So Ive been on the hunt for a dana 60 front axle for quite awhile with few occasionally coming up but never one that is compliable to my xj. I have been through my local pull apart/ junk yard and there are none, all IFS. I have found one on craigslist out of a 95 dodge 3500 for $450. Pretty good price for a d60. However it is a low pinion and I need some advice or opinions for or against it and why. I am building it obviously with one tons full width with 37" tires and a 10" ish lengthened wheelbase (comp cut) via custom rear suspension mounting points and Chevy 1500 leaf springs. I am building it for a mix of different terrains, being from Oklahoma and having mud I have a snorkel in the works, I love rock crawling and canyon crawling so I have a flexy and beefy Rock Krawler long arm 4 link up front, and not positive on how it will do terraflex revolver shackles on the rear. Any help is appreciated

 

Also I will be doing more of a low COG not a sky scraper so pinion angles should not be super extreme even with the low pinion.

 

The real issue with the dodge axles is the central axle disconnect. Passenger side is a 2 piece shaft and it not quite as simple as the d30 cad's where you just toss in a one piece shaft. You almost have to re-tube that side to get rid of it.

 

This. I would look for a Ford axle instead. Worth the wait for the ease and extra strength.

 

And the unit bearings it uses are not the greatest.

 

And ditch the Revolver Shackles. 63" chevy leafs will give you all the flex you need as well as help with the stretch you want to achieve.

 

Alright. Do all the d60 3500's of that year area have the central axle disconnect? That would definitely be a deal breaker but I work at a Dodge dealership as a lube tech and not that many 3500's of that time come in but I can honestly say I have never seen one like this. (looked up a picture) And thats typically something I would take notice of.

 

yes all 94 and up are central axle disconnect. That axle came stock in the 2500 and 3500 chassis. There are alot of things you can do with that axle. I am personaly looking to get one to match my rear 60. You can use the mid 80's ford f250 dana 50 ifs spindles out to get rid of the unit bearings and add locking hubs. They make a special outer axle shaft for the conversion they run about 75 bucks a piece. I have a friend that has one under a built cummins and never has had a problem. Search around on the web for mods on dodge forums. And yes you can get rid of the cad and put in a one piece axle shaft there are pleny of write ups on this.

 

Alright thanks everyone. Will definitely take this all into consideration. Will most likely wait for a ford d60 to come around.

 

Will a dana 60 out of a 97 f250 work?

 

If you have a local drivetrain shop you can always see about re-tubing the long side. I have been thinking about this with a dodge axle.
i want to go lower than 5.29 and that would require a low pinion.
you can run ford outers to get rid of the unit bearings, or if you want to run a high backspace wheel the unit bearing is kind of nice so you arent smashing hubs. (ask me how I know) It also makes changing shafts/u-joints much easier. Not that it should make the difference of running unit bearings or not but its nice.
I found that you can find a much better deal on a ball joint 60 than a KP from the later trucks. I paid 300$ for mine. They are around, you just have to find them.

 

it has 8x160 or whatever metric hubs. not really a good axle to swap.

 

and a terrible departure angle to boot!

 

97 is not metric lug pattern its got the 8x6.5 pattern metric didnt start till 99

 

pretty sure it 2000+ when the 8x170mm started. f450/550 has 8x220mm