Front Dana 60 Axle Tech PAGE 2 (Click on most pics for a larger version) Last updated: Monday, September 2, 2007.

Front Dana 60 FAQ:

Information gathered over several years from various websites, bulletin boards, forums, and e-mail lists.  The vast majority comes from  the most excellent Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board. A new line or paragraph after a blank line indicates the opinion/info of a different person.

What's the deal with the Dana 61?

With mileage and emissions concerns rising, at some point Dodge and / or Ford decided they wanted to be able to offer gears higher than the current highest ratio of 3.54 available in the D60.  However, because of the design of the D60 the pinion head could not be made big enough to achieve a higher ratio.  Hence, the birth of the Dana 61, which has a different casting that moves the pinion over 0.25"-0.437" (conflicting reports) - this allowed for a 3.07 axle ratio.  The Dana 61 also uses 3.5" axle tubes.  Other than that, it is very similar to the Dana 60.  The Dana 61 was  common in Dodge front ends and Ford van rears.

The difficulty with the Dana 61 is very limited gear and locker choices. However, you can use a combination of ring gear spacer and thick gear set to allow the use of differentials and gear sets intended for the Dana 60. 

Slagburn reports: to run a 4.88 I had to go with series 3 carrier, series 1 being 4.10 and down, series 2 being 4.56 and up, then the series 3. PLUS a .160" spacer. That's the problem, nobody makes a full case locker for a 61, but it could be doable with a thick ring gearset AND a spacer.

 Reider racing< Randy's R&P, and other sources make ring gear spacers for the Dana 61 .

http://www.reiderracing.com/ringspacer.htm

Are all End-forgings (inner knuckles or "Cs") the same?

No. OEM (Dana / Spicer) there are at least 2 different versions, illustrated below. (photos courtesy of RealJeep Man)

Small "regular" or common version	Large version
The heavy tube fork was used on the snow plow dodge dana 60 front for several years, it was used on the ford bottom load dana 60 front in '76 and '77. The dana 70 open knuckle front used this same forging but was bored for the 3.56" tube, the 60 is 3.125 tube. steve differential eng. inc.
Just for fun - here's a pic of the end forging that Steve Gerstner is using in a front Dana 80 project - made from 6" plate!!

Which outer-knuckle is strongest?

4x4 lore has it that the Chevy/Dodge knuckles are the strongest, and it is reported that the Ford outer knuckle is thinner around the king pin, and they have been known to crack and break in that area.  This pic illustrates where......but the sharp-eyed reader will notice that, ironically, this pic is of a Chevy knuckle - so they're obviously not bulletproof either!

Photo courtesy Camo

There are only 2 sources I am aware of for aftermarket outer-knuckles, illustrated below:

One is WMS, http://www.wagonermachine.com/knucklepage.htm Photos courtesy WMS
The other is a fellow on the Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board who goes by the name of Welderboy. His contact  # is (916)852-7109 These are 100% fabricated, with no OEM parts, they replace top plastic bushing with a new bearing, and come with high steer arms with bigger bolts and cone washers for $750 each. Photos courtesy Camo

Why do so many prefer internal to external lockout hubs?

Many folks believe the external style lockout hubs that are mounted to the wheel hub with 8 9/16" bolts are weaker than the internal lockouts that are splined to the wheel hub.  This is likely true if the bolts are allowed to loosen, but shouldn't be too much of an issue if they are kept religiously tight - which in itself can be a PITA and therefore a drawback.  Other drawbacks to the external style lockouts are:

- Limited lockout and drive flange availability - both the number of options availability, and the chance of finding them in more remote regions 

- The only confirmed "new" external 30 spline lockouts I could find were the Milemarker "Selectro" brand which many have reported are fairly weak

- The only 30 spline external drive flanges available are the OEM / Spicer units which would have to be sourced used or NOS.

- Converting to 35 spline stub shafts with external lockouts is more of a challenge, as there are no 35 spline external lockout hubs, and the only 35 spline external drive flanges available would be either the rare and long discontinued Spicer D70 parts, or custom made units, although I have hears that WMS and possibly Dynatrac make them also - both of whom are known for quality but also high prices.

- The external hub sticks out of the wheel hub more, and is therefore more prone to catching on rocks and getting damaged.

