How To Score & Rebuild A Dana 60 Rear For Costless!
Hither'south how to refurbish a vintage B-Torso Dana 60 for big Hemi power on the cheap.
Earlier nosotros become technical, let's talk a little about rearends. Yes, the one residing out back, underneath your onetime Mopar, which handles break duties and transfers the power delivered to the rear tires through its differential and axles. The more than power the rearend receives, the stronger information technology needs to be. That's just the reason the beefy Dana 60 unit became standard equipment with 4-speed—equipped Street Hemis and 440s from 1966 through 1972. The '64-65 Race Hemi B-Body cars destroyed enough eight 3/4 axles and differential units that it forced racers of the time to move up to the tougher Dana sixty from the 1-ton trucks. We must notation the 440, 440-half dozen, and Hemi Torqueflite cars with the manufacturing plant Super Rail Pack selection received the 4.x-ratio Dana 60. And let'south not forget the A12 package cars of 1969 i/2 equipped with either the 727 T-flite or 18-spline A-833 four-speed!
During that era, in that location were a multitude of passenger car rear axle assemblies (seven -, 8 -, eight -, 9 -, and 9 3/4-inch ring gear-equipped Dana 60), depending on the powerplant. Backside the slant half dozen- and 273-powered A-Body cars was the wimpy 7 1/iv-inch rear. In '68 when the 340 LA powerhouse was introduced, the now sought-later A-Body 8 iii/four was used until '72 when information technology was replaced with the viii 1/iv-inch rear axle. The 8 one/four was behind many of the camber six, 273, and 318 B-Torso cars from '68 through the '70s. The last year for the dear 8 3/4 unit was 1974. With its drop-out center section, the 8 3/four has been a perennial favorite due to its durability and easy gear swaps. Information technology was tough enough to handle a small-block or B-engine with a iv-speed, forth with the Torqueflite-equipped 440 and Hemi cars in stock form with street tires. Simply add some power and slicks, then go elevate racing, and something could break (like the stock beam shaft seen later in this story). The aftermarket came to the rescue of the 8 3/4 with stronger axle shafts, differentials, yokes, a solid sleeve to supervene upon the crush sleeve, and brace kits to strengthen its housing.
Still, the grandfather of strength during the archetype muscle-car era was the Dana 60 rearend. We are very fortunate the one-time Chrysler Engineers saw fit to equip the most powerful production Mopars of the era with the Dana lx. GM and Ford never offered a rearend as rough and tough in forcefulness. In fact, the famed GM 12-bolt and Ford ix-inch in stock grade weren't even as strong every bit the Chrysler 8 3/four. Since the '70s, we've seen many of our Brand Ten buddies modify over to the "fauna of butts," the almighty Dana 60, for its strength superiority.
Most 10 years ago, nosotros scored our subject donor B-Torso Dana 60 from a friend, who sold us his rusted-away '67 Charger for $1,500. Quite a bargain when yous consider the Charger was equipped with a '68 GTX 440/four-speed drivetrain. Later on parting-out the Charger, we fabricated plenty money to pay for the worth of the Dana 60, along with the rehab nosotros're performing here. Now it's time to say bye-bye to the 8 3/4 with its 741 casting, Certain Grip differential, and iii.23 gear ratio that resided under our '65 Coronet since day one. The 741-casting center section with its smaller diameter pinion gear shaft would have been destroyed from the stupor of our first hole-shot with a Street Hemi pounding 825 horsepower to it.
Bandy meet and online B- and E-Body Dana 60s come for sale, but asking prices are shut to the price of a brand-new, bolt-in S60 from Strange Engineering. Additionally, the Dana lx (S60) from Foreign comes equipped with their beefy 35-spline alloy axles and carrier that can handle over i,000 horsepower. A vintage Dana 60 like ours with its stock 23-spline axles and clutch-type Certain-Grip is limited to roughly 700 horsepower of sticky tire, strip activeness. Project Cool Bluish, with its 825 horsepower, 528-cube Street Hemi, volition be street driven with street tires, so it'll be safe for now. Once our '65 Hemi Coronet is well sorted and broken-in, and before it'due south subjected to a strip examination, we'll demand to upgrade to Strange's 35-spline alloy axles and Southward-Trac differential to avoid damage to this creampuff rear axle.
