im looking at buying a 79 f-350 4x4. the guy says it has a dana 60 front but by looking at the pictures i thought the hubs would be bigger but im not sure. Is there a way to decode which front axle it has? thats if it hasnt been swapped out.

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heres a link to the pictures

http://s401.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=DSC03929.jpg

 

All F-350 4x4's came with a D60. The hub should measure roughly 4" across whereas a D44 will only measure 3 1/2".

 

Thats a set of spicer lockouts for a D60, and the only image that shows the front axle indicates the correct D60F axle too.
Notice the steering arm, and klnuckle. King pins and that large diff would also support the D60F.
I have gotten pretty good at spotting these.
The D44 that would have come in this would have had ball joints.

Here you can see king pins:

 

While this is true and The vin supports the stated F350, it does not mean that this truck still has a D60F.
I see many F350 trucks with D44's that have been swapped in and sold.
Buyer beware. Know how to physically identify a D60F before you run out and spend some dough.
IN this case, it does appear to be a D60 though.

 

Man, That's a pretty clean truck. If the price is right, I say get it.

 

ya i knew f-350s came with the 60 front but i wanted to be able to tell if it was still in there and hadnt been swapped out. thanks for the help

 

Thats always a good idea. I have run a cross several trucks that dont have the D60 front axle any longer. These were original F350's and sno-prep trucks that would have come with a D60, but someone got there first.

Key identicators would be:

King Pin VS Ball joint:
For the high pinion only. Dana 44's had ball joints and D60's had king pins, and as I mentioned to be aware that low pinion closed knuckle axles would have had a king pin also. Maybe my little disclaimer should be for open knuckle axles?

Example: D60F king pin



Steering arms:
Dana 60 steering arm is straight and the D44 has a "boomerang" shape.
Again, this is for high pinion axles. Dana 44 HD axles from the "highboy" were closed knuckle and also had king pins, but also had a straight steering arm, so dont be fooled.
Example: Not a D60




Steering arm bolts:
Steering arms have a different shape, and use a different number of bolts.
D60F uses four studs, and the D44 uses three.
Exception here is once again the Early D44HD. This closed knuckle axle also shared the same number of fasteners. Though they were smaller, they can be tricky to spot, unless one has some experience with them

Hub / Lockout diameter:
This one gets used and suggested quite a bit, but probably gets most in some deep trouble, when used as the first rule. Reneber that pesky closed knuckle axle from the early truck? Some had external style hubs that measured a giant diameter, and these are often mistaken for a D60 axle.

Example: Not a D60



Size:
When compared side by side, the 60 is much larger than the wimpy D44, but these can be a little tricky to see without two of them side by side unless one has seen several.

Fasteners:
Stock differential covers will use a different wrench to remove the inspection conver fasteners.
9/16" for D60's and 1/2" for the D44.



Now we could really get into some of the later axles and discuss long tubes VS short side tubes, and the differential location, but we can save that for another discussion. This info above should give you some key identifiers to determine whether a truck from our era has a D60 or not.

 

Nice find on that truck. Looks pretty clean and straight.

 

i may go pick it up tomorrow so ill let you guys know

 

Should have the D60 up front, why anyone would swap that out out for a lesser axle is beyond me but anything is possible on a 30yr old truck, eliminate all the guess work and go by the BOM (build of materials) on the axle.

 

They swap em out because they keep them. The truck is still worth money, and it will bring money to a buyr that is not after the axle by itself. In many cases, the truck can be purchased and sold for aboiut the same money after a Dana 44 has bee installed. Then the axle can be used or sold by itself for upwards of 1500 bucks.
Quick way to make some money. See it all of the time.

 

Your point is very well taken and all too true, i've seen it myself on occasion but the seller claims the D60 is still up front and the buyer is dubious of that fact, Caveat emptor!

 

Thats a dana 60 front. The diff cover bolts are evenly spaced on the top. A dana 44 diff cover bolts are not evenly space across top. I just went out and looked at my diffs to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing. Nice rig, hope I could help out and just checkin in from sheridan wyo.

 

so picked it up today it and yes its a dana 60. the guy drove it from san diego and met me half way from los angeles. It runs great but it got a little exhaust leak but he threw in some nice headers which i didnt really care for since i plan putting a cummins in it. but it has a brand new 6" lift, brand new 37" tires, brand new front driveshaft and all sorts of new suspension bs. he gave me the 5 pages 4 wheel parts receipt with the total of 5K for all the stuff he dd to it. i ended up getting it for 2200.

 

Good deal on that truck. Those axles go for $1300-1500 alone here right now - so you did pretty dang well!