- Finally, because of the issues listed above, generally external style hubs are less desirable, and therefore command les re-sale value - though this could of course be an advantage too.

I took the Dodge spindles to the lathe and turned them into Ford spindles. The Dodge calipers stands and calipers (same as Chevy) line up fine on the Ford rotors. Basically, you have the pattern. Take the Chevy spindles and use the Ford spindles as your pattern for your lathe work. Base all the measurements off the inner wheel bearing surface. You're going to move the outer wheel bearing surface in towards the mounting flange about 5/8" and then cut the same amount (distance) of new threads on the spindle, then cut off the same amount off the end of the spindle. 
The Ford stuff is right at 5/8" shorter. Inner bearing and wheel seal surface is/are all the same. The difference is where the outer wheel bearing resides. The Ford is 5/8" closer to the inner bearing vs. the Dodge/Chevy.

1'st knock out the old race/cap with a punch from top to bottom. Install the "tin" bearing cap 1'st, then install the bearing race (I use brass punches for this), install bearing, put bearing cap/seal then slide knuckle back on and insert kingpin from bottom and bolt it in.....done.....pretty simple.

Stock stubs should run about $55 per, U-joints about the same and my inners were about $225 for the pair. All NIB Spicer replacements

 I paid $100 for a used set of inners. I then had to pay $35 a piece for U-joints and $65 a piece for the 35 spline stub shafts

 I paid $50 for a complete set with worn out u-joints for my Ford front. They are vintage '79

 Well, I picked up a pair of inners off eBay last night... used, and only $83 plus shipping for both of them

1250-1500 for one that’s usable, 1000 for one that needs rebuilding

Going price from the Salvage yards around here is about $900 to $1200 for a complete front Dana 60 hub to hub. I found a complete 79 F250 with d60s for $900.

I paid 1400 for a single wheel, king pin rc d60.

I’ve noticed 1500 is the average accepted price for a rc d60. any less is a 'deal' any more it better be in awesome shape. The Chevy/Dodge d60's fronts are definitely going for less.

When I was looking  for one all the junkyards wanted $1500-2000 for a complete RC D60. Ball-joint or King-pin price didn't really seem to change. I found one for $1000 and happily jumped on the deal.

$1500 is the usual that I have seen depending on the condition

When I was looking I found a number of 79 Ford D60s right at $1000. I wouldn't pay anymore than $1100, you know you're gonna have to rebuild it. I've seen them for less and more. It all depends on how patient you are and how far you're willing to drive to get it

In my junkyard searches I have found late model Ford D60 fronts range from 600-850. 900-1250 is the range for the '79 RC Kingpin model

I paid $700 for mine but it was missing the calipers and one lockout. Going price is in the $1200 - 1500 range at yards. Anything under a $1000 is a deal in my opinion.

Saw two sets yesterday on e bay. they were in the 100 to 200 hundred range

I got my spares from ORD. Stock Spicer units for $78 each IIRC

Randy's, $65 each.

I believe Essentially Offroad wants like $60 per stub.

I found these prices for the 3-82-871 35 spline stubs:

        Local Spicer dealer: 76.15

        Randy's: 66.80

        Drivetrain Warehouse 64.00 (free shipping)

        Reider's 67.00

        TOR: 76.00

        Drivetrain Direct: 79.00

OK, here is a run down of how things "usually "break:
if running the taper-down 35 spline inners with stock 30 spline outers the inner will break where it tapers down or the stub will break at about the same time. When the stub breaks it will usually ruin the lockout and it can break the spindle (split the spindle) or cause the spindle to swell. If running "big style" inners with the stock 30 spline stub axle then the stock 30 spline outer axleshaft or lock out will go.  If running big inner with 35 spline (Dana 70) outer then the u-joint or 35 spline lock out will pop. If the u-joint goes it will take out the ears on both axles usually. If running big style inners with 35 spline outers with 35 spline drive flanges then the u-joint will break.  Of course a driveshaft joint could break before some of this stuff depending on what size joints you are running. And the ring and pinion can be a victim if it is not set up properly to handle the abuse (I mean use)  I have broken two 1480 joints which took out the inner and outer axles (broke ears) and I have broken a 35 spline Dana 70 rear axle shaft. Hope this helps. Remember this is not written in stone, but just observations from 8 years of running a 60 front  

In 18 years on an RC Ford 60 I have broken 3 steering knuckles,1 inner long side, 3 stock stubs,1 ring&pinion, 4 yokes on 300M 35 spline stubs, 20 sets of wheel bearings, and 3 spindles. Also stripped splines in rotor. Also a couple sets of Spicer hub gears.

