When you want an axle to turn big tires and do so with some brute strength, the common choice is some version of the venerable Dana 60. While there are many fine manufacturers that offer custom turn-key axle assemblies built to your specs, there are also other choices to us 'wheelers. Maybe you have the time and interest in doing some heavy, greasy work and are looking for a lower cost alternative. You could take a stock salvaged Dana 60, replace the worn parts with new ones, and upgrade some of the other components along the way as your budget allows.
The goal for this build was to tear down a complete front axle and build it back up with replacement parts as needed. This should get us a basic Dana 60 without breaking the bank. Except for the gear and locker setup, we also wanted to try to build the entire axle with common tools you might have in your home shop, thus saving on some labor costs.
We sourced a crusty, used axle from an '88 Chevy 1-ton truck. The entire truck had been purchased at a county auction for the measly sum of $800. From that hulk came the front axle shown here, a 14-bolt rear axle, other worn but useful drivetrain parts, and the whole rest of a truck body and chassis. The axle we had could be used at full width and the differential was on the correct side, so no housing modifications were necessary.
We simply tore down the salvaged axle and cleaned and painted it in preparation for the build. We'll show you a few photos of the teardown, but will spend most of our effort showing you the build steps. Rebuild parts such as seals, bearings, etc. are commonly available from a variety of sources and as usual, all parts would be inspected and replaced as needed during such a build. Follow along as we show you the steps in this process.
Here's the moment of truth....
Here's the moment of truth. It's time to pop the cover open and see what lies inside the axle you just dragged home. If you're lucky, you might find a decent set of numerically high ratio gears and some kind of traction-aiding differential (TAD). On the minus side, you may simply find the internal parts are useless for your purposes.
Once we popped the cover off...
Once we popped the cover off our differential, we knew this axle had seen better days. The interior lacked any sign of lubrication and the open carrier had a lot of rust on it. One of the differential carrier bearings had about an 1/8-inch of play in it. Fortunately, the bearing saddles and caps were in good condition. We tossed everything else in the scrap pile.
With the locking hub components...
With the locking hub components removed, we used a dedicated pronged socket for loosening the spindle nuts. This is the one specialty tool you'll want to have to be able to service the front wheel hub components.
The brake calipers, locking...
The brake calipers, locking hubs, and associated parts were all removed along with the spindle nuts. This allowed us to remove the wheel hub and disc rotor. We got a bonus in this area. The front brakes and wheel hub assemblies had been recently rebuilt so our brake parts and wheel bearings were all reusable. Behind this, the dust shield, brake bracket, and spindle were unbolted and removed.
In the top of the knuckle...
In the top of the knuckle we found old grease, but it didn’t look contaminated. Fortunately, it looked like the only part of the axle that suffered the ravages of water immersion was the differential. We continued to disassemble the knuckle assemblies and found that one of the upper bushings was broken.
The lower end of the knuckle...
The lower end of the knuckle looked fairly good too, as far as lubrication. We removed the lower kingpin bearing cap and bearing.
Once the outer knuckle was...
Once the outer knuckle was lifted off the axle, the seal cap and bearing race were driven out of the knuckle. The axle and outer knuckle would be cleaned and inspected prior to reassembly.
Here's the upper kingpin on...
Here's the upper kingpin on the axle housing. These thread into the inner knuckle half and are torqued to about 550 lb-ft using a 7/8-inch hex key. Fortunately, the ones on this axle were still well greased and were not scored or otherwise damaged. They can sometimes be a real chore to remove. Worn kingpins can lead to steering slop and shimmy, or death wobble. At this point, the disassembly was complete and the axle was thoroughly cleaned and readied for reassembly.
An ARB Air Locker was the...
An ARB Air Locker was the TAD of choice for this front axle. These units have proven to be stout and reliable, and the option to lock and unlock the front axle provides the best combination of locking action with the ability to steer easily when unlocked. Inner axle seals, the ARB, and 5.13 Yukon gears were installed in the freshly-cleaned axle housing. We won't rehash those details here, but will in a separate tech feature. If your budget is tight, simply check the differential for excessive play or other wear issues and leave it be if all looks decent.