Dana 60
 

Did a search and cant find any info of anyone running a dana 60 in a 2nd gen f body .Any info much appreciated.

They are heavy and take a lot of HP to turn. Is there a reason you want to run a Dana vs a 12bolt or 9"?

I believe the 9 inch has more drag.I want a 60 nuff said

There is a company that makes a light Dana 60. Can not remember it off the top of my head. Maybe someone will chime in.

Not a Firebird, but have a new Strange Engineering Dana 60 in my '67 GTO street car. Quoted as 60 pounds heavier that their Ford 9", but the trade-off for the 9.75" ring gear and extra beef is worth it. I've seen two Ford rearends spit the pinion out and that was part of the reason for going the 60 route.

I purchased mine this time last year because of their big sale, and I received an email a few days ago saying that their yearend sale is again on.

I have a Moser 60 in my 74

I have a Dana 60 and a Strange S60. The bare housing on a Strange 60 is 80 lbs compare to the Dana 60 110 lbs. Dana 60 is a stout rearend and they offered it with a 40 spline axles and spool. Dana is also very easy to rotate due to a better pinion location compare to the 9inch. Dana 60 is VERY difficult to set up and I recommend a Strange S60 for ease of back lash adjustment. They have a spanner nut just like the 9 inch for adjusting the backlash. You can't go wrong with either a 9 inch or a Dana 60.

I run a Dana 60 out of a truck so it has the thicker wall tubing. I put ford big bearing 9" new style ends and run the explorer disc brakes I had . I have strange spool and 35 spline axles. had the tubes welded to center also and I set up the rear end. I have under 1400 in the whole deal, I don't think you can buy a nice 9" center for that. And I doubt I will hurt this thing at my power level.

Agree 100% about the difficulty of set-up. They are very stout pieces with the giant ring gear. But setting one up is a bear. I have a case spreader to flex it open to install the pre-load shims, but it's tough. The spanner nut idea would be a huge improvement for service. Even the Dana 44's are pretty tough to service and they are small.

One thing about setting them up are the shims are under the side bearings. Lucky for me at least i word for Ford and they have a real nice kit to remove bearings for adjustment without damaging them or buying an extra set and honing them out for setup purposes.

I’m using one in my drag car. It’s out of a mid 70’s F250 with super thick tubes. I narrowed it and use Moser GM ends on it. I know it’s heavier than others and considered old school but I can build 2 of them for what an equal in strength 9” would cost. Biggest draw back is the availability of higher Pro gears with 4.10 (I think) being the cut off.

interesting comparison of horsepower loss and weight between the 12-bolt, 9", and the S60:
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp...ear-axle-swap/

Thanks for all the responses and staying within the scope of what I want under my ride.the Strange 60 looks good with the adjustable pre load.60 lb increase in weight or even 100lb has no effect on my decision.

Per the comparison I posted earlier the S60 is only 20lb more than a 12-bolt. I have the S60 in my GTO, tru-trac w/410, no complaints after 10k miles

Weight over top of the back tires is a good thing. Been running a Dana 60 for 27 years in my 64. Only had to change ring and pinion once about 5 years ago. Found small cracks at the base of the pinion teeth during a fluid change. Pro gears and a trans brake 3400lb car with big tires. Not bad

And they at least look closer to stock when you see a car with a Dana from behind having a back cover and all.
Remember, I broke a 31 spline MW axle in a 11 flat car. A Dana never has a chance breaking at that level, full floating.

Guess I never seen the need for a Dana or 9" until you are making 1200HP and hooking hard. When I worked for Jim Kinnett he ran 12 Bolts in his Super Stock car and the first few years in Pro Stock behind Hemi's and a 4 speed. Steve Bagwell did the same. Changed to a 9" just for ease of gear changes. Set up properly with a good spool or carrier and good axles they will last.

Not according to this...

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp...ear-axle-swap/

I got a Moser 60 for my 73 Ventura, bought it locally for 1/2 price off new with very low miles.

The downfall of a Dana 60 is u can only get down to 3.54 gears unlike a 9 inch. But for strength of a posi unit the Dana 60 is hands down stronger. I am running a Tru trac on my street Dana and they must have weigh 40+ lbs for that differential. The 9 inch's diff is not going to be as beefy for sure. But with a spool then a 9 inch will shine. More option and easier to service.

I read the drum brake assy is like 30lbs heavier than the 60

If running a Dana 60, a Wilwood Pro street rear brakes will be a lighter option.

Dana 60
 

Guy on eBay selling 3.23 gears for the Dana 60, I think his name is "Dr. Differential". I bought a set for me.

Thanks for the info on the 3.23 gears. Just bought one for my race S60. Need to lessen the hit off the line.

