Super Duty Dana 60 Casting Trim and Axle Swap Prep

**After trimming, you should truss the axle or at least weld the casting to the tube to reinforce that area again. This is also necessary because you are removing the plugs welds which are needed to prevent a spun axle tube or the tube pulling out of the casting.**
How to trim a Super Duty Dana 60 front axle casting for the Artec JK 1 ton Super duty Swap, to weld on axle trusses, or for custom applications in general. We also show how to remove brackets from axle tubes and how to clean the tube afterwards for a smooth finish.
Simple step by step is to use a torch, plasma cutter, or angle grinder and cutoff wheel to cut the brackets down as close as you can to the tube without gouging or cutting in to it. Then use a flap disc (lower grit the better) to remove the last of the brackets and welds. Finally, finish the tube with a handheld belt sander to give it a uniform round finish.
To trim the casting, I used a portable bandsaw to cut just under 1/2" deep through the casting to get close to the tube. After that, I used a cutoff wheel to slowly finish the cut. I also had to cut around the plug welds that hold the casting to the tube. After making those cuts, the pieces of the casting fell off easily. From there, it was just a matter of sanding down the raw cuts.
This covers the process for 2005+ Dana 60's. 1999-04 Dana 60's are easier since you are only removing the 2" of casting that goes over the tube.
I am trimming this axle as the first step in doing a solid axle swap (SAS) in my Dodge Dakota quad cab 4x4 build on 40" tires. Trimming the axle is done to fit new link mounts for when we fabricate a custom link suspension with coilovers.
Link to the Artec instructions here:
www.artecindustries.com/assets...
Video is for entertainment purposes only. Not for instruction or education. All vehicle modifications should be done by certified professionals. Creator/channel assumes no liability for viewer actions.

[@electrohacker]

so should you weld up that spot where you took out half the plug welds that hod the tube into the center?

[@WebWheeler]

Yes it does need to be welded to the casting afterwards to get the strength back. If you're not running a truss the tube needs to be welded to the casting. But if you're running a truss that welds to the tube and casting that should give enough reinforcement.

[@sandboxjk5696]

FIRST VIDEO EVER TO ACTUALLY SHOW HOW ITS DONE!! NICE

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks! Like I said in the video- hopefully my blind wandering through the process helps you figure out a better way haha

[@12936250]

Is nobody going to address the meat to beat statement?..... Thanks I'll see myself out

[@WebWheeler]

@@12936250 I was wondering if anyone was going to comment on that lol. Trying to keep this channel family friendly but just can't help myself haha

[@AdamZeroGalusha]

years later this video is still helpful. thanks! just finished my sd60 strip down

[@WebWheeler]

Glad it helped!

[@artysa.blackwood4261]

Learn a lot just by watching your cuting patterns, thanx for the video.

[@WebWheeler]

Great! That's why I did it haha. Thanks for watching!

[@Crawlerjamie]

Don’t know why but that finger sander belt flying off with the sound effect had me laughing at 2 am

[@normhowes2975]

Along with "Did I mention it's from HF?" Got me also :D

[@jaxgsxr]

Absolutely awesome timing. Receiving 1-tons and will be starting this build this week. Great video!!

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Good luck with your build 😎

[@iovedirt84]

Just found this and I enjoy watching your videos. I'm excited to see the progress and how you build your Dakota!

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks man! Will start releasing dakota videos this week 👍

[@petemiller519]

Really enjoyed your video...go figure eh. I pulled the plug on my cable TV and now watch guys grind their Dana 60's in their garage. Beats mainstream media, hands down! Love the sound when the belt flies off. You inspired me to replace my axles on my JK. I've been working on Jeeps since the 70's, but never replaced the axles. I think it will be a fun project. Cheers from Canada.

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks a lot Pete! Yeah I've cut the cable too- tons of great content to find if you're willing to seek it out. Good luck on the JK project! Thanks for watching!

[@tommyr95]

Fantastic stuff, man! I'm about to start prepping my SD D60/10.5 and this was really helpful. Thanks for taking the time to document it!

[@WebWheeler]

No problem! Glad it was helpful for you. Good luck with your build 😎

[@firstgenyota]

Great work like always

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks a lot! Appreciate it

[@rustybottoms8859]

Thanks for sharing. Great job.

[@l337haxs]

This is super helpful! Thanks so much!!!

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks for watching! Great to hear it helped you out 👍

[@garylanders1470]

Loved it!

[@bobhunt3197]

Good video, I'm in the middle of building a CJ7 and you seem to know what your doing, so I'm sticking around to learn and be entertained, just subbed.

[@WebWheeler]

Occasionally I know what I'm doing either way hopefully it's always informative and/or entertaining! Thanks a lot for watching and subscribing!

[@ReshardsAutomotiveWorkshop]

😮 Wow .. great work.

