are still good )

[shdybrady19]

yes he is the guy offering to do the machining. He claims to own a shop. Again ill check it all out before purchase.

[jpnjim]

Maybe he's legit,

but I'd be VERY careful of a 'machinist' who misplaces a part of his own axle that basically turns it into a paperweight,
THEN doesn't even mention it to you until you bring it up first.

[shdybrady19]

thats a good point. Ill let it pass I think

[jpnjim]

Too bad your not closer to New England,
here's a PAIR of kingpin Ford 60's for $600.

http://forum.neow.net/index.php?showtopic=95222&hl=