For factory stuff they make more highway friendy gears for what's considered a Dana 61, buts that more for late model stuff that's changes the pinion position to allow for a highway gear. But I don't believe those will transfer into a 60.

I bought my 2 dana 60 for 100, so it was a pretty easy choice to go that route. I don't think your going to get 12 bolts that cheap. And the Explorer dics brakes are a nice cheap alternative .

My S60 is a good thing now that the OVERDRIVE is in front. 455+ OD is a very big upgrade.

Disc setup: 79 Rotors (drilled for Half-Inch x 5" pattern & ID ground for Axle hub), 82-84 Trans-Am Calipers and Bracket Backing Plates (honed for S60 Flange, and Emergency cable.

Been "no maintenance" except for switching from 80/90w to Redline synth Shockproof.

When I had a rear end built for my 74 GTO, I had Moser do it and went with the Dana 60. From what they told me, the weight difference between the 12 bolt, 9 inch, and Dana was a wash and it just depends on what options you add or don't add to the build, maybe 20-25lbs over a 12 bolt. the Dana requires the least amount of HP to spin plus it allows for up to a 40 spline axle and I wanted something that was overkill so I don't have to mess with it. 8 yrs laters, not one issue. Had Moser do a 12 bolt 2 yrs prior for the wife's cars (similar builds) and its gonna need a gear, getting a little noisy when coasting. Hers has a lot of street/hwy miles on it so not surprised at this point. You really can't beat the simplicity of just calling them up and having them build brand new what you want and just go and pick it up, and the pricing really isn't bad either considering.

One of my Mopar buddies swapped in a Strange 60 and said they are easier to set up than old 60s as they have a side adjustment liek a 9" or other pumpkin rears to slied the ring gear back and forth vs strictly shims.

MW makes a "drop in" center section for a 9" that is a 12 bolt ring and pinion. If you want every last bit of power.

Been running 60 since mid eighties. First by chance that a buddy had one after wrecking a Cuda.

This ones been in for a long time and love it. Only downside to Turbo app is that you can not get numerically lower than a 3:54.

Dana 60 3.23 is available, thanks to 69Firebird76mm link that he shared. I ordered one myself for my race S60.

I have been running a spooled S60 for years in my heavy turbo'd Lemans no issues. Willwood rear disc brakes, The S60 as stated is set up better for adjustment than the old Dana's. When I was looking 3:23's were on a backorder, I have 3:54's on a 28 inch tire, not to bad on the highway.

Dana 60
 

https://www.ebay.com/vod/FetchOrderD...=2234803677007

Link to New Dana 60 3.23 by Dr. Differential if anyone needs them, he is got 1 more set left.

I did some research there was 3.08 and 3.31 ring and pinion for Dana 60, they are just very hard to find.

Mine is old school with the 57/64 rear with Fabcraft upgrades and MW spool and axles. But I was trying to keep period correct. Not sure what it weighs but it’s dang sure strong

Just my 2 cents but why not pull a Ford 8.8 out of a Ford Explorer they are every bit as strong and some would argue stronger than a GM 12 bolt and disc brakes are free.You can pick these up for under $200 and there everywhere.All you have to do is cut the long side axle tube out of another donor I paid $25.00 for the extra tube and don’t forget to grab the long side axle as well.There is only a 1/2 inch difference (longer) on each side.Just throwing this out there but there well known to handle 1000 horsepower people do it all the time.

This is another site to consider for sourcing a custom rearend. http://www.dtscustom.com/

I've got the dana60 on my '69 and a friend has a shortened version on his '79. No issues and no breakage since.

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I chased the 3.08:1 gearset capability into the tumbleweeds. If available these days i would strongly consider going back to the TH400! Selling the 4L80 setup would cover that gearset cost. Show me the 3.08:1 !

Only place I saw tall gears in a Dana 60 were the early 70s ambulances.

In higher hp levels I would switch to the big bearing new style 9" ends and keep the original disc brakes instead of c clip eliminators which I don't believe they even make for an explorer rear end. . But anyway they work good on my Dana 60. All else that's needed are the spacer rings for the thickness of the backing plate.

I have never had ONE issue with my Strange Center Section 9" Ford,(with a reinforced housing and Torino Housing Ends and Explorer Rear Disc Brakes).

That being said a friend in the 70s got tired of breaking Pontiac Big Car Rears in his 63 Tempest Super Duty Car and installed a Dana axle under that car and my understanding is it is still working since the 1970s.

Tom V.

S60 looks badd azzz!! just sayin


Attachment 556264

Dana 60 axle tube thickness. Can handle 4000 hp no problem unlike the frail ford 9 inch garbage that everyone gets sold on.