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

[@EduardoHernandez-tk7fj]

First video, just subscribed. I hardly ever comment on anything, but I was genuinely impressed by the skill & in-depth-ness (if that's a word??) of the video, not to mention the noticable lack of cursing (hard to find when it comes to these types of videos) & the fact that you know how to make a video not just informative but entertaining (sound effect, remark about the notch marks, "meat to beat") :'D !!!! Not sure what the overall project in the video is, but I want to have the equipment, skill & time to do stuff like this one day, so watching you is as good as it gets for now lol.

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks man! Really appreciate the good words. Yeah there are plenty of channels that will let the F bombs fly but I try to keep it clean! I may slip every now and then in the but will at least bleep it out haha. Thanks so much for the sub and check out the other videos- this axle is going in to dodge Dakota but I have lots of other project ideas haha. Thanks again for the support!

[@MyDatrsPrsnlATM]

Great video. At first I figured it was slightly funny that the belt kept flying off.......but by the 311th time I felt bad for 'ya....lol. Keep it up great stuff.

[@WebWheeler]

Lol thanks man! I got what I deserved trusting the HF belts haha

[@jake-mv5oi]

I feel like a good air hammer and a few different chisels would make this a lot easier. Nice work.

[@WebWheeler]

Definitely would have helped! Haha good call and thanks for watching 👍

[@wvjeepguy8178]

absolutely, i used an air chisel to remove the diff material where the driver side tube enters, after i had scored it.

[@exclusivo4x446]

Cool video.. I just bought a set of axles and will be attempting this myself very soon (on a 2008 Jeep jku Rubi).

[@WebWheeler]

Glad you enjoyed it! Hope the video helped you plan your attack haha

[@PrinceOfEville]

Thanks for posting this. Finally stripping mine down. Man I imagine as annoying as that sound is for the mini belt popping it was even more annoying for it to happen for you. So glad I waited till I got a cheap plasma and already have an m12 die grinder.

[@WebWheeler]

Yeah a plasma would have been nice haha. The cutting was pretty easy- just the sanding and finish work that took so long.

[@rossbagley9015]

This is completely fascinating. Super 60 is the stock axle under my 2014 F-450 and I was looking at replacing it with a Dana 80. Search for Super 60 axle swap and here I am watching you take apart my axle. Probably not going to end up changing my front, just get hubs over to 10x225 bolt pattern. The Dana 80 in the back will be upgraded to an S110 or S130 though. I had an old school CJ7 back in the day and thought I was going super strong when we put 35's on Dana 44's. Bent some stuff but it mostly held up. You guys putting Dana 60's and bigger under the same wheelbase is just wild.

[@WebWheeler]

I will gladly take that super 60 off your hands if you decide you don't want it ;) yeah back in the day that was pretty big haha. Honestly you can have just as much fun in a rig like that- plus you learn to drive better lol. Of course while I say that I'm also building a Dakota on 40s but that's meant to be a little crazy haha. Thanks for watching!

[@SoFloJeeping]

This vid has been a God send while chopping up my d60 lol

[@WebWheeler]

Glad it helped man! I was hoping my struggle would make it easier for others haha. Share the video and subscribe if you wouldn't mind- it all helps! Good luck on the project 👍

[@kene6838]

I’ve found a great way to sand those tubes is to get a sanding belt , the longer the better and turn it inside out then slip it over the axle tube and use a drill with a rubber check to spin it. You can cut it to the perfect width, just let the paper do the work. I rigged up a handle that goes thru the rubber drive as to get an even pressure.

[@WebWheeler]

Great idea! I'm going to have to try that on the next one.

[@GreenMachineLJ]

awesome video...thanks bro

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

[@The_Crasher-xj4el]

Great video bro

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks man glad you enjoyed it!

[@zarkeh3013]

Technical Difficulties.... lol pock marks... A Human was here!

[@jmetcalf6350]

Good video, looking forward to doing mine even less now...😁

[@Seize_The_Karp]

Good choice for backing music

[@wahyuyudhayudha5940]

Verry2 good work...👍👍👍

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks for watching!

[@billvickers9149]

Thanks for the video bro. Just found out that it's possible to use Ford/front and GM/rear axles for JK build. Super stoked that I can possibly cut 10k out of the swap to D60.

[@WebWheeler]

Glad you found the it! Sounds like a cool JK build you're doing. I will be doing more videos on these axles so stay tuned! 👍

[@coleneville3073]

Saw horses man, spent the money once saves year for my back.

[@christianfavela2810]

dude awesome video! you should make a video of the artec truss install!

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks! I will be posting a video of trussing the axle then I get there. The artec trusses are awesome but not the most budget friendly so I might end up building my own... Thanks for watching!

[@christianfavela2810]

yeah that front super60 one is over $500! but ill be tuned in man! great content you got here! nobody has a video of this stuff yet like you do!

