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!!!!

[numtel]

Sweet! Any pictures of it put all back together?

[cougarfreak]

It's not all together yet. I'm cutting the truss tomorrow, and may scallop the edge attaching to the axle tubes... 1" weld, then 1" scalloped space, then 1" weld, etc. From what I understand solid welding could crack the entire length of the weld. whereas if it's 1"weld only that inch would crack... in theory. Also less heat to the tubes. I'd really like to be wheelable by next weekend's Desert race.... we'll see!!!!

[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"?

[numtel]

Dimple dies!!!!

[General Sherman]

Nice work Chad keep the pic's coming
N

[cougarfreak]

I LOVE dimple dies!!! unfortunately I don't have any, and I'm not sure you could do them on square tubing. You'd have to have the back side of the press INSIDE the tubing... I've never seen how it's done, but logic tells me not... I've already got B cut out, now I just need to weld it. I'll post pics as I finish.

Originally Posted by numtel

Dimple dies!!!!

[cougarfreak]

heat welding area with propane torch, 1" welds per session, each session welding each corner alternating sides and ends, working from outside in. 30 min cool down between each session. tack 2" square tubing (cut off and ground after final cool) to the bottom side of the axle tubes...:welder:

[numtel]

Yeah you wouldn't really be able to do dimples on the square tube. You'd have to make it out of two flat pieces then connect them together. I just figured thats what the holes in the diagram were.

[cougarfreak]

Now I just gotta clean the axle and weld it!!!

[cougarfreak]

I've been informed that I will be lucky not to have a bent axle welding only to one side of the tube, and that I should consider a small truss on the bottom side of the axle as well to even out the heat and shrinkage to both sides. I'm trying to avoid a bent axle here. If I'm going to be lucky NOT to have a bent axle after welding in this truss as I have it, I'm a fool for putting it in as it sits in the first place. Luck and I rarely get togther at the same time. For rock crawling, I soooo don't need it. But that's only part of the vehicle's designed adventures. I also want to be able to fly in the desert and dunes, and for that, I'm thinking I do need it. i know I can't have my cake and eat it too, but I wanna come close!!! Build it for the worst conditions in any one particular adventure without severely detracting from any other adventure. that's my philosophy. Am I over thinking this? Probably, but I don't like doing things twice, and I don't want bent tubes again!!!!

[cougarfreak]

Possible solutions include... not trussing at all (get's me on the trail quicker, but worried), Trussing the back:


or the bottom:

[cougarfreak]

I am having serious thoughts of ditching this whole idea of trussing the axles and just not jumping the rig. The axles are only one area the jumping abuse will effect. I'm not racing it, and I rock crawl more than I run the desert. The reality of NOT needing trusses for mild desert running/chasing/prerunning, and certainly not rock crawling is very real. In reality my rig is more set up for rock crawling anyway with only 2.5" of uptravel in the front end. sure I could go more, but then it would be taller and th CG would be higher... I'm thinking I'm trying to go to an extreme that just isn't realistic for this rig. I'll build a 700 truck and jump it if I really need to jump something... or just use my quad... I do appreciate everyone's input, and thank you very much. I haven't given up yet, but I am considering it.

[cougarfreak]

Or I could just quit complaining, and being so nervous and weld the darned thing on, put it back together and go wheel!!!!!!!

[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!!!!!!

[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.

[cougarfreak]

Alright, I guess a little update is in order (yes I have been working on my junk, just SLOWLY)... I trussed the front end, photos to be posted soon, similar to how I did the rear. I took both axles to Performance Cryogenics in Lincoln (1.5 hour drive one way, but quite beautiful and in the middle of NOWHERE) to see if I had warped them. Problem was, Dean and the boyz were in LAS VEGAS at the SEMA show and wouldn't be back until FRIDAY (Dumba** me didn't call first... ROOKIE). On my liesurly drive back home, I had an epiphany to call Sean at River City Diffs to see if he could perform the warp test... sho 'nuff!!! The first thing out of Bill's mouth (Sean's 2nd in command... i think) was, "Holy over weld job!!!" Not exactly what I wanted to hear. Turns out in my attempt at welding trusses on the axles to prevent them from bending, I wound up with bent axles (insert favorite 4 letter word here, a couple of times). He said I was going to have to start over... NOT!!!! Then Sean stepped in and mentioned Lincoln Welding and Machining and said Cliff could straighten my pair of bananas for under $500. I called it good and gutted the axles and dropped them off at Lincoln. I hope to get them back by next Friday so I can start putting everything back together.

