Opinions welcome please - Dana 60 or 9"

[jbolivar]

[quote="OLYELLER"]I too have a dana 60, 8 lug on my 65 short bed. Pretty sure it did not come stock. My grandpa put it on some time ago for towing purpose or just cheaper replacement. i don't know. Its hard to carry a spare w/ 8 lug rear and 5 in front. [/quote

My 64 has 5 on 5.5 front and rear.

[shawns fords]

That Dana 60 will never wear out its the strongest rear end youll ever need. thats why the most powerfull dragracers use them a ford 9 is chosen by most because it can be removed from the housing and rebuilt on the bench, but you wont ever need to rebuild that 60 lol I doubt you would even notice a power loss from the ring gear size either a light truck with a big block. I was even considering one for mine instead of the 9 because it was going to haul my 67 to the track. I still might do that now that I see they actually did come in these pickups

[robert porterfield]

dana from 67 on up used the 6 digit bom system on early units the bom markings were spotty at best i had a 1/2 ton 60 in a uni that i bought was 3.54 w/power lok diff 30 spline axles only weakness that i observed was the fact that it used a ball style axle bearing also the pressed on retaining collar w this truck being asemmbled as a 4x4 and w 36" tires i put a lot of axle brgs on that axle but otherwise VERY "sturdy"!!!!!

[jeffw]

like we all recall!!! you want a ford ,,keep er lo ford blue.... don't stray partner!! there is always a ford option,,remember your roots!!!!LOLscrew it what ever works,,don't stray or we'll tar and feather you!!! by the way,,
the best chevy drag racers use the ol ford 9 inch,, Karma huh??point proved????

[FORDBOYpete]

JBOlivar

D-60s have more internal drag & resistance than 9". Also 3 bearing set up of a 9" prevents broken ring & pinion problems from torque made by 385 engines. Weak point of a 9" IMHO is 28 spline axles, if you plan to "push the envelope", so to spreak. The 9" you want's a 31 Spline, with 4 pinions (4 spider or 4 side gear set up in carrier case) & open-legged opposed to a Traction Lock or L/Slip set up. I damaged T-Lok & L/S rears altho I never had a 31 spline traction assist rear. I twist 28 spline axles at will more than a few times. So far I have not twisted the 31's.

1st, I adapted a 9" from 76 F-150 when I ran a 66 chassis. Now that I run 79 chassis I use std. 73-9, 9", 31 spline, 4 pinion rear. I use two of the 3rd members (or "Chunks / Pumpkins". I run the 3.00:1 most of the time, but have a 3.89:1 for serious racing, like a weekend event or meet etc. I run a fairly serious D2VE 460 385 series engine, which is slightly built for my straightlining adventures & Pleasure.

I've never seen true Dana-60 Full Floating rear axle assy with 5 on 5.5 lug pattern. Hub castings of D-60 Floaters have too much diameter to allow enough meat to be left to use a 5 bolt pattern. It's why most all D-60s use 6 or 8 bolt x 6" patterns, or so I learned any way. Besides, as previously mentuioned weight of Dana 60s is HUGE. I'd guess at least 2X that of a 9", at least in the OEM configuration. everthing is way larger & more massive, & harder to get turning form inertial stage also.

It's just my on a choice of rear gearing from being there & doin' that in the past & present too.

FBp

[shawns fords]

like we all recall!!! you want a ford ,,keep er lo ford blue.... don't stray partner!! there is always a ford option,,remember your roots!!!!LOLscrew it what ever works,,don't stray or we'll tar and feather you!!! by the way,,
the best chevy drag racers use the ol ford 9 inch,, Karma huh??point proved????

they use ford 9s for the ease of removal and assembly, the market sells many aftermarket ford 9 rear ends because of this. you ever find a heavy car or a real high horsepower car at a drag strip youll find a dana 60 behind it. Generally a Mark williams or similar. A fast street car with a ford 9 is not the same as a 6000 hp Dragster. A guy that wants to change gears all the time because he doesnt have a combo thats working or wants to find a different top end or launch will run a 9 inch not a ford usually a strange moser or Mark williams. ( who now sells an 11 inch ring gear for replacement of the ford ) I dont know a singkle mopar guy that wont go straight to a ford 9 over a Dana. I only know chevy guys that do this for the simple reason thy can change gears easily. most of them would prefer their 12 bolt GM junk until they get ried of blowing them apart and having to chamge them out, cheapest way to convert to ford 9 since the market makes everything for them, since when was Dana not a Ford option?
you guys are impossible.