[@granadojl]

Thanks for the video.. I took on this job and wanted to know what I got myself into... Allot more than what I bargained for. hahaha

[@WebWheeler]

Yeah it's a chore. Glad it helped you get mentally prepared lol. Thanks for watching 👍

[@granadojl]

@@WebWheeler in 2 hours I have one axle almost completely stripped. Yes, that insinuates there's a second axle. Keep in mind I've already done two rear axles earlier this week. I need to learn prices and start charging more hahahaha

[@WebWheeler]

Pricing is the hardest part about doing this stuff for other people- especially if it's something you haven't done before. Hopefully you didn't give your time away too bad! Haha

[@jlopes68]

wow! that was a lot of work! looks great though!

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks! Yeah it's no small job but now that I've done it I should be pretty quick the next time. Glad you enjoyed the video 👍

[@murraymadness4674]

If I might suggest, you can fill in those dibits with solder like you use with copper pipe. Melts at low temp and easy to grind smooth.

[@WebWheeler]

No kidding!? Never tried that before but I will definitely try it. Thanks for the tip!

[@troy9616]

Quite entertaining.

[@pojdiavaj1422]

Nice!

[@popo_53]

I just did one of these. There is absolutely no easy way to go about it. A lot of grinding discs, cutoff wheels, and bandsaw blades. And beers to sooth the aggravation.

[@WebWheeler]

Lots and lots of beers... Haha

[@thebigkahuna2753]

When using that belt sander, before you mount the belt, reinforce the seam on the belt (inside of course) with some "Gorilla Grip" tape and it will last last heaps longer. I tried this on mine and was pleased with the results, but I did enjoy the sound effects though.

[@WebWheeler]

Great tip! I will give that a try. Buying some better quality belts helped too haha. Thanks!

[@michaelstreete26]

Great video, I'll definitely use it when start working on my dana 60. What size cutting wheel are you using? Is that a 6 inch cutting wheel?

[@WebWheeler]

Yep that was a 6" by 1/16" thick wheel. It was the Diablo brand from home depot. I went through 1 wheel doing this project which was better than I expected. I've had surprising good results from the diablo stuff EXCEPT the "diamond edge" metal cutoff wheel. That thing screams like a banshee and doesn't cut anywhere near as quick as the abrasive cutoff wheels- don't bother with that thing haha

[@djkommando]

That noise when the belt flew off the first time actually startled me...

[@WebWheeler]

Lol got to keep you awake somehow!

[@bulletproofpepper2]

I’m sorry but i was lmao but thinking oh man I’m going to have to do this sh!t. Thanks for sharing, super useful.

[@WebWheeler]

Haha yeah it's a chore but it's worth it! These axles are awesome. Glad the video helps you out!

[@Shadow6a]

DISCLAIMER, "NEVER BEAT YOUR MEAT" without eye protection! 😂

[@hubertrobinson8825]

Dude that belt breaking would've drive nuts but you did a good video anyway

[@WebWheeler]

Haha yeah it drove me crazy at the time. I got some nice belts though and they last a ton longer haha

[@treyhaberman]

Nice video, lol'd the whole time

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks for watching! Hope it helped you out too 😁

[@sourdoggie2756]

Great video, just what I was looking for. Do you have to remove the internals before welding? I'd like to keep everything in the housing. Just received my one tons yesterday so I'm waiting to see how you handle putting on the truss kit.

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks! Glad you found it. As long as you have your ground clamp in a good spot (and on clean metal!) you should be fine leaving them in the housing. I may end up building my own truss but either way I will be covering the install process in an upcoming video. Feel free to message me if you're ready to install the truss and want some tips!

[@sourdoggie2756]

webwheeler, Getting cutting torches today to remove all the brackets and prep the axles this weekend. Should be ready to weld the truss in 2 weeks. I will have a mig or a tig, I was thinking just take my time with tig so it looks really good and I dont mind it taking longer. Tips would be awesome! Is it really necessary to pre heat the axle with a torch before welding? How hot should you keep the temp if so. I should probably do more research so I do not screw up lol!

[@WebWheeler]

No worries man! I'm happy to help. If you're TIG'ing to cast, you can use high nickel rod and generally you don't need any pre or post heat. Otherwise, pre heating to ~400 degrees is not a bad idea but NOT necessary in my experience. Most important thing is to let the welds cool slowly by either a torch or wrapping the weld in a welding blanket/glove, etc. As far as welding the truss overall, best way to minimize warpage is to tack the truss in place then fully weld it starting from the outside ends of the tubes (closest to the steering knuckle) and working your way to the middle, alternating between front and back of tube and passenger and driver side tubes to keep the heat even on both sides. Once you get to the casting, weld in ~2" sections around the casting to keep the heat spread out. Like I said, a torch or welding blanket can help keep the casting from cooling too much but if you keep welding that helps keep the it pretty warm. That's pretty much the strategy that has worked for me. If you decide to keep the axle assembled when you weld it, keep in mind you might cook anything made of rubber or plastic (like seals...) so be prepared to deal with that. Good luck!

