Rear-Steer Silverado D60 unitized bearing...

So the rear of the new rear-steer Silverado is a D60. It has knuckles much like a front D60 but instead of hubs, it uses a unitized bearing much like the ones on the front of our XJ D30s. It is 35 spline, and one ton application, strong enough for my idea.

My idea: I have a semi-floating D60 I wish to swap into the rear of my XJ soon. I can make an adapter plate, or completely machine new housing ends so the unitized bearing bolts up. Then I would run 35 spline full floater style shafts (35 spline on both ends, straight shafts, no flanges). The issues I see, would be (1) sealing the axles, (2) the 8 lug pattern, that may be able to be changed to 5 lug, but I'd have to see if the 'hub' area is small enough, and (3) price, who know, these bearing may be $600 each???

Anyone else see problems? Different ideas? Just general input?

The reasoning behind this, I love the idea of full-float, but don't want to run an 8 lug full-float rear axle. If I break a shaft, with the spool I will be running, I'd pull the broken shaft, and still be able to drive home.

Thanks,
Steve

I put a hi-pinion 60 in the rear of my YJ, with splined axles both ends, then used D44 on the spindles for a 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern. I used warn hubs on it so I can flat tow it. The hubs are nice, because those are what break, instead of the axle. I also have an ARB in it.

Do you think you'll break one of those 35 spline axles? What size tires are you going to run? That's a lot of work and expense, and who knows if you can even get the parts. Plus, it would be some good fabrication to both adapt that unit bearing to a solid axle and make it a 5 lug pattern.

It would be much easier and cheaper to find a full float D60, which are cheap, with the thicker spindle, and hog it out to take the 35 spline axles. I don't know what you'd do about the 5 lug. The example above of using D44 hubs is with the standard 30 spline D60 full floater axle I doubt you'd want to go down to 30 spline axles since you already have 35 spline spline axles.

You could get alloy 35 spline axles for the D60 you have now that are 5 lug, and find a way to adapt the brakes, or go to disc brakes. All of us with custom D60's are running alloy 35 spline shafts with 5 on 5.5 or 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern.

If you're already willing to change the housing ends, go ahead and narrow the housing and use Ford big bearing ends, which you can get from most race shops or axle builders. This would eliminate the c-clips in your D60, and allow you to use some alloy 35 spline shafts with a 5 lug pattern. You don't need them to be full floating because you're not going to break them.

I already plan to run 35 spline Dutchman axles, and have the Ford big bearing ends, and mine was never c-clip. You are right, probably never break the shafts, since 35" MTRs are all I will be running, maybe bigger someday (like 37" MTRs), but I doubt it.

If these things are like $600 or more, then no way am I going to do this, but it would be a cool project. Add to the cool factor!!!

I also just realized, they are 6 bolt 1/2 ton too. That would be easy to change to 5x5.5.

I would not want to run a 60 in the rear without taking advantage of the 35 spline shafts. If I was going 30 spline, I'd just do a 44. I've thought about using front 60 stuff to create a FF rear, but finding parts to those is next to impossible, they want to sell the whole axle for almost a grand.

I come up with these ideas all the time, some are good, some not so good.

Time to come back to reality...
Steve