I was hoping to install an Eaton Truetrac in my 07 E350. I've had one before, and loved it. To my surprise, both Eaton and Yukon exclude the 32 Spline Dana 60 in their aftermarket product line. When questioned, their response was that there just isn't enough demand to justify the tooling. They both support the 35 spline Dana 60!

I looked into swapping-out to 35 spline axles but can't do it, the length is different.

The only street-freindly offerings I found for the 32 spline Dana 60 are:

Dana Spicer "Trac-Lok" (factory limited slip, clutches, friction additive)

Richmond "Powertrax No-Slip" (hybrid-differentiating dog-house locker)

I've read some reviews on the "Powertrax" which gave it high marks for traction. Almost every review warned of "understeer" when powering thru corners, "sideslip" on slick road surfaces, and excessive driveline backlash.

Now my dilema is wether to go with the "Trac-Lok", or to find a 35 spline Dana 60 and add the "Truetrac".

I'm open to other suggestions, so if I've missed any other offerings for the 32 spline Dana 60, please let me know.....

 

Ok, I'm getting conflicting info on wether or not I can replace the axles with 35 spline. Does anyone have first-hand experience with this one? Will a Dana 60 32 spline take 35 spline axles as long as the carrier gets changed to 35 spline?

 

I've got the same diff in an 08'. I went with the factory Trac Lok, mostly because I didn't know any better. It works pretty well, but Ford does not recommend it with an Advance Trac/ RSC diff. ARB lists a 32 spline Dana 60 locker and John at Quad Van recomended getting the True Trac and custom axles, he said it works very well with AT/RSC. No matter what you use, it will be kind of redundant because the AT applies brakes to reduce wheel spin, unless you turn the system off, but you can only do that under 24? MPH. I think at low speed the ARB would work the best.

 

Thanks Silver! It's invaluable to here from someone who's dealt with it. In my original search, ARB listed an "Air Locker" so I didn't consider it. I havn't driven this vehicle in Winter conditions with the open diff but can't imagine relying on the AT/RSC for Winter traction. I also haul several heavy work trailers, and backing them up a steep customer's driveway is an issue.

 

:lurk

I've been wanting a Truetrac for a while, and was anticipating new custom axles. I'm working on renewing the mad money account now.

 

Hey Motomedic,

I just learned that custom axles will work! I pulled one axle and slid a 1.5" OD pipe into the spindle to test the theory. I'm purchasing universal Dana 60 long spline axles, a Truetrac, and 4.10 gears for the rebuild. The axles will have to be cut to the proper length, but that's it! I'll keep you posted.....

 

Thanks John. As I said, I was anticipating having to have custom axles, but I must confess I've never dealt much with auto drivelines, beyond the occasional u-joint replacement. After all, while I deal with ring and pinion gears all the time at work, they're a little smaller and easier to get to... (I work on BMW motorcycles with shaft drives )

This will definitely be a learning experience for me.

 

Hope my build helps you! Stay tuned......

 

I ordered the Truetrac from Summit Racing for $624 including frieght (Eaton #915A385), but it's back-ordered until about Xmas. I picked-up the axles from Six States Distributing for $183 & $197 including frieght (Yukon #YAFF35-36.5 & #YAFF35-39.5). They are listed as Dana 60,70,80, 35-Spline, Cut to Fit (34" to 36.5") and (37" to 39.5"). I'm having the Drivetrain Shop order the Bearings & Install Kits directly from Spicer. Hope this helps.....

Incidentaly, the pipe I used to check my Dana was a piece of 1.25" EMT (Thinwall Electrical Conduit), it's OD is a couple of thousanths larger than the 1.5" axles. Slide it into the spindle at least 12" to clear the choke-point. If it clears, you're good to go with this mod.

 

Mod Completed!

I've been called to take-on a project in snowy Central Oregon, so this mod became more urgent and was completed today. I had to cancel the Truetrac from Summit, and pay an extra $100 to get one from a stock source.

The part numbers I listed above were all good, and everything fit together nicely. The only hickup was an incorrect Pinion Seal which caused some serious shiming until we punted and got the correct part. The Truetrac Carrier is the same width as the Open Carrier, so we were able to just match the old Axle lengths. The Axles were extremely hard, we burned thru a couple of blades on the chop-saw getting them cut to length. I also went from 3.73 to 4.10 (new rubber on Monday). This is now a "Dana 60 HD, 35 Spline, Truetrac LS 4.10". Total bill around $1500.

I drove it around today and couldn't feel a thing. It runs quiet and smooth in the corners, and tracks really straight on the Highway. Once I get to play with it the slippery stuff I'll add some feedback on traction. I'm also going to include this mod in a thread containing the total build of my van (soon).

The photos are of the Pumpkin gutted, the old and new Axles side by side, the Truetrac installed, and the Axle Flange visible at the Wheel. The bonus photo - "Anyone Need a Ring and Pinion".

 

Nice! what size tires are you going for and what brand gears did you buy?

 

Hey Silver,

I went Spicer on the gears.

I'm going with LT265/70R17 E1 Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor, Siped. I was hoping to do what Killer RC did, but the wheels I want (Eagle Alloy 140) come in 17x8 (not 18x9) so I couldn't go with the 275's. The bonus I learned is that 17" tires are on average $50 less per tire than 18" for the same darn tire. I compared BFG A/T, BFG Rugged Terrain, Toyo Open Country, & Michelin LTX before choosing the Goodyears.

The new tire diameter is 31.7, just shy of being a wash with the gear change. 3.73 to 4.10 needs approximately a 3" gain in tire diameter (32.3") to be a wash.

Monday before the wheels and tires, it's getting the 2" front leveling kit from Maxlift and an alignment.

 

Well I did my snowey trip plus a ski day up on Mount Hood after a 17" dump.

I was on Packed Snow & Ice with 360lbs of sandbags right over the rear axle, and she didn't slip even once. I hit some bumper to bumper traffic on the mountain, and didn't have any trouble starting from a dead stop even in first gear on the steep.

I am completely impressed with the Truetrac diff. and Silent Armor tires (Siped of course). I was almost as confident as with my old 4x4, but I did drive with a bit more caution.

These are mods that I would deffinately repeat on future vehicles.

 

Great news, John. LOT more work for you than I've gone through. I put an Auburn limited slip unit in my '86 GMC G2500 van (along with a gear change from 2.75 to 3.42--which it needed with a 305) around 1990, shortly after I bought it, and remember doing some pretty rough fire road touring with that van.

Likewise, about 2 months after I bought my current '02 E150 van (new, in March 03), I had an Eaton posi put into it (bought it out of dealer stock so no choice). I have gotten thru a LOT of crazy campground roads in our old Boy Scout days with the E150 and continue to enjoy the posi in Michigan winter weather. I've never been stuck in one of the big vans with a limited slip axle, so they gotta be working. I used to run blocky 255/70 tires on the GMC, and have run Michelin LTX M/S's on my E150 since it was new. (Replaced the originals with the same tire.)

Good job, and Happy New Year to you,
George

 

Thx Yo! Happy New Year to you.