[@sourdoggie2756]

WebWheeler, thank you so much, looking forward to more of your videos!

[@moejr14]

I’m getting ready to do this. Did you grind out the welds to get the brackets off?

[@WebWheeler]

It's much easier to use an oxy acetylene or plasma cutter to cut the brackets off first, then grind down what's left because the welds on the axle tubes are hard to get to in some spots. Other option would be cutoff wheels to take off as much of the bracket as you can then finish with a sanding disc. Good luck!

[@MrHunting99]

Nice job! How long did it take to clean all the old casting and brackets off ?

[@WebWheeler]

I think around 6 hours but if I want to do it again I could do it in under 2 pretty easy. It took me a while to figure out what worked best plus I ran out of oxygen pretty early on haha. Next time I trim down one of these axles I will film it straight through and do a time lapse to give a better idea of the time it actually takes. Thanks for watching!

[@markcole6475]

Wow! That was a ton of work! Wouldn’t it have been easier to get a leaf spring style Super duty front axle?

[@WebWheeler]

Yeah the leaf spring version would be a lot less trimming but those axles are quite a bit weaker (smaller unit bearings and outer axle shafts) and are actually more expensive. Thanks for watching!

[@AirGunScientist]

Great Video. I'm putting in a Super Duty 60 with high pinion in a 49 Willys wagon, and need to do similar. I picked up the D60 from Craig's List and it came with the Artec truss. I watched and enjoyed the entire video. What SPECIFICALLY would you do differently other than what you mention in the video?

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks a lot! Glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like a cool project! I love those old wagons. If I was to do it again I would I would use the oxy acetylene torch a lot more to cut down on grinding time (I would have at the time, but my oxygen tank ran out early on.) I also would have probably spent less time trying to avoid cutting in to the tubes- would have been quicker in the long run to just be aggressive and weld/sand any gouges after the fact (since grinding and sanding the plug weld locations to finish the tubes was necessary anyway.) That's all I can think of off the top of my head but will let you know if I think of anything else!

[@AirGunScientist]

​@@WebWheeler Thank you so much for your reply.

[@WebWheeler]

No problem! Subscribe and share the videos if you think they're worth it ;) thanks for watching!

[@alexmasraum7596]

thank you for this. awesome video. now all i need is an sd60, tools, and know how to weld. oof

[@WebWheeler]

Haha we all have to start somewhere! Glad you enjoyed the video 👍

[@devinmanderson]

I've found using a rivet cutting torch works great for cutting almost flush with frames and axle tubes.

[@WebWheeler]

This process made me buy one too! Would have been smart to buy beforehand 🥴 thanks for watching!

[@devinmanderson]

@@WebWheeler anytime I'm getting some good ideas for a possible 550 axle swap into my 1 ton dually tow rig just trying to figure out the design for suspension.

[@WebWheeler]

Hard to beat radius arms for the simplicity and durability, especially on a tow rig without too much flex. Honestly I'd consider getting a super duty Dana 60 like this one (or the super 60 that comes in the f550) and keeping the factory radius arm mounts and lengths. That way you have a truck that's still mostly factory replacement (or bolt-on aftermarket) so parts are readily available and all you'd have to do is do some frame mounts. Good luck with the project!

[@devinmanderson]

@@WebWheeler ya they look hella tough on the fence with 4 link in the rear with semi air bags...they're going in a 1st gen dodge so its gonna be far from stock but I do like using OEM stuff so I'm never in a bad spot for parts...I like the 550 axles just for the massive brakes with the amount of towing I do with heavy goosenecks I want brakes that will last and stop.

[@runafre]

i did the same shit yesterday lol, it seems easy but its a pain be there 8-10 hours.

[@WebWheeler]

Yeah that's about what it took me haha. What's your axle going in?

[@Dave-eg2pc]

Well done video and one of the best Super Duty axle trim and clean up jobs I've seen. Very informative. What was the time lapse??

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks! About 10 hours total but could probably do it in about 4 hours now that I know what I'm doing haha

[@Chaneke469]

@@WebWheeler what would you do differently now that you know what you’re doing to save time?

[@ericnelson8108]

Arc gouge would save you lots of time

[@huckstirred7112]

I am certain I left a comment saying mt plasma cutter could do this in 5 minutes .i got my powermax 85 because the guy spelled it powermack .You said you would love to have 1

[@WebWheeler]

Yeah you did leave on a comment on the crazy deal you got! It is on the "differential destruction" video. Thanks again for keeping an eye out!