After inspection of our unmolested B-Body Dana 60, we were quite happy to find the fifty-twelvemonth-onetime rear didn't evidence whatever excessive wear or damage. But the historic period-hardened, leaky seals showed they needed replacing. Gear mesh blueprint, backfire, and the differential checked out great, plus nosotros knew the history of this quiet rear. Without worries of needing a full rebuild, simply a few upgrades and an external refinish would become our rear route gear up. When ditching drums and moving up to rear disc brakes, there's almost always the need to use the green roller-type axle bearings. For united states it will be necessary for our next installation story on the Wilwood 12.nineteen-inch Dynalite rear disc brake kit. We'll likewise supercede the stock 7290 pinion yoke with a Strange 1350-serial billet steel yoke for connection to a custom-congenital, super-duty driveshaft with 1350 U-joints. The finishing bear on will be a cute Foreign aluminum rearend embrace for a better seal than the leak-decumbent stock stamped-steel piece.
We called Summit Racing for the parts needed for our rear finish refresh. To remove the old tapered and press-on the new dark-green beam bearings, we visited our friends at IDM Speed and Machine for a professional installation. Installing beam bearings is a job most of us are non equipped to exercise. Just like rebuilding and setting up a differential, or ring and pinion gear set, you need the right tools and experience. In that location are different routes to take in preparing your rearend for years of trouble-free service. Y'all can choose to purchase a new rearend or strengthen your old unit with stronger components. But be sure your rear is built to handle the horsepower information technology will exist transferring to the rear tires.
Over 10 years ago, a friend sold us his rusted '67 Charger 318. Quite a deal at $one,500 considering its transplanted '68 GTX 440, iv-speed, three.54-ratio, Dana threescore drivetrain. Money from parting the car paid for the unmolested Dana 60 and the parts for its freshening and refinishing.
When looking at any used Dana 60, be certain to remove the rear cover for inspection before purchase. Even though this rear was unused for twenty years and nosotros collection the Charger earlier it was parked, we wanted to exist certain at that place weren't any unseen issues. Fortunately, we didn't find whatever chunks of debris in the housing or in the gear oil.
The gear design on our Dana 60'south 9 iii/4-inch ring gear looked perfect. All the teeth on the ring and pinion gear passed our visual inspection, not showing a single scratch and without any fries. Looking at the differential, its cross-shafts and spider gears appeared to be in excellent shape and were not excessively loose or worn.
The ring gear on our 1968 vintage B-Body Dana lx showed a engagement-code stamping of iii-4-68. The gear ratio stamping showed 46-xiii for 46 teeth on the band and 13 teeth on the pinion gear making this a 3.54 ratio rearend. The clutch-blazon, Sure-Grip differential revealed a date-lawmaking stamping of 4-15-68.
Its easiest to go through the access hole with a 9/xvi-inch socket and extension to loosen the five basics for removal of the axle shaft and bearings. We called Summit Racing to society new dark-green axle bearings with the snap band (MSR-9400M, Elevation price $64.97) needed for our time to come upgrade to the Wilwood 12.19-inch Dynalite rear disc brakes.
The 11-inch rear drum brakes will exist put aside into our stash. Notice the axle bearing grease leakage inside the drum restriction bankroll plate. The green bearings are pre-greased and incorporate it with their own inner and outer seals to prevent grease leakage.
The stock 30-spline axle from the 8 3/4 in my '67 R/T (top) twisted and snapped while testing slicks nearly twenty years ago. The 23-spline beam from our 1968-vintage Dana 60 is one/iv-inch thicker in the spline area. The beefier Dana 60 axles and diff can handle up to 200 more than horsepower than the eight 3/4, just not more than nearly 650 hp with slicks at the strip.
It's apparent the Dana 60'south bandage steel differential housing is thicker, stiffer, and stronger than the stamped steel of the 8 3/iv. That's why the brace kit for the 8 3/4 is a popular add-on that stiffens its housing to reduce gear deflection, helping extend its ring and pinion gear life.
