My Dana 60 Thread

[AgDieseler]

Phase 1: crossover steering axle, no guts
Phase 2: Detroit, 4.88s, 35 spline all the way

Pics coming

[Fredo]

Phase 3: ???
Phase 4: Profit

[davido]

Phase 5: Sell Suburban and buy RV for upcoming retirement.

[AgDieseler]

Tonight, I just pressed out the wheel studs, drove out the old races and hub spacer, put them throught the parts washer, and called it good. Most of this week with be spent cleaning and prepping the axle for a weekend install (if the rest of the parts make it in time). :crossingfingers:

[BigRedFord04]

are you actually going to try and replace the cones? when i did it, it took 3 of us leaning on an 8' breaker bar with the axle chained to a 20' steel table, and the table actually moved before they broke loose. arent they set to like 600ft/lbs?

[AgDieseler]

The manual says 500-600 ft-lbs, so no...I will not replace them. I'm going to try and get a shop to perform that service for me. I'll call BVD and Vilas tomorrow.

[bburris]

I don't know if you're dead set on replacing them, but when we rebuilt Blake's axle we couldn't really figure out a eay of getting them off since no shop around here wanted to do it. Blake ended up just polishing them up really well with an emory cloth, and then reassembling everything with the new parts and just kept the new kingpins in a ziploc in his spare parts drawer.

30+ years of rust and dirt isn't very easy to overcome...

[AgDieseler]

I may just do that instead since I'm short on time. At a glance, they don't appear to be in bad shape at all.

[BigRedFord04]

the ones i replaced werent bad, but the guy was paying to have it done so we did it. Vilas doesnt have the allen necessary to remove 'em...we got it from the guy who's axle it was. isnt the only thing that wears on those the nylon bushing, and possibly any dirt that gets in w/ the grease?

[Sharpe]

In billavista's d60 rebuild article on pirate he recomends only replacing the cones if they are pitted b/c its suck a PITA.

[AgDieseler]

Progress was slight, but good. The pinion was severely damaged, and couldn't be removed by conventional means. The plasma cutter did well. I then put the diff through the parts washer.

One of my bearing hubs has the internal splines flattened. I spent some time fixing that. Using one of Tate's hubs as a pattern, I filed the splines by hand.

Indeed one kingpin is in great condition and would take well to a cleaning and polish, but the other is sad a ****ty. I'm dropping off the axle at BVD for kingpins tomorrow morning - we'll see how that goes.

[bburris]

That sucks man... I hope they don't bend you over too harshly.

[redcagepatrol]

you can get the cones out with a hex socket and a strong 3/4 or 1" impact. I have the socket - you can buy it for like $30 at McMastercar. I have done it before - not a big deal with the right tools.

[Graystroke]

What scott said. You may try soaking the thing w/ PB Blaster or better yet use some heat and then quinch it in water and beat it w a BFH on the end to try and loosen it up, repeat this a couple of times. This will "shock it" and loosen up the rust in the threads that may be making it stick. This works great w/ exhaust manifold bolts and those can be a real PITA on a 30 yr old manifold. Get the socket scott was refering to and use your air tank w/o the regulator or turn it way up to around 200psi and hit it couple of times NASCAR style!

[Chadnutz]

I'd rather just have him clean up the lab and build me some shelves ect. than to spend his time playing with an axle.