[@johnswinson8327]

As someone who welded the Majority of my life, which was until I was an old man, as one on this thread has said, you should have done more washing with the cutting torch. You would have accomplished what you did in half the time. Watching this video reminded me painfully of how I was as a beginning welder. Point is with practice, you can wash the weld completely up without harming the base metal. Just be sure to watch for the break away once you have washed it away.

[@WebWheeler]

Yeah I have been getting more practice with the oxy acetylene and might put a video out specifically about that tool. Either way I wanted to show the methods with the cut off wheel too since that's more common in the home builder's garage. Thanks!

[@johnswinson8327]

@@WebWheeler It looked to me like you were using a victor torch, which it does not matter, but ask for what is called a wash tip, they come in different sizes. Concentrate most on the side that is being remove and watch for a a line break as it washes the weld out. You will not believe the difference it will make.some days I had to spend the whole day washing welds out so I could rebuild. It is like riding a bicycle, once you got it, it never leaves you. Good Luck Guy. BTW, I did enjoy the video.

[@ferrelx]

brother..i was young once and cold swing a 5 pound hammer all day..but as time went on i learned to work smarter..should of just cut the tubes out and re-tubed the axle..faster,easier,cleaner.. :)

[@WebWheeler]

Lol I wouldn't exactly call retubing an axle the fast and easy way especially in a garage with no machine tools 😉 would be nice though! This video/channel is geared towards the home garage fabricator rather than a pro shop that would have that equipment on hand. Thanks for watching 👍

[@ferrelx]

@@WebWheeler i said re-tube not build..think about it..drill the plug welds..cut the tubes close to the dif and knuckles..make 3 or 4 cuts on the inside radius of the tubes in the dif and knuckles..then on the knuckles grind the outside welds away..chisel the 3 or 4 pieces out of the dif and knuckles..do some clean up..everything you did in this video but far less work..then you measure and cut and clean your tubing..bake your dif and knuckles..freeze your tubing..they will slide together without the need of a press..nothing fancy..no big shop needed..of course your ole lady might be pissed that there are automotive parts in her oven and freezer :/

[@WebWheeler]

@@ferrelx Finding the right size tubing to fit the press dimension of the casting could be tricky since it's somewhere around 3.70" but if I can find that I might give it a try! Maybe on a day where the wife isn't home lol ;)

[@notice_fpv]

Apologies if it's been asked before... How much actual, real-world, honest-to-god, bonafide time did this work take? :)

[@WebWheeler]

My guess is about 6 hours if you count the time spent figuring out how to do it (and doing it wrong haha) But Im confident I could do it in under 2 hours now that I'm familiar with the process and SORTA know what I'm doing lol. Thanks for watching!

[@tonymarinaro8958]

After cutting everything is it possible to get a 31.5 inch perch width out of this axle for a Chevy

[@WebWheeler]

No- those perches are too narrow. Minimum distance BETWEEN springs (not center to center) is 33" unless you shorten the passenger side tube or run ridiculously tall perches haha

[@blackseabrew]

What if a person was to buy a fresh Dana 60 center section(Strange has a nice offering now!), axle tubes and new yokes? I hope I'm using the correct word for the 'yoke' on the end of the axle. Assuming one can find them because I can't.

[@WebWheeler]

Definitely an option! General harder for the garage fab guy because there is often machining/pressing required to assemble tubes in the housing though. The yokes you're talking about are Dana 60 inner C's. For a factory style, Reid Racing is considered the best in the business. There are other options for fabricated versions are well (Spidertrax) but those are more for off-road only setups. Good luck!

[@919specops]

Dope video. But just curious, would it not have made maybe more sense to just incorporate those massive beef adding structures into the truss? Because ultimately it looks like you removed a ton of bracing to add...well...bracing

[@WebWheeler]

The issues are mainly that there isn't enough tube on the driver's side to have room for a new lower link mount to be welded on, and also welding an upper link mount directly to the casting is not best practice. By getting all that casting out of the way, you have tons more room to work with for link mounts, trusses, frame clearance, etc. That said, people also build custom suspensions directly off the factory radius arms mounts and that works perfectly well too. Just depends on what you're needs are for your project. Thanks for watching!

[@Ben-lo7cy]

How do you know deep you’re cutting when going around the tube? I’d be worried about cutting into the tube when cutting casting

[@WebWheeler]

When I was using the band saw with the 1/2" blade I went around until about 1/8" of blade was showing and knew that was close to the right depth. After that I just cut a little with the grinder, hammered it and looked for a crack to start, cut a little deeper, hammered more, etc. until I saw it breaking away. If you cut in to the tube a little it's no big deal though since the casting and tube should be welded together afterwards anyway. Thanks for watching!