[greythorn3]

dana 70 is the only way to go!

[Alan Mclennan]

I would go with the 9"
10,000,000 drag racers can't be wrong.

Johnny I`ve told you a million times don`t exaggerate


Alan,

[crewzinforabrewzin]

my '66 1/2ton has a dana-60 with posi. i am not sure that it is origanal, however my grandfather had the truck scince mid 70's . i dont believe he would have bought the truck with out a dana and posi. i do know that it is a dana 60 because i recently replaced the pinion seal. the first seal i got was for a dana 44 and was the wrong size. while returning it there was a guy with a '66 3/4ton 4x4 there and he was all kinds of bent because his truck only had the 9" rearend. he whined and compained that the dana was overkill for my truck and that i should trade him because he needed it more then i did... to bad for him and his rearend but there is no way i would think of goin from the dana to a ford rearend unless i blew the dana. then maybe but only because of cost and avaibility of the ford 9''

[Hawkrod]

Dana 60 was definitely available in a 5 bolt lug pattern for an F100. that chart only goes back to 67 but they were used before that. You can look it up in the MPC and you will see them for F100's. As far as strength goes, the 9 inch is quite a bit weaker especially on the pinion support in the case which is why serious drag cars do not use them them. The Dana 60 is the racers choice because the 9 inch likes to spit out pinions when the rear bearing support breaks away (very common on ultra high HP applications). That Dana 60 with a 4.11 is a very desirable and valuable piece. Hawkrod

[jbolivar]

Dana 60 was definitely available in a 5 bolt lug pattern for an F100. that chart only goes back to 67 but they were used before that. You can look it up in the MPC and you will see them for F100's. As far as strength goes, the 9 inch is quite a bit weaker especially on the pinion support in the case which is why serious drag cars do not use them them. The Dana 60 is the racers choice because the 9 inch likes to spit out pinions when the rear bearing support breaks away (very common on ultra high HP applications). That Dana 60 with a 4.11 is a very desirable and valuable piece. Hawkrod

Thanks for the reply and info. What's the mpc? From what I've read, I think this is probably a 30 spline. Behind a stock Thunderjet 429 it probably out to do just fine. What makes this rear end more valuable? Could it have come special ordered in any muscle cars, or just more valuable because of the off road crowd? Any idea of a value?

Jim

[Fordified1]

If I had two rears setting on the ground that would fit my truck... One a 9", the other a Dana60, I'd use the 9" because the Dana 60 is overkill, heavy and absorbes a little more h.p. than the 9".

If my truck already had the Dana in it, and I was happy with the gear ratio etc... I'd leave it there, and never worry about hurting it with a mild 429 or 460.

If a gear ratio change etc were in my future, I'd be looking for a 9" to swap in there. They are cheap and plentiful in pickup truck lengths.

Hope this helps.

By the way... Back in the 60's-70's... Top fuelers preferred Dana60's over the Ford 9" because they are stronger (comparing stock to stock), and all the trick parts that are currently available for the 9" were not available back then.


.

[shawns fords]

here ya go just throw a modular Center in there


or get ya a Dana/spicer 135 out of something newer lol

[FORDBOYpete]

At $3+ dollars a gallon for fuel, not wanting to pull an extra 150-200 lbs of unsprung weight Dana 60 full floaters have, PLUS like Fordified 1 noted, not wanting to give up torque it costs to "turn" Dana 60 gear sets with streetable "horsepressures" I run with a lowly 460CID 385 series only making +/- 570 ft/lb torque, & seeing as how I have not broken it yet, I have been running it 20 years MOL, with only a couple of major services, and since I don't have a Dana 60, nor do I plan on getting one anytime soon, and 12.60 ET's are good enough for a street driver, for me, AHhh err
I think I'll stick with my 31 spline 9" thanks.

