The all-new Iron Jock Dana 60 axlehousing is the latest innovation from Currie Enterprises. The unit offers all of the same benefits of Currie's aluminum Rock Jock housing but in a ductile iron casting.
When Currie Enterprises introduced its Rock Jock aluminum high-pinion axlehousing a few years back, it definitely stirred some excitement in the industry. Here was an axle with all the strength of a Dana 60 but with less than half the weight. The Rock Jock quickly made its way under a variety of trail and competition vehicles whose drivers were very eager to shave some pounds from their rigs. Still, however, the aluminum construction of the Rock Jock wasn't for everyone, especially owners of heavy-duty rigs concerned that they may overstress the high-pinion aluminum housing. In response to these concerns, Currie Enterprises has launched an all-new design of the Rock Jock, this time manufactured from ductile iron. Appropriately enough, this high-pinion unit has been dubbed the Iron Jock.
We have big plans for the Iron Jock Dana 60 centersections you've just read about. For the last month or so, we've been collecting components to complete a front and rear Dana 60 axle package for a Scout II project vehicle. The cast-iron Currie Iron Jock diffys came along right about the time we were talking to John Currie of Currie Enterprises about methods of maintaining driveshaft angles with our desired 37-inch tire size and spring-over axle suspension configuration. Front and rear high-pinion axles were our first thought, but the weight of the Scout would require a greater degree of strength than most available high-pinion units were capable of providing.
The Currie aluminum Rock Jock Dana 60 was also a consideration, but again, the weight of the vehicle was an issue for these more performance-minded aluminum housings. That's when John introduced us to the first two Iron Jocks ever produced. A performance high-pinion unit with a cast-iron housing? Our problems were solved.
We'll complete assembly of the Iron Jock differentials in an upcoming issue and also provide coverage as we set up the axles with suspension beneath our project Scout II. Check out the following photos to see some of the quality components that we'll use to complete our Iron Jock Dana 60 differentials.