[@comanchefun1612]

Very good information, are these super duties from a pre ‘04 or post? Also, I laughed every time those belts flew off.😂😂. Definitely go nematic, JET’s are the best ones

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks man! This is a '05+ super duty Dana 60. The 99-04 are leaf spring but the process is the same- you just have a lot less stuff to grind off! Yeah I'm going to get an air sander now that I know how useful that thing is haha. Thanks for watching! 👍

[@lancelot1953]

Hi WebWheeler, sorry if I missed something somewhere but can you tell me what vehicle did you use as a "Donor" for your Front Dana 60 Axle? Thank you, great videos, Ciao, L (Maine, USA)

[@WebWheeler]

No worries! It's from a 2006 F350 but these axles are pretty much the same from 2005-present in all F250/350s. Thanks for watching! 👍

[@lancelot1953]

Hi @@WebWheeler Thank you so much for such a quick answer. I truly appreciate all the efforts, time, and dedication you took in sharing your project(s) with the YT DIY community. Your explanations are "clear, concise, and to the point"... Embarrassingly enough, it prevents retired FoMoCo engineers like me from making mistakes (I still do but, they are less expensive, thanks to your guidance)! May Peace be with you, Ciao, L

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks for the good words- I'm really glad to hear it helped! That's why I'm doing it. Mistakes are part of the game- I make plenty and will keep doing so! I'm really interested in your time as an engineer with Ford and would love to hear more about that! If you have the time, I'd really appreciate if you would send me an email at [e-mail] so I can pick your brain. Thanks again and hope to hear from you! -Sam

[@lancelot1953]

@@WebWheeler Hi WebWheeler - I have answered your email request, let me know if we got the connection right, Ciao, L

[@rlfdavin]

I'm not sure if you'll be able to answer this now. But after doing this mod to your axles. What's the distance from center to outer part of diff that you clearanced? Would I be able to mount leafs right up against it? I'm thinking about using these for my 4runner (yes I can do driver drop I have engine swap) but would need to figure out a front hanger width. So if I take your measurement from center of axle to the outer part of the clearance diff then I can double that and see how that matches up with my 4runner frame. Just trying to get idea how wide a front hanger bar I would need to make.

[@WebWheeler]

The tightest you could mount your leaf spring perches (inside to inside) would be 33.5". So if your springs are 2.5" wide they'd need to be 36" center to center. You'd only be able to use 1 ubolt on the diff side though- your other spring mount would need to be a bolt in style against the diff like ruffstuff makes their land cruiser front axle housings. Good luck with the project!

[@rlfdavin]

@@WebWheeler this helped me immensely!! I might use these now instead of finding a 10bolt and using the sky's fukk size hanger kit. Bc Chevy d60 are hard to find and $$$ But super duty are plenty. Just no one makes a hanger kit. I appreciate it. And I understand what you mean about the rough stuff bolt in. Great idea

[@WebWheeler]

Glad I could help! The super duty 60s are definitely the way to go haha. I like the kingpin axles but having dealt with both, the 60s are better in almost every way (especially now that kingpin axles are $1500+ bone stock haha)

[@rlfdavin]

@@WebWheeler looks like sky and wfo make a 36" universal front hanger. But for $250 I bet I can just grab one up and then towards the back of the frame make some outrigger mounts like the body frame mounts. Well just have to see how ridiculous it will look bc it's so much wider than frame.. Thanks again.

[@WebWheeler]

Yeah I ruffstuff sells some frame mounting pads/outriggers that might work to widen it out for you too. Should be a cool rig when it's done!

[@chrishurley9128]

Does that superduty axle have the manual vacuum locking hubs?

[@WebWheeler]

Yep. I might try to keep the vacuum functionality in the swap just to see if I can do it but those hubs will eventually need to be upgraded haha

[@jamesmoore1124]

2"angle disk grinder that belt sander looked like a pain.

[@WebWheeler]

The disc grinder would have been quicker but the belt sander gives a way nicer finish. I bought some good belts and that made it much easier to deal with haha

[@dadgarage7966]

Everything old is new again. I wonder if Jim McGean watches any of these Ford F-series Dana 60 rescues and, if so, what he thinks.

[@2112kustoms.]

Wouldn't modifying the truss be easier than cutting 2" off the casting? Or is what you'd be welding to make it worth shortening in?

[@WebWheeler]

Critical mounts like control arms really shouldn't be welded to castings as a general rule. The heat affected zone of the weld messes with the metallurgy and can cause strength issues. Just better safe than sorry haha

[@2112kustoms.]

Bitchin! I have the same axles and wanted to do something really similar in setup. Also, is it necessary to add any additional weld to the short side tube to housing join?

[@WebWheeler]

If you're adding a truss, you can get away with not adding a weld from the tube to the casting, especially if you bridge the truss to the inner C. If you aren't running a truss I would add a weld to make up for the strength lost by shaving down the casting. Good luck!