[cougarfreak]

Here's da frunt truss.
Templates:


Long side:


Knuckle Gussett:


Full view:

[cougarfreak]

Update:
Cliff said that my welds leaked hot dip fluid indicating, even though I preheated before welding, my 110v Weldmark 135+ just didn't have enough ass to start hot enough didn't penetrate well until further down the weld. He drilled an 1/8th" hole in the truss to help drain fluid that may collect in it during water crossings. My whole reasoning for solid welding it just went out the window. I was trying to avoid rusting out the inside of the truss. Ah, well. Live and learn!!!!

He also told me the axle was warped before I pulled it outta the junk yard, though my welding on the top didn't help the situation. Spun races in the diff's journal showed signs of massive wear. He was able to straighten the axles and clean up the wear, so I'm good to go, $580 later. I'll pick them up tomorrow and ask him how I can advise my fellow homefabbers on welding trusses without warping the axle and post that advise here.

[General Sherman]

good news Chad...no excusses now. Can't wait to see that baby roll'in again

[cougarfreak]

Update: 1/12/08 (yes it's taken me this long) I finally took some time to try and get the rig running on the road again and did some work this week. I picked up the axles a while ago, and the races had spun at some point in the axle's life, and the jounals had to be machined, so I had Lincoln clean that up when they straightened the axle. $600 later, I have straight axles that are ready for life under my 4Runner (Sheeeeeesh). I took them to FAO in Vacaville (Thanks Neil and Clint) to have the ring and pinion set up put back together in the diffs and checked for proper backlash and preload. With the machining Lincoln did, I had to have the carrier set up again in the 60. I now have the axles ready for paint and install.

[cougarfreak]

I went to put in the races in my D60 and 44 hubs Saturday, and the D60 went together flawlessly. The 44, on the other hand, had an issue with the larger bearing's race. I have JML104-911 races that are a perfect fit in the D60, but don't fit in the D44. When I got home I checked all of the bearings and cross referenced them with the ones I ordered. All of the bearings are the same for the D60 and the larger of the D44. The races are all the same for the D60, but the D44 has a step in the hub that stopped the JML104-911 from going in to the race seat. I compared the race number with the one that came out, and found they were one # off. The removed race JML104-910. I calipered the O.D. of the 2 races and found they had a .025 difference. That would stop it from going past the step. I picked up the 910's from Autozone yesterday, and installed them in to the hub. Now paint and install, and brake lines!!!!

Summary:
'76 Ford D60 rear hub races (all Timken): JML104-911 Bearings: Set38 LM104-949

'76 Chevy/ '81 waggy D44 front large hub race (all Timken): JML104-910 inner Bearings: Set38 LM104-949
'76 Chevy/ '81 waggy D44 front Small hub race (all Timken): LM501-310 outter Bearings: Set45 LM501-349

Inner hub D44:


Inner hub closeup showing step (clean spot is where the race should go):


Inner hub race properly installed w/ race JLM104-910 (911 would only go in to the 1st step):

[cougarfreak]

I asked Cliff what a home fabber can do to prevent warpage, and he said that "it's gonna warp no matter what you do". In a jig, it still warps, it just binds up around whatever you are using to jig it with (gettin' jiggey whit it... sorry cranial flatulation). Then you have to figure out how to warp it back to get the jig out... Weld it, then get it straightened... $100 USUALLY. Now I don't know if this is just him trying to keep business, or he's speaking truth... but it makes sense, to a degree.

[General Sherman]

Whats the status of this thing. Where's the pics?