I blew up my dana 60 rear axle really bad. I've priced out a new gear set, limited slip and bearing set and its pretty spendy. so i have been looking locally for a used rearend. turns out highboy rear axles are hard to find around here. are there any other years, or rear axles that swap under these trucks easily? are there any large salvage yards out there that would ship one to me? (for a decent price!!) thanks

 

personally I'd put a corporate 14 bolt in it. That's what I plan to do with mine. It's MUCH cheaper to buy and to upgrade than the d60(lockers are half the cost). If you don't mind having a GM rear end. As far a rear axle goes you can use virtually any axle pretty easily. You may or may not have to move the spring pad but thats easy. If you want to stick with a Ford product I would go Sterling 10.25 or 10.50. Parts a little more $$. JMO

 

I second the 14B. Unless you are a "must have Ford parts" guy the 14B is a great replacement to the D60. There is lots of info on the web about them; they are dirt cheap and easier to work on.

 

The distance between the spring pads is the main issue when concerning a direct swap. That, and the highboys use a narrower spring pack, and the pad on the axle is correspondingly narrow. I know some dually chassis cab fords used the narrow spring pack and pad well into the 80's. If you don't have the ability to relocate the spring pads on the axle housing, then you'll be stuck looking in the junkyard with a tape measure to find something close. You can always modify a wider spring pad if the center to center distance is close. The 14 bolt is a good axle, but I'm more fond of the sterling. That's what is in my highboy, albeit with a little modification.

-Jared

 

dana 70 or sterling get my vote

 

Why do you prefer the Sterling? I'm considering both. What mods do you have to do for the sterling? just spring pad position?

 

For a variety of small reasons. The axles have o-ring seals, so you don't need to silicone each axle every time you remove it. They have slightly better ground clearance than a 14 bolt, and they are just as cheap in the junkyard. Not all 14 bolts have the 35 spline 1.5" axles, and all the Sterlings do. Most importantly (to me), the Sterling is a Ford specific axle. I wouldn't want a 14 bolt in my Ford any more than I'd want a Sterling in my Chevy. I'm not sure why, but I do own both and that's still how I feel. The Sterling is an under appreciated piece, and that appeals to me as well. Why not be the guy with an axle that's just as strong (maybe stronger), and just a little less common than the others?

The Sterling is a good bit stronger than a 70 as well. The axle shafts are the same size, but the pinion on the 70 is tiny.

-Jared

 

Good info. They may be the same price at the yard but a locker is like $165-200 more for the Sterling. I do like keeping everything Ford and like running the underappreciated stuff, but the purpose for the swap would be to upgrade strength while lowering cost of parts. The Sterling parts are even more expensive than the D60. I'll keep my eyes out for a deal on one on craigslist though. If I could find a Sterling with locker for the right price, I'd take it. Otherwise probly going with the 14bt.

 

To each, his own I guess. For what it's worth, there's a detroit locker for a sterling for sale on Pirate right now for $400. That, or Lincoln and Miller make nice lockers.

-Jared