[@user-uu7qj6tm5n]

Hello, wonderful man. Please tell me the weight of this bridge? Can not find. Thank good luck

[@WebWheeler]

The weight of these axles is about 750lbs unmodified. Thanks

[@leevahal900]

An air arc or carbon arc should make short work of that if you have a 400 amp 3 phase welder.

[@WebWheeler]

That's a big "if..." Lol hopefully someday I'll get myself the heavy duty equipment to make my life easier. Thanks for watching!

[@snowismas]

use the torch more, wash the welds off.

[@WebWheeler]

Yeah that's a good call. That's the plan next time I do one of these axles haha. Thanks for watchin!

[@jmyers9853]

that was my first impression watching it. could have saved more time.

[@silverbackmoose8642]

ya this is why you get a plasma with gouge feature, jut melt out the oem welds

[@WebWheeler]

Someday haha. Thanks for watching 👍

[@bdar95]

mabey use use a air hammer in stead of the small sledge ? good video though

[@WebWheeler]

I really needed to just cut more off with the torch. I ended up running out of oxygen during filming though haha. Thanks!

[@KC-7mm]

Is there room to mount 36 1/2” spring pads on the axle if someone wanted to run leaf’s?

[@WebWheeler]

The closest you could put leaf springs would be 34" inside to inside. That would put the leaf spring against the diff cover on the driver's side though so you'd have to get creative with perches and mounting. 36.5" inside to inside seems possible. Might be better to get the Dana 60 out of a 99-04 though since they came with leaf springs (37.75" center to center). Even though the axle isn't as strong, would likely be an easier starting point. Good luck!

[@KC-7mm]

@@WebWheeler thanks for the info

[@owenarsenault5955]

What brand of cut off wheel did you have on the yellow grinder? It seems to really last.

[@WebWheeler]

That's Diablo brand- I just get them at home Depot. I think I did the whole axle with two discs 👍

[@owenarsenault5955]

@@WebWheeler Thanks man.

[@Phillma84]

How long did this portion of the project take?

[@WebWheeler]

I think around 6-8 hours if you factor in the staring at it and planning the next step haha. Probably could do it in 2-3 now that I know what works!

[@MattShane77]

Sound effects keep making me laugh.

[@WebWheeler]

Happy to entertain! Haha thanks for watching!

[@paymanalimi8201]

I have 96 Ford Bronco . Can you make me a Dana60 front axle? And how much $$

[@WebWheeler]

If you're serious about getting work done shoot me an email at [e-mail]. Thanks!

[@acotter1986]

How much of the axle tube were you able to expose on the driver side? I see where you cut 2" out of the casting so I would assume around 3" of exposed tube?

[@WebWheeler]

Yep! it's almost exactly 3" of tube now. Thanks for watching 👍

[@acotter1986]

@@WebWheeler One more question. There is 3" of exposed axle tube on the driver side. What is the distance between the inner C and the edge of the differential on the driver side?

[@WebWheeler]

I actually just measured it and from casting of the C to casting of the center section is dead on at 3.5". The weld on the C is about 1/4" wide so before welding the tube to the center section casting there is 3.25" of clean tube. On the passenger side there's 23-11/16" from C casting to center section casting if you need that too 👍

[@Tyorktexan]

Probably a dumb question but is there enough room for a leaf spring mount?

[@WebWheeler]

You probably could as long as the springs at least 32" apart but I would save the work and just run a 99-04 super duty Dana 60 (or earlier Ford Dana 60) instead. They axles aren't quite as strong as the 2005+ alxes but could be upgraded and would save you a ton of time and effort trying to fabricate leaf spring perches in to the newer axles. Thanks for watching and for asking! I'm sure you're not there only one wanting to leaf spring these axles 👍

[@brianbeair4230]

I'm a little confused as to why you removed the rosette welds and then did not weld around the tube to attach it to the pumpkin securley. This will make the axle tube prone to spinning on the pumpkin especially in an offroad application where components will be under heavy torsion.

[@WebWheeler]

Yeah the casting and tube need to be welded together after removing the rosette welds for the reasons you mention unless you have a truss attaching them. I forgot to mention it in this video but will be covering it in a future one. Thanks!

[@brianbeair4230]

By the way great video man! Keep up the good work.

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks for watching!

[@JsGarage]

Looked painful haha. You do the swap yet or plan to?