"Serious" Severe Duty 9" parts & Up Grades are available if need be, but need hasn't been with my streeter. Countless gear sets, carriers, traction assist devices etc plus of a wide variety of ratios & types both OEM & Aftermarket options for 9" FoMoCo Rears are on the market, but which have never been available for Dana 60's.

It's not strange to ma that Strange patterned their "Pro Comp style" rears after the FoMoCo, nor that NASCAR and other sanctioned racing bodies run the 9" either. I suspect there's Gotta be something to that . . . . Huh?

Also Dana 60s do wear out. Plus they DO cost BIG BUCKS ro repair. I put two total rebuilds in the Dana 60 under a 77 F-250 Supercab Trl'r Special in the 500K miles I ran it before the body rotted away totally.

O' course this is just my beginners opinion here, and in the end to each our own.

FBp

[Texas Monty]

Hey Iceman - I will post a photo in a few days. and it IS a 60. It matches my door plate - and has 'Spicer 60-A' stamped on it.

I realize that it doesnt' show up on Ford F-100 until 1967 - but it was an option for those 64s. that guy on FTE that goes by 'number dummy' explained it all.

[Hawkrod]

Hey Iceman - I will post a photo in a few days. and it IS a 60. It matches my door plate - and has 'Spicer 60-A' stamped on it.

I realize that it doesnt' show up on Ford F-100 until 1967 - but it was an option for those 64s. that guy on FTE that goes by 'number dummy' explained it all.

You should read all of the posts before posting. It does show up on Fords prior to 1967. The MPC and shop manuals all show it. The BOM list posted starts at 67, that did not mean they did not exist before that, It just means that the list posted starts in 67. That is not a Ford document. hawkrod

[Texas Monty]

Right - of course. My original shop manual has it in there. but doesn't show the B5 code. I have to check that.
but I have had so many people over the years give me the 'no way is that original' or insist it is something else. It wasn't until I got on these ford message groups that I felt vindicated.

I will probably end up selling it to some racing buff.

[jbolivar]

It's me again, the originator of the post. I must say, this Dana 60 discussion has been interesting, and fun. Thanks for everybody's input. I think I'll keep the Dana since I'm hearing it was probably special ordered with the truck. I also can't afford to replace it with the 9" I would want and it'll do the trick for now. A couple more questions for anyone daring enough. Since mine is a 64, and the trac lok came out supposedly in 67(?), would it be safe to assume mine is a powr lok, which I'm reading is better? Also, full or semi floating, and what's the difference, advantages/disadvantages? I know I can pull it out and check, I just haven't gotten there yet. It's at a guys shop having the motor and trani put in. Thanks again for any help. And again, I've posted pictures of the Dana in my gallery.

Jim

[Payner44]

Hey Iceman - I will post a photo in a few days. and it IS a 60. It matches my door plate - and has 'Spicer 60-A' stamped on it.

I realize that it doesnt' show up on Ford F-100 until 1967 - but it was an option for those 64s. that guy on FTE that goes by 'number dummy' explained it all.

I have a Dana Spicer 60 in my '64 and learned a lot about it from NumberDummy, who is a retired Ford parts manager, and thus an expert IMHO. Anyway, the most important thing he taught me was understanding there are 2 versions of the D60. For a '64 2WD it is a 60.2 not 60, and this is VERY important to remember if you ever need or want to change gears or fix parts, because there are differences between them. For factory gears there are only 2 options for the D60.2, 3.54 or 4.10...some think there is also a 4.56 option, but that is ONLY the case for the D60 not the D60.2

[Texas Monty]

You are right - I must correct myself. My Dana has 60.2 on it (not 60-A). I get a lot of good info from 'numberdummy' - Bill is hard to stump. He knows.