I was twisting off the splines on my 30 spline stubs and just upgraded to 35 splines.

I shattered one cryoed 30 spline stub axle in an ARCA comp and a 35 spline inner at the yoke first run out with 35 outers in a situation that would have broken just about anything. All in 2 years

The front HP 60 I haven't had in that long. I have broken one lockout.

I've busted one ujoint

I have a friend that has busted 3 30 spline stubs in the front and 2 35 spline rear axles.

A good friend of mine has been taking out 2-3 stock stub axles, 2 inner, every year now.  

Every time I saw the stub axle break it always killed the lockout on the way out.

2 steering knuckles, & a couple weeks ago I took out a stub, spindle & hub.  

From my experience tack welding full snap rings or welding the cap completely as you have thought of already really seem to have very little benefit if any with the 60 front joints. I have broken several joints (spicer 5-332x joints) which also ruined the ears on the axleshafts in the form of stretching them, completely tearing them off or breaking the side of them.  Actually I had one joint explode the inner and outer ears without ripping them off so much that it wedged the innershaft into the outer axle and would still pull.  In the end the trunion is what I have always broke at the base of the cross which then destroyed the ears.  I have tried all the above options and still broke them in the same place.  If you run the CTM joint the ears will shear right off and eject the joint out of the knuckle. 

Ford Dana 60 knuckles, from 1985 to 1991 will fit, but the taper for the tie rod is the next size smaller.

You can use  Dodge or GM knuckles out. The GM / Dodge spindles are longer which is what you need to fit the 35 spline stubs. I haven’t seen it done but I have heard about guys using the 35 spline stubs and just cutting them down. This might work but it doesn’t leave much spline contact for your lockout. You could also machine a spacer that spaces the spindle out from the knuckle.

Knuckles out. Chevy King-pin.  You get Chevy knuckle/spindle/hub/caliper/brakes and it is a bolt on swap. You  have to re-drill the GM spindle pattern to match the Ford knuckle if  you use just the GM spindles and not the knuckles. 

Wagoner Machine Shop and Dynatrac sell 35 spline outer stub shafts for the Ford D60. 

Differential Engineering in FL. sell a Ford 35 spline outer kit.   It comes with the Warn lockouts and shafts for $475. The kit also uses Spicer Chevy length 35 spline outers. To make up for the different length of the outers, they cut .600" the end of the shaft, re-cut the snap-ting groove, and relieve the splines at the end. Then the inner bearing race is replaced with part number 382S that spaces the hub and rotor out aprox. 1/8". The 382s is the Timken number for the Dana60 carrier bearing race. If you need an application to quote to the counter-man, you can go to www.timkeninfo.com and search for 382s and you will end up with 265 pages of applications!

Here's a pic, courtesy of Jeepin_NC of the 2 races side by side. 382s on the left, 382a on the right.

The Ford stub axle, hub and spindle are .600" shorter than the Chevy. If you do cut it down then I don't know if you will run out of spline before the slug bottoms out or if it is enough engagement to be a real upgrade. One other problem with cutting off the end is loosing the snap ring groove that holds the V-seal up tight against the back side of the spindle to keep out most of the water.

On this stub modification, we have be doing this for five years, remove .600 from the end and re-cut snap ring groove and relieve the spline at the end for the gear to slip past a little. This stubs and locking hubs have be through hell, 8,000 lbs. tug of war on concrete, 50.000 lbs. sled pull's. "U" joint failures but not at the stub shaft. Steve, Differential Eng. inc.

I will second what Steve said...we have done it that way also, with equally great results. Wheelers/truck pullers here have been doing that for a long time and never an issue or failure caused by the modification that I have seen.

Note:  Whichever method you choose, you will need to run 35 spline drive flanges or lockout hub - see chart above for details. 

On the Dana front the snap ring is very important on the stub axle. The stub must be retained from end play, it keeps the dust boot pulled up to keep the mud and water out and protect the thrust washer. The axle can not move back, if it dose the "U" joint will be out of alignment with the upper and lower joint of the steering knuckle, this alignment must be maintained when the steering knuckle is turned with the axle turning. Steve, Differential Eng. Inc.  

