Dana 60 rear install '97 4Runner

[cougarfreak]

I have been running the stock Toyota 8" rearend in my 4Runner with 4.56 gears, and a Detroit Locker. Back in 2005, I was Chasing a VORRA desert race in Hawthorne for my friend Oscar Lara #724. We were prerunning the course with 5 guys total in the vehicle (includes me driving), and a full load of recovery gear in the back in case we were to get stuck, or broke. There is an 8 mile or so section on the course that has 6 30' rollers that one can hit as fast as your vehicle can go... we hit them at about 80mph. It was like a roller coaster ride... an absolute BLAST!!!!! At the end of the section, I stopped to make sure everything was ok.... well, it wasn't. I had installed airbumps in all 4 corners, but the rear housings I mistakenly only mounted 1/2 way up the frame. The housing bent into the center of the frame cocking the air bumps off their pads, and rendering them useless. I nursed it back to the pit area where I heated up the frame and moved the bump housings back to where they needed to be, then full frame gusseted both sides with some 0.250" angle iron. That did the trick and I was back in business. Unfortunately, Oscar's race didn't fare much better. Oscar's motor caught fire from all the ATF fluid that was puking out his breather tube (faulty valve body) and ended his race 3 miles from finishing in 1st for his class. The long term effects of this Roller coaster ride were bent axle tubes from the perches out. this issue didn't rear it's ugly head until last year (2006) when my wheel bearings started making a terrible grinding noise on the way home from a Rubicon play day. Time to ditch the 8"...

I thought about a Diamond Axle housing, or a race 9", but both would have set me back at least $3500. I weighted my options, and $$$, and... I sourced a Dana 60 rear axle from PnP out of a 1975 Ford F250 Hi-Boy.

The rear axle shafts were 16 splined (30 splined are much more desireable), but I was going to have to go with custom shafts anyway since I was cutting it down from 64"(stock width WMS-WMS) to 60.75" (Stock 3rd gen 4Runner 8" width). I didn't keep it stock width because I didn't want to have to run spacers in the front to keep the track width proper. The cost of having the axle tubes cut down and bored out to accept 35 splined axle shafts was not too bad, so I went that route. I could have gone with dually hubs (They make the WMS-WMS narrower, but I'm not sure by how much), but I didn't want to make another trip to the junk yard to get those. I also didn't want the hub sticking out too far, as I tend to smack them from time to time (found this out when I ran center cones in my rims and had to cut them out after deforming them on a wheeling trip). So here's the list:

* The diff cover is from Ruff Stuff and is 0.375" thick (that aughtta handle a good beating).
* Axles are 1541 Chromolly 35 splined Yukon trim to fit. They arrived 33.5" in length.
* Rotors are '75 Chevy 3/4 ton fronts (lots of years use same rotors)
* '76 Cadillac El Dorado brake calipers (parking brake)
* Great Lakes Offroad's mounting brackets (Ford and Dodge are different)
* Detroit Locker
* 4.56 Yukon Gearset

Time to install!!! I cut down the axle shafts. This is what they looked like out of the box:

Time to trim... Driver:

Passenger:

Trimmed an extra 0.120" each side and chamferred:

Looking good with 35's!!!

Set under the truck, 1.5deg angle pinion flange to the d-shaft to keep everything running without vibration:

Welded perches (I love using gas):

Time to Truss (No more bent housings for me!!!). 2"x4" 0.120 wall square tubing will be used. This will go on top of the axle. The axle tubes are beefy already with 0.50" wall, but I saw a Dodge in a desert race make a smiley face outta his front axle with the same tubes. If I bend this axle, there's going to be a lot more wrong with the rig than just bent axles!!! Let's not find out!!!!

 

[Thai]

Wow, you're the man! What is your clearance under the pumpkin??

 

[cougarfreak]

I'll measure when I put the tires back on, but I'm sure picking good lines will be a must... I needed to work on that anyway. Many seem conscerned about this, but I'm looking at it as an opportunity to better my wheeling... or smash the heck outta the diff lol

 

[cougarfreak]

I am installing a Dana 60 rearend into my rig and am requesting design advice. I am using 0.120 wall 2"x4" rectangular tubing for the truss. Is "A" going to be better than "B"? Lighter, yes (I kinda threw lightweight rearend out the window when I decided to go with a D60), but will it justify the extra effort to get to "A"?

 

[fourwd1]

A wheeling buddy just put D60's on his truck, front and rear.
And he'll probably find a way to break them too.


Go with the speed holes in the truss.

 

[techno]

yeah, definately do the weight relief holes. Using rhs will give you plenty of strength anyway so keep the weight down. Also less welding (less heat, less disortion).
So you plan on race jumping this rig??? also curious as to why you went with leaf springs on the rear?

 

[cougarfreak]

I have already cut out B and will start welding it in tomorrow, though I do appreciate everyone's input. I looked at the math, and on a piece of 0.120 walled 2x4 rectangular tubing, the weight savings with the holes would have saved me a whole pound and a half :girl:
That said and figured, the advantages don't outweigh the work needed (pun intended). Saving a pund and a half on a 300 pound axle... you get the idea. I'll stitch weld corner by corner 1" at a time from the extremities inward, and give a bit of time between sessions. I may also tack some square tubing to the under sides of the axle tubes to hold them fast. I'll post pics as I go.

