dana 60 swap

[ryandamo]

I know there are thousands of threads obout this but i just wanna be sure before i do anything. If I swap my dana 50 ttb for a dana 60 , what is involved. I already have a 4 inch lift kit installed with the drop pivot brackets for the 50. Would i need to get my front drive shaft shortened? do i need a new pitman arm? Anything else i should consider doing? thanks.

[Matt P]

The driveshaft will bolt right up, and you can use the 250 leafs, I know steering components are different so Im gonna subscribe as Ill be doing this in the next month

[hijo202]

When I did mine, I was needing to do some steering replacement on the 50, so it was perfect timing. I dropped the whole assembly as one piece. The front drive shaft bolted right up to the 60. The brake calipers (fairly new / great pads) swapped right over (didn't have to bleed the system). The steering components are different. I also pulled the 50 leaf springs and replaced with 350 leafs. Want to do the RSK/PSD swap in the future though. I have heard about the 250 springs not being too good on the 60, that they will work temporarily, but not recommended (again, no personal experience). The pittman arm from the 250 was retained and it kept things in line. Make sure that you get the track bar bracket and bar from the donor, along with the drivers side (if I remember correctly) leaf spring/u-bolt plates (have heard they are hard to get).

Hope this helps some.

[thbd77]

Originally Posted by hijo202

When I did mine, I was needing to do some steering replacement on the 50, so it was perfect timing. I dropped the whole assembly as one piece. The front drive shaft bolted right up to the 60. The brake calipers (fairly new / great pads) swapped right over (didn't have to bleed the system). The steering components are different. I also pulled the 50 leaf springs and replaced with 350 leafs. Want to do the RSK/PSD swap in the future though. I have heard about the 250 springs not being too good on the 60, that they will work temporarily, but not recommended (again, no personal experience). The pittman arm from the 250 was retained and it kept things in line. Make sure that you get the track bar bracket and bar from the donor, along with the drivers side (if I remember correctly) leaf spring/u-bolt plates (have heard they are hard to get).

Hope this helps some.

thats what i need yet. I have the part #'s . you can get them at the dealer about $200
E5TZ-5A316A u-bolt plate List price $84.25
E5TZ-3A093A track bar mount List price $72.58 about 8 months ago

[ryandamo]

Thanks for the info, i already have lift springs on the front so i dont have to worry about the old pos stock ones from being adequate. Anyone know how much goes into rebuilding these. not looking to put in a locker or anything, just bearings and ball joints.

[ryandamo]

do you need the track bar, does it significatly increase the handling of the truck or can i do without it?

[hijo202]

I have heard both sides..some saying you need it and others saying they run without it. I have it on mine since the donor axle came with it all, I figured why not. I can say that on my truck I don't have any leaning issues, nor wandering as I am driving. Just my 2 cents worth...

[ryandamo]

probably a better idea if you have it i guess. Another question :p how much would one pay maximum for a dana 60

[hijo202]

Now that is a hard one...2 years ago, I paid $800 for mine complete (they just cut the leaf springs so it had everything I needed. I have seen them as high as $1500 and as low as $600. Just depends on where you are and the supply/demand. I was lucky in my find as to have all plates/brackets, etc. Some I have seen are just the axle itself and you have to dig for the other parts. Hope this helps.

[ryandamo]

ok that about what ive been seeing them listed for. Final question..hopefully :p is it worth it? does the ride quality decrease at all? Does it feel different driving? I know i have an f350 gasser at work and it handles horribly, whenever you hit a bump the whole steering wheel turns. How different is the feel?