I have found that NOT running a snap ring causes less than great seal/spindle relationship *the butterfly seal* and in some axles I think it allows the shaft to walk out and that seems to have an ill effect on some brand lockouts. I know I have also run the Dana 60 without clip with drive slugs and have had good success. But I still prefer using the snap rings.

I went to the 35 spline when I upgraded tire size to 42's! I was not worried when I only had 38's but I would not even think about anything other than 35 spline with any larger tires. The lockout should go first but I have not had a failure yet!  If you are running a GM 60 all you have to do is buy 2 Dana 70 stubs and the lockouts. Cheap, like $65 per stub and $210 or so for the lockouts. 

If you are running the 35 spline outers with newer "big style" inners which don't taper down then usually the lock out will be the weak link (a fairly weak link at that).  If you have those old taper down style inners then they will break before the joint; but, may not go before the lockout. The best set-up for myself is to run drive flanges with 35 spline outers combined with the "big style" inners that don't taper down. Then the u-joint is the weak link and breaks are much farther apart. I have busted a few of the u-joints while running 35 spline outers with horsepower and 44 inch tires.

If you are sticking with 8 on 6.5 wheel pattern:

The Dynatrac caliper bracket is of nearly no use to you. it is only good for the small 5/6 lug rotor the 8 lug rotors are a bigger od, and that bracket won't allow clearance for the caliper "pins" to clear the rotor.

 What you can do, (I did) is use the 60 caliper bracket where it goes over the spindle, and graft it to a Chevy 1/2 ton bracket to hold the smaller caliper, spaced exactly where you want it. i.e. only use the bolt pattern from the 1ton and only use the caliper retaining area from the 1/2 ton. custom built in your garage!

You might want to check with JB's 4x4. He did my axles and he is making a bracket that will bolt to a 60 and allow you to use 78' Chevy 3/4 ton brake calipers and rotors. I clear 15" wheels.

On a Ford 60 front all the Dana 44 stuff from a Ford will bolt onto the Ford 60. 

If you are going to a 5 or 6 lug bolt pattern:

You will have to machine your wheel hubs outside to 4.200 or whatever your i.d. of your wheels are and the backside of your hubs for the i.d. of your rotors, then re-drill the bolt pattern of the hub.

Caliper brackets are the same. Rotors are too with the exception that the SRW wheel rotors have a larger hole in them for the lug studs' shoulder. Drill them to match and they will be identical.

Some people made a tool with 7/8" nuts welded to a bolt to remove the kingpin. I tried this twice, broke the bolt the first time, and a 1/2" breaker bar the second time. I know there is a special tool for this, but don't have a clue where to get one at.

King pin removal the farmer way.  Drag torch to project...cut 1/3 of king pin away forming a flat side, grab 3ft long pipe wrench...remove king pin....have a beer.

If you're set on removing it, I've heard that it's often necessary to apply LOTS of heat to the knuckle with a rosebud. If this doesn’t work, another remedy I've heard of is drilling a 1/4" hole in the bottom of the king pin screw, and then filling the hole with weld. This will get the screw VERY hot.

Okay, I'm sure one of those ways will remove the pin...but what about installing it. Book calls for 500-600 ft/lbs. 

I just bought a 7/8" allen wrench from Potomac Steel in Springfield, VA for $25. it is hardened and wont break like the nut and bolt trick. The allen wrench I bought is made by Chesco, it is made in the USA and is better than a foot long. Add a breaker bar and a little heat and no way the king pin will stay put.

Here's the "special tool" that I use (several times a month for quite a few years now). Get a long (approx. 2") acorn style lug nut for a 1/2" wheel stud that fits a 7/8" socket, slip it in the king pin and slip a socket over it. Put a lot of pressure on it and smack the axle with a brass hammer right next to the threads a few times, pops them loose every time for me without heat.

Note:  This one of those topics that get a LOT of different opinions and info on.  I think it's because it has a lot to do with not only exactly what type of brakes and calipers are used and how much backspacing (bs) the wheel has, but also the design profile of the rim, so even 2 rigs with the same brakes and bs may require different amounts of grinding on the calipers.

