I too have wondered this and haven't gotten a straight answer before.

Diesel Rod

 

Well i found this link. Lemme know what yall think Easy Dana 60 SAS - F250 - 4x4 Preservation

 

Yes you can sir. They are the same. You can also use the hubs if you have a good set on your ttb. Just did it when I converted to my D60

 

Awesome Thank you very much!

 

They are different, but the D50TTB spindle will BOLT ON. The problem is the D60 spindle sicks into the knuckle about 1/2" and the TTB spindle only sticks in about 3/8" I am sure for did this for some reason

 

Hey guys - i wish i could say i've been lurking but not posting in the past few months, but i can't even say that. i have found a few minutes in the last few weeks to address items since i got my truck back on the road.

one item that definitely needs attention though, is my front axle. its started weeping from the outer ends of the tubes so i'd like to get it fixed up before the winter 4x4 season starts up again. so, seeing some good info in this thread, i figured i'd resurrect it instead of starting a new one.

Anyway, wanting to avoid downtime, i just picked up another D60 over the weekend on CL for $700. its in good shape (very little rust) came with all components: swaybar, steering linkages (including half a pitman arm :-)), steering stabilizer (which my truck currently doesnt have), hubs, etc. The plan is to rebuild it, and swap it under the front end at the same time an SD conversion Reverse Shackle Kit goes on. I mean, the credit card has had a few months to cool off since all of the engine parts purchases, so why not get the wife all riled up again!?!?

However, i wasn't aware of this at the time of purchase, but the calipers, rotors and outer knuckles on a 94 axle are not the updated version that is on my 97 F350. after some research, it seems that all of these components can be swapped over from a newer axle, but again, i'd rather avoid the downtime of no front axle on my truck for a few weekends worth of work. so, i have a junk yard shipping me a set of knuckles from a 96 D60 that had a bent tube. $200 shipped for both sides and pictures to confirm sounded good to me.

I'll put new rotors on, as they're cheap enough and its the "right" thing to do. i'll probably just save myself the re-bleeding of brakes though and paint my calipers in place and reuse them though.

So, that's my rough plan. Here's a few more specifics and links so far:

- for ball joints, i'll definitely be doing XRF's (see Brad's posts a few pages back)
- thanks to Bill's Drivetrain America Link, which contains this gem (http://www2.dana.com/pdf/X510-9.pdf), i can order all the replacement seals and bearings needed.

does anyone know of a full rebuild kit for our D60's out there though? seems there are tons of kits for kingpin units, but i haven't come across somewhere with everything you'd need to overhaul our version of the D60...

as usual - any help is much appreciated.

 

I pieced my bearings and seals together, but I do recall coming across a package deal…bronco graveyard I think?

Edited to add: http://shop.broncograveyard.com/Dana...uctinfo/11708/

As you are making your donor axle compatible with your existing brake calipers…I made adding longer (opted for the nice braided stainless lines) brake lines a separate project. Replacing the pads, calipers if desired, and bleeding the lines was one less task to do during the swap.

 

awesome, thanks for the link. assuming i can re-use one of my 3 locking hub sets that'll take care of everything knuckles out. its XRF's for balljoints, then i'll just need to order up all the seals and crush washers for the insides. i'll definitely be doing the outer dust seals as mentioned by bill. seems they'd fit on all models, just ford got too cheap to pay for them from Dana...

unforuntely the yard who promised to send me the newer knuckles, jsut called to say they couldnt find them, though. called a few more with no luck. no big hurry - just gotta keep searching.

 

Hey - quick question for anyone who has done a reverse shackle kit with SD spring upgrade. i plan on using the kit from Precision Metal Fab, but was wondering if someone could share some pictures of where the shackle mounts on the frame?

i ask as i'll be making some DIY step bars for my truck in the next couple of months - before the RSK goes on - but i want to make sure i don't mount it where the shackle mount will eventually go.

Thanks!

 

The use the existing rear spring mount.

 

Thanks for the pics, Leo. So , even when upgrading to SD U or V code springs, the shackle mounts in the old spring hanger location? I always though the SD springs were longer?

Also, these pics just reminded me - i was doing some D60 research on the interwebs recently and saw somewhere where someone said that when you do the RSK on our trucks, you can do away with the track bar (from the passenger side of axle to engine cradle). i'd be reluctant to do this and have the front axle floating all over the place. ...but i could see how you'd get a better ride and potentially less bump-steer if you did this. anyone heard of this or done it?

 

SD springs from the axle back are bout the same as the BOS springs. The SD springs are longer from the axle to the front. In this pic, the red arrow is pointing to the hole that the OBS shackle used to mount in. And you can see that the RSK mounting point for the SD spring is about 4" forward of that.

 

I swapped in the D60 with F350 springs.

I tried it without the track bar and got the death wobble at about 45mph. Reinstalled the stock track bar and stock bracket and never had the wobble again.

Later I added the 2.5" PMF RSK with U code springs. No drop track bar bracket, no drop pitman arm, and the stock track bar was just a hint too short. I modified it to be adjustable.

I had bump steer.

(Don't wast your time, just get the adjustable one from PMF.)

Turns out the bushings in the stock track bar didn't hold the axle stabile enough to stop the wheels from shaking a little, switching to a hiem joint style track bar really helped.

I played with other combinations but ended with a supposed 3" drop pitman arm (pro comp part number PFD400) and a 2.5" drop track bar bracket. I have zero bump steer.

The drop pitman arm reduced the perceived feel of tie rod roll. Some people don't have this, i still do.

I am also running a heavier Bilstein shock valving than most use. The heavier rebound helps keep the rear from kicking up after a bump.

 

Leo - awesome pictures and very informative write-up on steering components that worked best with your setup. i'll probably follow it exactly!

i've also been reading through the "D60 refurb" link in your signature. extremely well done and helpful as well.

Thanks very much.

and for what its worth, for now, its nice to know that my step bar mount location wont interfere with my planned SD-RSK kit.

 

So, i had some time to start stripping my used D60 down in prep for the rebuild. i got the steering and swaybar components off and started disassembling the hubs. i'm not really in any hurry on this project and still should be devoting my time to my bed repaint and step bars and back rack projects...

anyway, in wrestling that heavy mother around for access to things, i noticed an ominous marking in pink wax pencil on the bottom of the unit that i hadn't been able to see before: "BAD".

apparently whomever removed it from its original home deemed it bad for some reason or another. my inspection previous to purchase didnt raise any flags, and nothing inside or out seems out of sorts to me yet. so far i've done the following:

- spun all 3 rotating ends (2 rotors, and pinion) by hand, and everything else moves as it should.
- removed diff cover and visually inspected everything - all looks clean and new
- eyeballed tube straightness

also, this unit seems to have surprisingly little use on it. the rotors seem just about brand new (aside from some surface rust), and the gear out coming out of it was still bright green.

are there any other fatal issues that could make this unit unusable? i know the shafts are prone to breaking, but they universals are all fine and i'll inpsect the inner spline ends once disasseembled.

anything else anyone can think of?