I do plan on jumping it, not in races, but in fun. Surf n Turf at Pismo is prime for it, and I don't wanna miss out on the fun if I don't hafta. Prerunning race courses is also fun, and whoops can kick an axle's ass as much as a big jump.

Leafs went in the rear due to limited space for upper links on a 3 or 4 link set up. Gas tank on one side, exhaust on the other. at the time of the swap, I also did a dual case set up. My fabrication skills weren't very extensive, so I went with the leafs. Leafs don't require any geometry to make work right. Just mount the front hangar in the correct spot to place the rear axle, build or buy and install a shackle kit. Less brain work. When I built mine in 2004 there was only 1 other 3rd gen 4 runner that I knew of that had a SAS done to it. All of the 9 month's worth of research I did was on mostly Tacomas which have leafs. It doesn't have miles of flex, like I'd have with a liked set up, but in the desert, I like my set up. I built it to conquer any and all situations well, but not be specific to any one. It works well in the rocks, sand, desert, snow, and mud... mission accomplished.

 

[cougarfreak]

updated drawing

 

[Baba Booey]

In the interest of full disclosure, I need to first say that I know nothing about what you are doing.

However, I believe I saw a TV show where they added a truss to a modified front axle on a Jeep GC. IIRC, they drilled out the holes like you had in Diagram "A", and then they welded pieces of round tubing into the holes for added strength.

This would seem to negate any weight savings, but perhaps the drilled holes with tubing welded in are stronger than the "hollow" box with no holes. Maybe it sort of acts like a honeycomb structure

 

[cougarfreak]

your thinking sounds correct to me. I think i'm overkill as it is with no holes, so that's how I'm rollin'!!!!

 

[Thai]

In the interest of full disclosure, I need to first say that I know nothing about what you are doing.

x2...but it sure looks & sounds great!!

 

[SofaRider]

I am no expert but know a little about the properties of materials... if you're going to do more jumping than rock crawling, put the truss on the bottom of the axle. It kills you clearance but is a lot stronger.

 

[cougarfreak]

Thank you very much for the advice. I only plan on jumping it occasionally, mostly crawling. I'm done being nervous about this and am going to start welding soon. I'll post progress.

 

[cougarfreak]

A little update on progress:
I welded on the air bump plates:

and carved out the truss to fit the pads:

Welded on the shock tabs and bolted on the shocks:

Next up, carve the truss to fit the rear shock tab and shock, then it's TRUSS WELDING TIME!!!!!!

 

[animator]

With the stock shafts being 16 spline, what mod did you do to the spindles to fit the 35 spine shafts?

Did you bore out the spindle enough to fit the shafts, or cut them off completely and weld on new ones with larger diameter openings, like those on a 14b housing?

 

[cougarfreak]

As long as you get a housing where both of the bearings for the spindle/hub are the same size, you can bore (I think it's technically called broaching) out the spindle to accept the 35 splined shafts... which is what I had done. The place I had shorten the housing broached it at no extra charge... it was $300 to shorten and broach. I went thru my local shop (FAO in Vacaville) to have them done. I think the weld shop is somewhere in Sacramento.

 

[animator]

As long as you get a housing where both of the bearings for the spindle/hub are the same size, you can bore (I think it's technically called broaching) out the spindle to accept the 35 splined shafts... which is what I had done. The place I had shorten the housing broached it at no extra charge... it was $300 to shorten and broach. I went thru my local shop (FAO in Vacaville) to have them done. I think the weld shop is somewhere in Sacramento.

I've been quoted right at 400 for the 14b spindle conversion, but it's been a while since I bothered with it.

My concern, as is the concern of others, is that by opening up the spindle, you're potentially making it weaker due to the amount of material that is necessary to be removed.

However I've heard of plenty of 30-spline housings being bored out with no problem, since the 30 spl shafts are close in diameter to the 35 spl shafts, and less material is removed.

I'm just thinking out loud really, trying to decide which is best for my 60 that's collecting dust right now...

 

[cougarfreak]

I don't think think took much more than 0.120" off to make the 35sp fit... I'll check into that.

 

[cougarfreak]

Air bump pads gussetted to prevent distortion due to impact:

Truss trimmed to fit shock tabs, then tacked:

and finish welded WOO HOO!!!!

I decided to weld a cap between the truss and the rear face of the housing to cover a gap there. Doing so will avoid collecting mud and rocks:

Apparently the cast portion of the housing crystalizes when welded. If left to cool on it's own it may crack the weld. All of my welding gurus (Thanks Matt, Dave, and Oscar!!!!) recommended I use a center punch and tap it with a hammer every 1/8th inch or so right next ot the welds on the cast side, or reheating and cooling multiple times to slow the cool to prevent crackage. The center punch method worked wonderfully. There's a pneumatic tool called a scaler that apparently does the same thing, but I didn't have quick access to one. Best I can tell there was no warpage to the tubes and everything appears to work as designed (wheeeew). I'll post with installed pics shortly.