I run 15x10 wheels, with 3" bs. and 3/4 ton 8 lug rotors both front and rear. Just a little clearance grinding on the caliper is all you need.

I Did the same thing and ran a 8" wheel

I've got a D60 front that I just put 15x8 8 lug wheels with 4" back spacing on. I had to take the front 3" of the outer caliper radius down about 1/8" to get them on. Took about an hour and 25% of a 4.5" medium grinding wheel.

I am running a front D60 with 15"...my back spacing is 3 1/4 and had to grind a little but wasn’t that hard...maybe 20 mins of grinding on each side..

I have Ford Dual Piston calipers and run 15x10 3 inch backspacing with minimal grinding

I recently bought a D60 from an F250 plow truck (79 I think). It has two piston calipers had 16.5" wheels. I want to run 15 wheels w/ 3.5" backspacing. the way these calipers/pads are there is no way to grind enough to fit these wheels. Is there a caliper that will bolt up (single piston is ok) or am I going to have to fab some mounts?

If you don’t mind running a 2.5 backspacing 15's will fit with little or no grinding on the dual piston calipers

You can grind Chevy calipers and fit 15 inch wheels. The D60 front calipers and brackets are very beefy. the material removed is not going to pose a problem in the safety dept. In fact what you have after you grind has way more material left than the 1/2tons stuff ever thought about having. How much you grind depends on what offset wheels you run

Steel beadlocks 3 inch backspacing and mine fits over 8 lug 92 F350 rotor's and calipers with a little grinding to the outside . When I say "little", I put the wheel on then spun it, heard the rubbing then pulled the wheel and broke out the grinder and shaved a little using a sanding disc to the metal backing of the brake pad that came outside the caliper. 1 min later bolted the wheel back on and spun. No rubbing! Went to the other side and did the same.

I spent 2.5 hours today grinding my d60 calipers to fit my new beadlocks! And I only got one side done!!!!! This is crazy! My question is, how much space do I need for the wheel. Right now I have very little, but the wheel doesn't scrape anywhere. Is getting a pebble caught between the caliper and the wheels and destroying my wheel a real danger? Just following up with some pic like someone asked for. Here is one side almost finished. I had to do a little more grinding after this, but not much. As you can see, I had to grind A LOT! Both sides look like the pics below.

Photos courtesy Patooyee.

I have less than a 1/16" clearance and have had no trouble at all. I Ground mine for the same reason. I say there is no danger at all with running little clearance. In fact, since I did not want to grind any more than I had to one of the wheels even rubbed a little and still no trouble. Go with it

2 inch backspacing, no grinding

My 15's with 2.5" backspacing fit on my RC D60 out of a 92 F350 with NO grinding at all.

I have about 3.5 back spacing and didn’t have to grind much at all...maybe 10 mins on each side..

3 3/4" bs and it took the whole afternoon.

3.5" BS, all afternoon for one side!

I have the Ford dual piston calipers. I used the calipers from an '82 front instead of '79 (the year of my axle) because they are designed different and there is a lot less to grind luckily someone told me this.) With these '82 Ford calipers there really isn't that much to grind, it just takes time to find the spots where it's touching and rubbing. Now that I have one done I think I can probably do the other side in about 10 minutes. The '79 has a large lip/edge along the whole outer part of the caliper. the '82 calipers I bought do not have this lip. It is only raised at the ends and that receives a bit of grinding to fit. These calipers can be seen on TTB Fords with dual piston calipers.  . I was originally told about this switch by Steve at "Differential Engineering" in Winter Haven, FL

I went to the store today and compared an 82' Dana 60 caliper to my 79' calipers. my question is how do you fit the 82's on the 79' caliper bracket? I noticed they were the right size to fit the slide groves but there were some cast nipples on the 82' that would not allow the caliper to fit. do you need to grind these down and what other issues would I run into putting these on my 79'

I think Ford used 3 different mounting setups for the twin piston calipers. One uses the little wedges that are held on with a bolt 78/79 and maybe a few years in the 80's. Mines a 92 and uses little wedges with rubber in the center, and then the newest style that is held on with 2 bolts.

