IS A PAIR OF DANA 60'S OVERKILL?

[redrider2911]

I posted my pictures and design in here and more pictures to come.

 

[vetteboy]

60's are really overkill on a XJ...but then again if you are serious about wheeling and running 60's....I doubt you even have a XJ anymore at that point (unibody, clean sheet metal,...U know a grocery getter). :shocked:

Well, I sorta beg to differ. Mine ain't all that far gone...

and I still managed to blow up stock 60 stuff reliably until I upgraded it to alloy shafts.

As an aside, 5.38s are now field-proven for the 14-bolt.

 

[Big Red]

WOW, nice XJ!

It's good the 5.38 gears are available for the 14 bolt as this would match up with a HP60 or some people go with a HP44 which is a bit small when matched up with such a big rear axle.

 

[Big Red]

WOW, nice XJ! That Cheromanchee and roll cage conversion put you over the top though...along with the rear axle being moved back and the interior gas tank mod! Kind of hard to fit 39.5" tires without doing that though, there isn't much more room for anything over a 37" tire as I found out even on a 2 door model, let alone a 4 door with the rear doors to think about! :yelclap:

It's good the 5.38 gears are available for the 14 bolt as this would match up with a HP60 or some people go with a (HP44 up front which is a bit small when matched up with such a big rear axle). Now there really is no reason to pass on a nearly free 14 bolt. It's nice to save there when you have to pay so much on a HP60. Since this is about dual 60's the HP60/FF60 is killer!!!

 

[adamusmc2002]

Well, I sorta beg to differ. Mine ain't all that far gone...

and I still managed to blow up stock 60 stuff reliably until I upgraded it to alloy shafts.

As an aside, 5.38s are now field-proven for the 14-bolt.

Total bada$$!! I think I read about your buildup, but hadn't seen that picture, of it in it's element. Those 42's?

 

[vetteboy]

Total bada$$!! I think I read about your buildup, but hadn't seen that picture, of it in it's element. Those 42's?

39.5s on what works out to be around 8" lift. It works well and has decent flex despite the low-ish ride height.

And FWIW, going with a passenger drop 60 is potentially cheaper (and definitely was in my case). But you get the low-pinion thing still...hasn't really proven to be a problem yet though.

Like I said before - a Dana 60 isn't necessarily overkill. It all depends on your expectations, and why you think you need to upgrade in the first place. In my case, when I was on 33's and fully locked on stock axles, I was blowing up Dana 30 shafts and u-joints nearly every trip out. A Dana 44 front uses those same u-joints...and well, things just sorta snowballed into what you see there. I'm happy now though. When you're halfway up a retarded hill climb with big rocks all around:

and the traction situation turns bad, it really sucks if you start thinking "well I can't really try too hard to get up this because my front axle might blow". In my case, now it's "I'm gonna give this everything I've got, and if I don't make it...at least I'm not broken."

A matter of personal philosophy, when it comes down to it.

 

[in2fords]

IS A PAIR OF DANA 60'S OVERKILL?
I hope not for me, but I think you should start small. Get to the point where you are wheeling in places and start blowing 30's. then redesign your suspension and build a mild d44 and so on and so on. learn the basics and then upgrade to the next level. The best part of offroading is the technical part I feel, you have a rig that will make evry obstical at first shot, whats the point? in order for you to get challenging you will have to go to obsticals that are beyond your experience and rigs saftey limits.
my Dodge w150 has a 318/np435/np208 w/4:1 /dana 60's w/4.10s and I only run 33's. I have mud terrains for offroading and at's for DDing. Im not saying my current rig can handle all obsticals but sometimes I keep the at's on just to make it a little more challenging on a muddy run.
Learn your level and build for that.
My .02c,
Jeremy

 

[vetteboy]

Get to the point where you are wheeling in places and start blowing 30's. then redesign your suspension and build a mild d44

I agree with most of what you said, but not this. A "mild" 44 is hardly an upgrade at all, and in fact it uses the same u-joints, and the shafts are in some cases weaker at the yokes than D30 shafts are.

