Rear Dana 60 Installed, Pics

I have not driven my jeep in four years (on the road, the 44 was really bent). So I built a rear dana 60 that won't bend. I made it 2" wider to match my front 44 and offset the pinion to line up with the t-case so I could run a cv driveline and not hit my exhaust. I installed 35 spline axles and ford explorer disc brakes. I ran out of money so for now I installed a open carrier that I am actually enjoying the driveability on the street. My previous 44 had a detroit locker that are not too great for street driving. I still have a locker up front so I can still go most places I need to go. Overall it was a pretty easy swap, and with the cv driveline, it runs really smooth. Took it camping last weekend and did a 80 mile loop on the forest service roads. Had a blast, here are some pics.

 

Here is the story, I narrowed the first housing and put the offset on the wrong side, so I narrowed the second housing and got one end welded on crooked, so for the 3rd housing and $700 later currie in california built the housing for me. I would love to say I did it, but I had the money and ran out of patience, so I just bought the housing. I put it all together with pieces i had been collecting for 10 years. Now that I am older and my right foot isnt as heavy, I probably should have just bought a new housing for my 44 and called it good. But now I have a bullet proof drive train. I did narrow my 44 front myself several years ago, but didn't take any pics of the process. Here is how currie makes them.

 

8)

 

You made the right choice, thats what I want to do. How much did currie charge? Did you send them your housing?

 

Very nice. You def. shouldnt have anymore rear axle breakage

 

Looks very heavy duty. Reminds me of my old hunting partner's girl friend. She was kinda put together the same way.

 

Looks great. The axle and the jeep. Good job.

 

Hey 80CJ, your hunting partners girlfriend is tuff but pretty, I like them like that, The axle housing was supplied by currie the way I wanted it for $575.00 plus shipping $175.00 and the axle shaft kits with bearings, wheel studs and axle retainers was $400.00 . I was paying 86 bucks for the axles housings I was screwing up at the wrecking lot, so I thought I had better just buy one before I wasted a couple more housings. Everything else I scrounged up here and there, the brakes I found on a 96 ford explorer that was abandoned down a steep drainage on the mountain behind my house, the kids here in town would steel a new vehicle off of a car lot, 4wheel it in the hills, then run it off a cliff, they just sit up there and rust, so a friend of mine and I went up there with hacksaws and a highlift and cut out the rearend and winched it up the hill. I think those brake kits go for around $450. It is not like me to buy a rearend housing, but I really wanted to get the jeep going this summer.

 

Hey, this posting pics is fun, so tell me to knock it off if I am jamming up your dial-up, but here is a pic of the explorer rear end with the donor brakes on the front of my friends 69 v6'er, Friend in photo, also the next pics are why the 44 was bent.

 

Yeah, she was one of those gals that seemed to accumulate all her weight in the area below the belt line. I think she was about a D70 (dana 70)!

 

Hey sagegoat, this is the reason the 60 was installed, this is the bent 44 with my drywall square clamped to the backing plate. It was pretty obvious when in the jeep that the toe and camber were waaay off!

 

I had a Commando 44 that I wanted to stick in my 80 CJ-5 but found out that the housing was bent about 1/4". What I couldn't figure was that the housing was bent downwards. How does something like that happen? Ended up trashing the housing.