I've got 4" of BS and I ground it just enough to clear. It is very close. No problems yet...Here’s my article: http://www.members.cox.net/russhuffman/grinding/calipers.html  

'79 Ford RC Dana 60 with 79 Ford dual piston calipers, 2.5"backspacing and very little grinding. Most of the grinding was on the pads and only used a soft wheel on the calipers. About 1/8" space between the wheel and the caliper. No problems thus far with anything getting trapped.

GM calipers, 4" backspacing. First side took about 2hrs... Second side took 30 minutes. I used a cut-off wheel on the grinder, and just chop-chopped the hell out of it, cleaned up with a grinding wheel. They were still rubbing, but they'll self-clearance  

15x16! 3.5" BS, beadlocked. Photo courtesy MR4WD

Ford (dual piston) calipers require much more grinding than GM.  In fact, most people do not consider them a potential for 15" wheels unless you run VERY small backspacing.

The way most people do this is to use the D60 hubs and turn them down to fit through the 5 lug rims, turn the backsides down to fit the 5 lug rotors, and then re-drill the flanges. Then you just have to make a caliper bracket to fit (see 3/4 ton brake conversion above).

I converted a D60 over to 5 on 5.5 this fall. I used a mix of Dana 60 parts and Dana 44 parts to get it done. All parts are Ford 1979 Dana 60, Ford half ton, or Chevy half ton.
Here’s the parts list:
Dana 60 spindle
Dana 60 hub machined down and re-drilled to 5 on 5.5
Dana 44 rotor (F-150/Bronco) center bore machined out to fit on the Dana 60 hub
Machined brake caliper bracket out of 1/2 steel. Basically flat but machined to allow 1/4" clearance for brake pads. Incorporated Dana 60 spindle pattern and Howe twin piston Chevy calipers. These were needed for clearance at piston and knuckle. Knuckle needed slight grinding to allow free caliper clearance. But they work awesome so worth the extra money.
F-150 wheel studs
Getting the hub and brakes machined and re-drilled was cheap. Around $150. The brakes cost substantially more. I hate to say what I paid for the caliper bracket, but if you have a buddy who is a machinist you could probable replicate for a lot less. the Howe calipers were around $220 for the set. Well worth the extra over standard calipers in my opinion.

I did the same conversion to 5 lug on my Hybrid Dana6/Ford9" front. Some pics: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/Albu...=1&showall=true
I used a 60 hub, re-drilled. 1 hole is almost 1/2 way into one of the old 8 lug locations. I tack welded the stud to keep it straight. OD of the hub turned down, back side of the hub matched to F150 rotors.  I had a local metal shop flame cut the caliper brackets from 3/8" plate (7/16 would be better). I had a tracing of Dynatrac's bracket. Transferred the spindle bolt pattern.  I used GM / FSJ 2 bolt calipers. A little grinding on the knuckle, and slid them out 1/8" or so for more knuckle clearance. No problem with 15" wheels.  Took a lot of figuring and measuring, but came out great and pretty cheap. I have a good connection for machine work, but really nothing too sophisticated. BTW, Sunray will do this conversion with your parts. $800  

Another method is a Chevy 60 knuckle, a 60 outer shaft, a Chevy 44 spindle, a 1/2" thick spacer/adaptor to bolt to the 60 knuckle and bolt the spindle to, then you use a 44 hub, rotor, backing plate, and caliper, and a lockout can be bought from Warn, its the one they are using in their rear full float conversions, same 30 spline as the 60 shaft, and fits in the 44 hub.  They are running no spindle bearings, you do end up trimming a little off the spline end of the outer shaft, cause its to long, but it all goes together, and the only thing the people running it have broken is a hub.  

I've heard of this set-up before, never seen it though. Talked extensively with a guy in WA that makes a kit like that but wants $900 for it!! What he does is make a spacer, bore out a big bearing D44 spindle till the bearing fits, adapts D60 lockout hub internals into a D44 lock-out. Not sure if that’s the right way to do it but that’s what he told me!

I don't see why not, you just re-drill the hub to 6 on 5.5, and use a 6 lug 3/4 ton Chevy rotor. also the hole in the center of the Chevy rotor is bigger, so the hub backside may not need to be turned down, or not as much .

 The Big Three (Ford, GM, Dodge) are the same 8 on 6.5" until the new Ford super duties. The all used different size studs depending on year and application, they may be 1/2", 9/16", 5/8".

