axles that will fit
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New User
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: (Hell) Fort Riley, KS
axles that will fit
I'm not sure this is the right spot to post this or not. hope you guys can giv me a hand. i am looking to find out what front axles will fit on to my truck (lets say 79 f250). I have a 44 on it now, however with the power upgrades that I have done to my truck it would not last long at all. and trying to find a dana 60 from a 78 or 79 is not that easy as i'm sure you know. so do any of you guys know of any other axles(other then a 78,79 dana 60) that would bolt up to my springs with out a ton of modding.
Thread Starter
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New User
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: (Hell) Fort Riley, KS
good point. ton; a United States unit of weight equivalent to 2000 pounds. sorry I couldn't resist. ok the problem i have come across is that inside of spring to inside of the front springs is something like 34.5" on my truck, and i have yet to find any other trucks ( non 78,79 fords) that are even close. i dont really want to have to build mounts to push my springs out, if you know what i mean. but most anything else might be possable. more or less i dont mind modding the axle a small amount. small amount= not messing with the differintal houesing.
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Joined: Jul 2006
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Not all D60 front axles were tha same. While the early trucks did share the same frame width (up front) and these early 60F axles will bolt up, the closed knuckle, coarse spline, low pinion, drum brake front axles were not any stronger than the D44 high pinion axle that you already have. Other than having the ability to say "I have a D60F", this axle does not have an advantage over a D44HP.
The problem now comes from the transfer case. Since you are working with a coupled unit, or married design. You are linited to a driver side drop. The differential will have to be on the driver side to continue to use the existing transfer case.
In some cases, when a divorced t-case was used, the pass side drop front axle could be used, along with the pass side output t-case. These 205 cases were available as divorced (remote mount) units.
This is quite a bit of work though, and once the dollars are compared, it may not save much money.
There is a current thread on the use of a D60 front axle under an earlier truck, but still seems like bunch of work to me.
Compare the convenience, and desireability of the high pinion axle, and you will find a real value.
I am an advocate of the D60F axle, and will always spend the cash to get one, but have to question the use of them.
How is this truck going to be used? More power is not a bad thing, and is actually a little easier on parts. Having enough power to keep the tires spinning, is actually less likely to break parts.
If the truck rarely sees rocks, or obstacles that require a ton of torque to manuver, the D44 might survive.
Large tires are probably the biggest killer of these axles. Automatic transmissions are much easier on them than a standard, but overall usage is probably the biggest factor here.
Again, I am a believer in "bigger is better", and will always ditch a 44 for a 60 in any of my rides, but I also run fairly large and aggressive tires. my rides also include lockers (real lockers, detroits, not LS units that are labeled as some sort of locking unit).
I dont want to be cought in a hypocracy, by stating that the D44 will survive, when I have always said that the 60 is superior, but in every case, if the desire for a larger front axle is simply desire, and not necessity, then maybe the 44 is not so bad.
Have you shattered parts yet? There was no mention of the rear axle. What are your plans for the rear axle? A stock D60 rear axle is also not any stronger than your D44 front axle.
I am really a believer that buying the correct axle is worth the added expense, if you want a bolt in deal. If you plan on running a link suspension, and fancy coilovers, then just about anything would work, bot for a clean bolt in installation, the cleanliness of the correct axle is worth its weight in gold.
The problem now comes from the transfer case. Since you are working with a coupled unit, or married design. You are linited to a driver side drop. The differential will have to be on the driver side to continue to use the existing transfer case.
In some cases, when a divorced t-case was used, the pass side drop front axle could be used, along with the pass side output t-case. These 205 cases were available as divorced (remote mount) units.
This is quite a bit of work though, and once the dollars are compared, it may not save much money.
There is a current thread on the use of a D60 front axle under an earlier truck, but still seems like bunch of work to me.
Compare the convenience, and desireability of the high pinion axle, and you will find a real value.
I am an advocate of the D60F axle, and will always spend the cash to get one, but have to question the use of them.
How is this truck going to be used? More power is not a bad thing, and is actually a little easier on parts. Having enough power to keep the tires spinning, is actually less likely to break parts.
If the truck rarely sees rocks, or obstacles that require a ton of torque to manuver, the D44 might survive.
Large tires are probably the biggest killer of these axles. Automatic transmissions are much easier on them than a standard, but overall usage is probably the biggest factor here.
Again, I am a believer in "bigger is better", and will always ditch a 44 for a 60 in any of my rides, but I also run fairly large and aggressive tires. my rides also include lockers (real lockers, detroits, not LS units that are labeled as some sort of locking unit).
I dont want to be cought in a hypocracy, by stating that the D44 will survive, when I have always said that the 60 is superior, but in every case, if the desire for a larger front axle is simply desire, and not necessity, then maybe the 44 is not so bad.
Have you shattered parts yet? There was no mention of the rear axle. What are your plans for the rear axle? A stock D60 rear axle is also not any stronger than your D44 front axle.
I am really a believer that buying the correct axle is worth the added expense, if you want a bolt in deal. If you plan on running a link suspension, and fancy coilovers, then just about anything would work, bot for a clean bolt in installation, the cleanliness of the correct axle is worth its weight in gold.
