D60:Semi Float, 5on5.5, disk brakes

I'm not sure yet what housing to start off with but I want to end up about 65" WMS. Haven't done much research into that yet as I can problaby get my buddy to narrow anything so i'm not real concerned. If anyone wants to chime in with a suggestion that'd be great. Then get custom 35 spline shafts with 5 on 5.5. I wanna use the Explorer disk brake setup that I already have, like Dynatrac and others do. Is this a bolt on brake setup? Any other problems I'd run into?

Well the D60 in the back of my XJ is a full floater 8bolt and is 65"WMS, its from a mid '80s Dodge 3/4ton. So you could probably use that for a housing but everything else would be custom.

Personally I don't get why you would want a semi-floating D60. The full floating axles are the best part of the D60. If you want a 5on5 bolt pattern use a Ford 9". It will be way cheaper than converting a D60. About the only benifit to a semi-floating D60 over a Ford 9" would be stronger gears. But I think you'd have a hard time breaking a Ford 9" with the 4.0l.

just a thought right now. i've got a 9" housing in the garage waiting for me to build into a 35spl.

Shame you're so far away. We have a semi-float 60 sitting here. Right about 65" WMS-WMS. No brakes on it.

It'd be very easy just to have the shafts redrilled for the BP you want instead of having to buy new ones (I priced it at $50 total). Then get your brake parts and some weld on caliper brackets and you're done.

IIRC, a lot of '80s Ambulances ran that setup.
You can't beat the narrowish width.
You might check any fleet type graveyards, locally.

You can have fun with swapping front 5 on 5.5" full float parts onto the rear and getting custom shafts. The early '70s Jeep J4000s had semifloat rears. Many were D60 but not all.

cLAYH said:

If you want a 5on5 bolt pattern use a Ford 9". It will be way cheaper than converting a D60. About the only benifit to a semi-floating D60 over a Ford 9" would be stronger gears. But I think you'd have a hard time breaking a Ford 9" with the 4.0l.

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That is just absolute nonsense.

You have to narrow both axles, so the labor and Set 20 bearing cup costs are the same. Unless you want to run a crap, small bearing 9" from one of those ginormous 70's cars.

To run 35 spline shafts in the Ford, you must use a large bore case, a $329 expense that is not necessary with the D-60, as you just need to buy a 35 spline carrier and slip it in. Not to mention the upgraded pinion support necessary to run any sort of power through a 9".


CRASH

CRASH said:

That is just absolute nonsense.

You have to narrow both axles, so the labor and Set 20 bearing cup costs are the same. Unless you want to run a crap, small bearing 9" from one of those ginormous 70's cars.

CRASH

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Cannt you get a Ford 9" with a 65" WMS? Buddy of mine was running one in his XJ and I'm pretty sure that it had a narrower track width than mine.

CRASH said:

To run 35 spline shafts in the Ford, you must use a large bore case, a $329 expense that is not necessary with the D-60, as you just need to buy a 35 spline carrier and slip it in. Not to mention the upgraded pinion support necessary to run any sort of power through a 9".

CRASH

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If you run enough power to justify going to 35spl on a Ford 9" then yes you are probably better off going to a D60, but as I said a stock 9" should be plenty strong for a stock 4.0.

My point is that if you want a 5on5 pattern with a 65" WMS it would be cheaper to go with a Ford 9" Would it be as strong as a converted D60, no, but most people don't need the beef of a D60.

I run a rear D60 in mine, simply cause I had it, it fit, and it was cheap. Would I convert it to disc, yes, to a 5on5 pattern, no.

The starter of this thread clearly states he wants 35 spline shafts. So, the stock housing/carrier route are out.

Well, on second thought, you MIGHT be able to find a 65" HD housing with big bearing ends, but they are rare. The car housings and the F-100 housings are thin pieces of junk. The best housings came in the late 70's and early 80's trucks and Broncos.

CRASH said:

The starter of this thread clearly states he wants 35 spline shafts. So, the stock housing/carrier route are out.

Well, on second thought, you MIGHT be able to find a 65" HD housing with big bearing ends, but they are rare. The car housings and the F-100 housings are thin pieces of junk. The best housings came in the late 70's and early 80's trucks and Broncos.

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I'll probably just end up going with the 9". I've got a housing that'll end up with the width I want. I dont see me running anything more than a mild stroked 4L, 38's at a max, and no heavy rocks. Just trying to explore all my options.