We block sanded the entire rearend then the pitting and the lines from a previous paint castor job wouldn't be every bit obvious. Sanding started with 80-dust, then 120-, 220-, and finally 320-grit sandpaper for a smooth surface and good pigment adhesion. Durable ceramic-fortified chassis black paint was applied to protect our rear for years.
Our friends at IDM Speed and Auto helped us remove the onetime bearings and press on the new green bearings. The stubborn begetting servant neckband wouldn't press off, and so we advisedly cutting the collar to within an 1/eight inch of the shaft as to not damage it.
Chiseling the slot we cutting in the retainer collar helped dissever it and loosen it from the shaft. The aforementioned can be washed to the inner race of the bearing. Exist careful the chisel does not strike and harm the shaft, rendering it useless. With the collar removed, the begetting was hands pressed off.
Nosotros didn't install the retainer plate before pressing on the green begetting. The future Wilwood rear disc brake kit comes with a U-shaped servant plate. Before pressing, be sure the begetting's snap band is facing outward. The servant collar is facing inward. The neckband and green begetting were pressed on together equally seen hither.
Hither'southward an 8 3/four (left) and our Dana sixty beam shaft. Both utilise the same size axle bearings. The 8 3/4 axle has its stock tapered bearings and retainer plate. The green bearings evidence the o-ring inward and snap band outward. The retainer plate was cut u-shaped earlier pressing on the bearing so nosotros didn't demand to cut information technology off for the future disc brake installation.
For now without backing plates, nosotros lightly tightened two nuts for each retainer plate every bit to not bend the snap rings. The disc brake backing plates have special receiver grooves for the snap rings to deeply hold the beam shaft and bearings in identify. For now, nosotros'll just mount the 15x7 cop automobile wheels to easily move the rear effectually the garage.
Our unmolested Dana 60 needed its original left-threaded wheel studs to be replaced with new right-threaded studs (MSR-8040, Elevation price, $17.25, 10 studs). The new studs were pulled in place by tightening a lug nut with two former Cragar wheel washers. The washer hole diameter has to be larger than the stud's shoulder to avert dissentious it.
We chose this thick bandage-aluminum Strange differential cover (STR-D3517, Summit cost, $76.97) to provide a leak-free seal over a leak-prone stock stamped-steel cover. We likewise noticed Summit offers this new Lube Locker diff gasket (LLR-D060, Meridian price, $21.95). This silicone aluminum cadre gasket has no demand for messy RTV for a great seal.
Here'south looking at a 1971 B-Torso Dana 60 from behind. The gas tank hides virtually of the diff's embrace and so nobody will see the large S on ours, simply the three lower bolts every bit seen here. Plus they won't know that within our Coronet's original gas tank is an Aeromotive Stealth fuel pump rated for 1,000 horsepower. Nosotros're trying to maintain that stock-looking contour.
To remove the original 7290 pinion yoke, we employed our xl-year-onetime Snap On harmonic balancer puller. It's the right fashion to remove a yoke rather than beating on it with a hammer or pry bar. A seal picker removed the original pinion seal in a jiffy.
Earlier installing the pinion seal (YMS9316, Summit cost, $23.68) we cleaned out the expanse it resides. A thin coat of RTV was applied to the outside diameter of the seal. We lightly tapped in the seal by going side to side, up and downwardly, lilliputian by little, to evenly seat it in place. The 2x4 slice of forest helped foreclose bending or denting the seal.
This super-stiff Strange 29-spline 1350 series pinion yoke (STR-U1598, Elevation price, 143.97) is made in the USA with 4140 chrome moly steel. It will endure the burden of the abuse in the drivetrain. The pinion nut received the factory recommended 240 lb-ft of torque.
We decided to apply Foreign heavy-duty 1350 series u-joint girdles (STR-U1610HD, Summit price, $87.97) over plainly u-bolt straps. They are just recommended for Strange pinion yokes for a perfect fit so the needle bearings aren't crushed if over-torqued. These girdles provide full 360-degree support of the u-joint begetting cap for greater forcefulness.
Our old Sure-Grip differential volition certainly enjoy some fresh Lucas synthetic 75W-xc gear oil (LUC-10047-1, Summit price, $9.97 quart). This constructed gear oil has an condiment packet designed to concord upwardly to high temperatures and is great for limited-slip differentials similar ours.
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