1999-newer Ford Super Duties are 8x170mm hole spacing with 14x2 metric lug bolts/nuts

As for the wheels themselves, on mid 80's thru mid 90's, a Chevy wheel has a smaller center-hole in the rim. So, the Chevy rim will not interchange between Dodge and Chevy. A Ford has a slightly larger center-hole, so a Ford rim will fit everything, but the Chevy rim will NOT fit on a Ford axle. I think Dodge is the same as Chevy.

Dodge and Ford rims have the bigger holes to fit over the rear Dana axles, where the Chevy rim hole is smaller since the GM 14Bolt rear axle hub is smaller in dia.

If this is a Ford Super Duty style 50 they are ball joint, they use the 60 size ujoints, they have a 9" ring gear so 44 stuff does not work, and they do have the 8 on 170mm pattern so you would need to change that to 6.5" if you wanted to use some wheels you might already have. The have gears for them up to 4.88 at this time but the locker choices are slim still.

This is one of those 'ask 100 people, get 100 different opinions" kind of questions.  I'll leave it to you to sort through it and decide what you think is best.  Personally, all my side and spider gears are welded to each other and the carrier.

Gears to gears and gears to carrier is the way I have seen hold. if you just weld the side gears and spider gears together all your force is on the pin. this may be ok on big axles like d60's, 70's, 14 bolt's, etc. but the pin can break when it is done like this on smaller axles.

I like to get some real beef in there. In the old days (before Everybody had a MIG) we would throw some nuts and bolts in the weld area and burn them in for additional filler.  I prefer not to weld to the casting of the carrier, but I know people who have done it without problems.

If you have a DANA axle...weld the piss outta it...the new carriers are about $50-$75 new. The 14bolt carrier remains even if you buy a locker and they are $250 new...this is why people are only welding the spiders on the 14bolt. Just in case they go locker later....

The first time I helped a buddy weld one up, we welded it to the carrier and ended up having to reset the gears cuz the carrier musta expanded or something.

Well I can show you a way that has been tried and tested on front 44s and for 60s or any thing that you don't have to go in and pop out c-clips.  Weld spiders to sides and sides to spiders on both sides and then take a rectangle piece of metal 3/8 thick or even thicker and drop it in on both sides and then weld it all the way around. Never has caused problems as of yet! 6 years going on 7.

Everyone I've seen welded (we're poor up here in the hills so that's a lot) we just weld the side gears to the carrier and then fill between the spiders and side gears where they mesh. helps to heat (to get the gear oil out) then sand blast then clean really well before.

Just weld the spiders to the case and also to each other. Start as far in as ya can then work your way out. it'll work fine. no need for high tensile or heating it up. Use a MIG so you can get further in to start, and weld everywhere they make contact. I've hammered mine hard and still no cracks.

Take the ring gear off clean the carrier with brake parts cleaner or something similar. let it dry then lay down some type of welding prep spray to minimize splatter be sure to weld it HOT but not to the point it distorts the splines on the inside

I think the best way to do it is to just weld the spider gears together it doesn't matter if the welds crack the spider gears won't spin, this way you don't weaken the carrier which is the part that breaks. The carrier is cast steel and you will weaken it by welding on it unless you do a stress relief after. As far as spatter goes I think 7018 leaves a lot less spatter than MIG, so with what I have in my garage I would use that. If I had easy access to a TIG and didn't pay for the argon I would use that. It is a bad idea to weld it in the vehicle but it is a much worse idea to weld it in the vehicle with the ground clamp attached to the housing so that the current has to be conducted through the bearings so clamp it to a ring gear bolt or something. And like most everyone has mentioned cleanliness is next to godliness when it comes to welding.

Got about 10 years on mine....daily driver. Most of the Lincolns that I've seen break were not welded to the case. In my opinion welding to the case makes the unit stronger as a whole. Just doing the spider gears puts all your faith into the x-pin. No different than a mini spool.

I bathed the diff in solvent, and then heated it with a torch to burn off the residual oil.  I used the TIG some, it worked fine but an awfully small bead, so I decided to try the MIG, and it worked fine BUT right after I welded where the side gears engage the spider gears each weld had a crack?
What am I doing wrong?  I routed out the cracks ( they weren't deep) and Fused them back together with the TIG, but my confidence is gone now until I figure out what I was doing wrong or what was set wrong with the machine - a big Miller power source with a wire feeder mounted on top of it, using 308 stainless wire, maybe I should change to mild steel wire?
any ideas appreciated

I have MIG welded stainless to mild steel and had it crack just like you are saying. use some regular mild steel wire. or just TIG it up completely with some mild steel rod.

