Hey all. Yes its me again with another question. Does anyone live in or near Oak Harbor? Would they happen to have knowledge regarding changing the ring and Pinion in a Dana 60 rear end? Would they be willing to instruct someone in the procedure?

The reason I ask is I kind of want to do as much of the work on my truck myself and I need to change the ratio back there, its at 4.56 right now and she howls at 40 mph. I know a Transmission shop can do it, but like I said, I want to do the work myself.

Thanks

 

If it was a Ford 9inch third member I’d say knock yourself out. I have rebuilt many of those and the tools you need are pretty much common. A Dana 60 however is another monster all together.

First you do not have adjusters on either side of the spool as a 9-inch does so you have to use shims. Shims mean you HAVE to use a bearing puller or risk ruining the new bearings and the pinion is adjusted the same way.
You will need a tool called a case spreader. If you look at the cover face of the axle you will notice two holes about half-inch in diameter and about a half-inch deep on either side of the cover. That is where the case spreader actually attaches. This tool actually stretches the housing so the spool can be removed without having to pry it loose. The case is what applies the carrier preload and needs to be right.

You will need a dial micrometer to check gear backlash and a torque gage to check pinion and ring carrier bearing preload. If the preload is wrong you can either loose the bearings because they are too tight or loose your gears because they are too loose. Either way it gets real expensive real fast.

If however you remove the four bolts holding the ring carrier in and the spool drops out you have another problem altogether. The case is worn to the point you will need to have it welded and remachined or find a new one. This can happen on axles that have been setup wrong or have been used long after they should have been rebuilt to avoid damaging the case.

I know this from experience as I have gone down this road before with my first Dana 70 which is built exactly as the Dana 60 (only tougher) and uses the same tools and techniques to setup. I figured if I could do a 9-inch then why not a Dana 70… I learned the expensive way and ended up buying TWO sets of gears bearings shims and seals instead of one.

After messing up my first Dana 70 beyond a reasonable repair cost I had to go find another one from the wrecking yard. I took that one to an axle shop and for 900 bucks I still use the same axle today 15 years later and it is going strong. Oh yeah included in the 900 bucks was a new Detroit locker.

I am not trying to discorage you… just trying to save you a LOT of cash and time.



My Grandpa told me once it is much better to learn by the mistakes of others… Because you will NOT live long enough to make them all yourself!!!

 

I'll have a whole D60 full floater with a higher gear ratio available in late June. I'll even drive it up to ya, I'd like to see that area. Not sure what the actual ratio is, but it's most likely 3.73 or 3.55. I'll let you know what the ratio is as soon as I know-

 

Thanks guys. Thats great. I just saw an episode of Trucks where they swapped gearing in a nine inch and figured it would be pretty simple. Thanks for the warning. As for the offer Ford_Six, I whole heartedly accept, I will talk to my wife and see what we can do as far as cost is concerned (we have a little one on the way, so money is kind of tight). As foar facilities, we could use the auto shop at the navel base for a small fee which has all the tools I can think we would need to do the swap. I am going on leave for the last part of June so Timing. We can Iron out the details later. Thanks again guys!!!

 

If your going from a Dana 60 to a Dana 60 all your going to need tools wise is an impact socket set and an air impact gun for the U-bolts. I would strongly suggest that you spray WD 40 or your penetrating lube of choice NOW and let it soak in. Those bolts are notoriously hard to remove after years of road goo.

One Tip that works for me every time is to heat the bolts with a “propane” torch, NOT a cutting torch as you do not want to get them too hot. Then spray with penetrating lube. That will draw lube into the threads.

You will need a haft inch wrench (unless they have been changed from stock) for the U-joints.

On the emergency brake cables you may wanna spray those at the adjuster now as well because that long bolt is a pain too.

And get a NEW frame to axle flexible brake line for the swap as well. They are not really cheep but then running into someone is usually not cheep either.




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My Grandpa told me once it is much better to learn by the mistakes of others… Because you will NOT live long enough to make them all yourself!!!

 

Thanks for the tips, that'll be on my list of items to get for when I do the swap.

 

I know a lot about rear ends, just depends on who is holding them.

 

Leianne Ryhmes is 'Built Ford Tough'.

 

Since we've tripped and fallen into the gutter...I am a loyal Canadian and a loyal teenager, I may have turned 26, but I don't have to act it. Shania Twain.

 

If you are a true Canuck, you would bring some true Crown Royal.

 

I won't disagree with Shania. However she is living in New York.

 

You have to admit, one of our better exports, eh?

 

I get in trouble for touching rear-ends does that count??? Don't know if i want to tear into mine or not still runs ok but is not freeway friendly. Takes 10 miles to the gallon down to 5 when trying to keep it at 70.

 

This thread is a perfect example of how to choose your titles carefully!....I am not sure if Bens Daddy ever got a complete answer. It got off topic real quick...lol

 

The only thing I know about rear end, is that they look much better when they are going away from you!!