Here is a great discussion about that very topic:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=900742

 

[in2fords]

this is true.
I meant put in a stock 44 and once blown then upgrade to heavier duty.


I do over build my rigs, hell my BII had a v8 and was on 60's! but I will leave a axle stock untill it blows and then build the hell out of it. Ofcourse I live on a Island that I can drive completley around in about 4-5 hours so getting home is never an issue.
Jeremy

 

[Big Red]

this is true.
I meant put in a stock 44 and once blown then upgrade to heavier duty.


I do over build my rigs, hell my BII had a v8 and was on 60's! but I will leave a axle stock untill it blows and then build the hell out of it. Ofcourse I live on a Island that I can drive completley around in about 4-5 hours so getting home is never an issue.
Jeremy

How's the wheeling on Oahu? I saw a lot of lifted Jeeps but was wondering where you guys went and how much $ and available the good aftermarket stuff is?

I was over there around Christmas for the 1st time and will definately be back, hopefully soon. I was looking for a place to wheel with my bro-in-law's rented 07' Wrangler Unlimited. He was too scared to scratch it up though, otherwise we would have given it a run for it's $ that's for sure.

Troy

 

[max419]

Look in here alot of the info you seek is here>>>
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89273&highlight=switch+override

 

[Sierra Drifter]

It can be done, but you have to find some deals and shop around. I picked up a low pinion dodge D60 kingpin for next to nothing(I needed a passenger drop and I didn't want to retube), put an ARB in it, 35spline outers, high steer arms, new R&P, new brakes, drive flanges, bearings, seals, etc... for around 2200. The only things that aren't new is the housing, tubes, inner C's, knuckles, and hubs. I had about 1800 in the Scout II D44 front I built, and it didn't have an ARB. Had I built an 44HD it probably would have been a little cheaper as the Scout brakes aren't exactly cheap.

If you are building one from the ground up, a 60 isn't that much more if you can find a cheap housing.

Your mileage may vary. :greensmok

Yes Dodge D60's are very cheap. However, most of us need a driver drop, and might as well go high pinion.
Which means a ford D60, and demand for those is high, thus the much higher initial cost.
$1800 is really cheap considering that:
ARB = $850
Alloy shafts = $500-600
R&P = $200

That's $1600 and we've only just started
flat top knuckles = $$ have you priced dedenbear or parts mike knuckles?
high steer arms = $
calipers = $
rotors
brackets
bearings, king pins, alloy u-joints, master install kit, etc, etc.

There is a reason why a built HP D60 from axle builder run $6-7K and a well built do-it-yourself still runs $3.5 - 5K.

 

[The Hebrew Hammer]

if you want to do it right, i agree to do a hp44 front, but be aware that if its a bronco front end your goin to have a hell of a time with gettin the control arms to mount up right, and idealy if you can find a true high 9 for the rear youll be golden. om the topic of 60, yeah there great if your running anything over a 38, anything under that you better get to shaving, or if you want an easy out let the rocks do it for you, its inevidable

 

[ADK Juggalo]

I'm pretty sure that I've spent less building my D60/14B than I did my D44's. Sure the D60 front costs more to build than a 44, but putting a 14 bolt in the rear makes up the difference... slap 200 bucks worth of disc brakes on it, throw a CHEAP detroit in(or weld it) and you are golden.

yeah i thought about running this combo high pinion d60 i was going to take the d60 from a 4X4 F350 and the 14 bolt from a 3/4 or 1 ton chevy truck withe a ruffstff specialties swap kit that allows you to shed the drums for K20 rotors and calipers this is a bombproof combo for mor info look up fourwheeler magazines article B.O.B blazer

 

[VAhasnoWAVES]

yeah i thought about running this combo high pinion d60 i was going to take the d60 from a 4X4 F350 and the 14 bolt from a 3/4 or 1 ton chevy truck withe a ruffstff specialties swap kit that allows you to shed the drums for K20 rotors and calipers this is a bombproof combo for mor info look up fourwheeler magazines article B.O.B blazer

thats one fancy shovel you must have.


digging deep into the old threads. lol.