Truck: 77 F250 4x4, factory Dana 60 rear
Situation: Swap to a bigger rear axle w/ disc brakes. Plan to swap in 4.88 gears and locker.

Plan A: 78-79 F350 Dana 70HD then add on a disc brake conversion kit from Blackbirds 4x4 shop
Plan B: 97-98 F350 Dana 80 with factory disc brakes (these are the only years for 8x6.5 bolt pattern and disc brakes)
Plan C: 00-05 Dodge Dana 80 (hybrid?) with factory disc brakes
Plan D: 94-99 Dodge Dana 80 (Hybrid?) then add a disc brake conversion from TSM MFG

**I have found a 1979 F350 Dana 70HD for $150 at a local junkyard

 

Measure the width of the Dana 70HD, because I'll bet its not going to be the same as your axle now. Its most likley a dually axle.


Same thing with your Plan B, If a Ford of that year has a Dana 80 its probably a dually.

Personally I would go with the Dodge axle. Its an easy swap and there readilly available. If you find a good deal on the drum brake axle get it, after using it you might not even want to convert it to disc anymore. They use 13" x 3.5" brakes which is huge, and the disc brake parking brakes dont hold for s*** anyways

 

Just to clarify, PLAN A,C,D will all be SRW junkyard axles only. 8x6.5 bolt pattern of course..

Plan B: (scratched off) I checked and your right, they are all DRW for 97-98 F350
Plan C,D: Have you heard anything bad about the Dodge Dana 80? I thought I read that it was a D80 pumpkin with D70 shafts or something, thus its really just a D70 with some extra weight?

I still would like disc brakes. Yes, the conversion kit e-brake calipers suck, but maybe I can find a 00-05 Dodge D80 with factory Disc. I'm sure those are strong.

 

What is the problem with running a dually rear axle with single rear wheels? I run a Dana70U out of a 80's Cab and chassis dually F350 in the rear of my 76 Highboy. I installed 1/2" wheel spacers on each side and the tires stick out about the same as the front do. Even before the spacers it was hard to notice the difference.

 

Please verfiy. Here is is pic of a Dana 80 with factory disc brakes. It is from a DRW setup. Can you simply put some normal 16.5x9.75 wheels on this and use it like a SRW axle? I thought it would make your tires stick out too far?

 

Yes you can put those wheels on it and use it as a SRW axle, but check the width from WMS to WMS because dually axles come in all different widths depending on what the axle was originally put in to. A lot of chassis cabs came with a standard width axle (~67") just as wide as a SRW axle. Then there is "wide track" and Narrow track" axles available. They are about 74" wide (don't know for sure, just estimating) so if you put one of them on your truck the rears would stick out much farther than the front.


BTW, its the Dana 70U that is a SRW axle for the years you stated. The Dana 70HD in those years has always been a dually axle. Or if there is a Dana 70 HD with SRW they must be very rare because I have yet to see one.

And I believe it was in 2003, Dodge quit using the Dana 80 and went with the AAM 11.5", thats the same axle Chevy uses in there trucks