I used 308 stainless to arc weld my diff with no preheat and it did not crack when I welded it. I just took it out after a summer of mud bogs and there are still no cracks anywhere. 

Try to make the beads convex, concave beads are more likely to crack, also if you can lay a wider bead with a little less penetration the bead is less likely to crack, especially below the surface. Also watch the interpass temperature.

I welded my rear diff last week for the jambo. Held up through the jambo, but when I pulled my diff cover off to fix a hole, I saw that all my welds had broken. I cleaned out the chunks and put it back together. Still locked up for a day or two, but now I am back to an open diff. That is the reason you get a spool over welding.  I used too big of a rod and too much heat and I melted the gears instead of welding them. I am going to try it again with 6011 rod. It seems to work much better.

What kind of rod did you use the first time?  I'd use 7018 since its a 70,000 PSI rod instead of 60,000 PSI. It sounds like what you are saying is that if you get them welded good they are just as good as a spool?

I welded mine about a month ago. I just laid weld every where. I used 7018. it hasn't broke yet. I peeled out on the dry pavement and it hasn't broke yet. 

I welded mine (front) with 7018 and Jack A's rear with a Millermatic 210. I also welded the side gears to the carrier, and multiple passes on everything. I've got almost a year of hard wheelin' on mine and about a month on Jack's. I've gone through 4 Birf's and it's still good.

Isn't 7018 (mild steel) the wrong type of metal to be using on gears (high carbon steel)? would something like nickel rod with a little more give to it work better, or maybe stainless? and no, I'm not an experienced welder by far,

I've heard 6011's work real well.

My method is to clean very well, pre-heat, 7018, multiple passes, just weld the gears. I have probably done 10 rear ends this way ( clean very well, pre-heat, 7018, multiple passes, just weld the gears) and to my knowledge none have failed. Lo Hi is made for welding high carbon steel without cracking. 6011 is a very poor choice for high carbon steel.

Here is the recipe for welded thirds:
remove third from axel
clean with carb cleaner really well
preheat
weld the spider gears together and to the carrier
use 7018, strong and won't break very easy, low spatter!
change sides frequently to avoid cracking anything.
let it cool naturally
install Lincoln locker and have a blast!
if you use some anti spatter welding spray you can probably leave the ring gear on. that is if you can control where you put the rod. I welded mine all together and kept spraying everything with the anti spatter and I ended up with very clean welds and almost no spatter. that stuff is sweet! spray it on the ring gear and the axle shaft splines in the carrier!
good luck, don't catch yourself on fire!

7018 is for hi- carbon / alloy steel
6011 is for rough work w/ crap metal that is dirty (aka farmer rod)
clean it, 7018 it, enjoy.

I have a taco rear in my '85 that I welded... used the 7018. I have a v8 and run it hard, 3rd gear burnouts etc... it has to double as my muscle car.

I used 210 miller MIG and it worked great. I didn't even cover the splines and it was fine. If I did it again I would have put a stick in the spines and taken off the ring gear. Just used a screw driver and popped the splatter off. Otherwise it is one piece now.

Use 6011 rods, ~90 amps and go to town. Cover them up with 6013 and grind them down clean. DO a few passes. Simple.

I use E7018

I have been told to use 308 stainless. I have welded three diffs with it now and it has worked. The stainless rod is used because it is less likely to crack. I have tried 7018 also and I know it works too. I had a friend (professional welder for 7 yrs) weld one diff for me with 7018 and when I took it out months later the welds had cracks in them. Also, I have been able to weld with stainless without preheating and not have the welds crack when it cools

Dana 60 parts lists from selected manufacturers / suppliers:

 PartsMike D60 parts

*35 SPLINE EARLY FRONT KINGPIN STYLE AXLE - GM, DODGE
 FORD REQUIRES MODIFICATION TO BRAKES TO USE 35 SPLINE OUTER AXLE

**INNER AXLE IS FULL DIAMETER OTHER LENGTHS AVAILABLE - MEASURED FROM CENTER OF U-JOINT   TO END OF SPLINE

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