[@WebWheeler]

Haha yeah not a quick task. I'm getting ready for the swap- collecting the last few big pieces. I will be filming and posting the whole build so stay tuned! Thanks for watching

[@zakaroonetwork777]

This is why I paid $2000 for 1991 Dana 60 from a F350. ;)

[@WebWheeler]

Haha it's either time or money- lots of work but I got the axle for $350 so I was willing to spend some time on it haha

[@Friedrich-Wilhelm-1980]

I don't think I could ever bring myself to chop up a perfectly good D60

[@WebWheeler]

Like other crimes- gets easier every time ;) it's not so bad- it's an improvement in most ways! Plus these super duty dana 60s are pretty cheap to come by

[@mw5905]

I've been eyeballing ford axles and was shocked to see there's 4.56, 4.88, and freakin 5.38 available from the factory. One axle even equipped with 35 spline inner and outter. I thought several of them were leaf spring though. I guess I need to go back and recheck application charts or something.

[@WebWheeler]

Hell yeah! The all 99-04 super duty front axles were leaf spring and 30 spline inner/35 outer. All 2005-present is coil spring with 35 spline inner and outer 👍 thanks for watching!

[@mw5905]

Do you think there's enough room on the driver's side to fit a leaf spring perch? Also, it seems all super 60s are 10 lug with the ability to swap in f350 hubs to make it 8x170mm... Does that seem correct? I'd like to find a single rear wheel version, but it doesn't seem like those were made. I'd like to get front and rear out of one truck with the 5.38s, but I'm not sure of the amount of work to change the back axle to single wheel.

[@WebWheeler]

I think there's enough room- what perch width would you be looking to do? I can measure my axle and let you know where it would land. I do believe you can swap the 8 lug stuff to the super 60 but honestly it's way more work (and $$$) than regearing the standard 60 which is plenty strong. If you want to beef up the standard 60 you can also get Spicer replacement shaft assemblies that have a 1550 ujoint instead of the 1480 😎

[@mw5905]

I have an LKQ u pull it yard near me (you may have one too). They sell axles for $120+/- rotor to rotor and the rotors/calipers/hub would be less than $50 per side. That's why I'm trying to find what single wheel truck will have the lowest gearing possible. The truck did have 4.56, 38s, and a mild build 360...It was still struggling to do anything exciting as those brand new boggers have almost an inch of tread and all four were pulling. I cannot begin to afford the "black box" that I want in it, but gearing at least 4.56 again would be a good start.

[@mw5905]

LKQ parts pricing: www.lkqpickyourpart.com/locations/LKQ_Pick_Your_Part_-_Mount_Airy-208/prices/

[@redbeard4629]

An arc gouger would sure save you some time and effort.

[@WebWheeler]

I'd probably do more damage than anything with an arc gouger haha I've got no experience with them. I could have saved a lot of time if I didn't run out of oxygen for my torch half way through though lol. Thanks for watching!

[@BigfootTJ]

Wish I watched this before cutting mine 😐🤣

[@WebWheeler]

I was hoping to find one before I did mine too haha. Now that I've done it I might do another video where I hone the technique with what I learned and give an actual time lapse of the process

[@marshallhall4409]

Why didn't you usea 99 to 04 axle?

[@WebWheeler]

The '05+ axles are significantly stronger everywhere that it matters. Bigger unit bearings/hubs, knuckles, balljoint setup, outer shafts, ujoints, etc.

[@zakaroonetwork777]

Try modifying those cheep belts from the backside with som Gorilla tape. Full length reinforcement.

[@WebWheeler]

Good idea 👍 thanks for watching!

[@douglasrafaelaguillongarci6283]

Es mejor cambiar la relacion por que ese tunel es de muñones el viejo es de bola

[@ypop417]

you need better belts for that belt sander.

[@WebWheeler]

Bought some good ones after I filmed this video. Night and day difference haha

[@fredflintstone1547]

that cutting torch sure beats the hell out of an angle grinder don't it?

[@WebWheeler]

Lol yeah it does. Would have used it more but ran out of O2 pretty early on the process. Not great planning lol 🤦

[@cleetusmacfarland9453]

seems like the hard way to do this, why not cut flush with the torch then spend 10 mins tidying up with the grinder?

[@WebWheeler]

Started it that way, then ran out of acetylene for the passenger side. Chose not to for the driver's side because I prefer not to put that much uneven heat in to a casting. Might have worked fine but I wasn't sure so the possible time savings wasn't worth warping or cracking the casting

[@cleetusmacfarland9453]

@@WebWheeler sorry, guess my perspective is tainted, watched both my dad and uncle doing that on both sides and cutting flush to the housing, quickly and leaving little to nothing to grind

[@jonaathansimons7938]

@2:40 More meat to beat XD

[@MrHunting99]

Wouldn't it have been easier with a plasma cutter?

[@WebWheeler]

Sure... But my plasma cutter is still being held hostage at the store awaiting ransom money

[@graham2631]

The one thing l allways felt sorry about was the bill my front desk wrote up to change seals on those. Nice if someone would come up with a way to locate them out on the tube end where they should and used to be. I mean pull the gears to change a axle seal? Stupid idiotic design shure didn't think that one out very well.

[@WebWheeler]

There are companies that make seals for the outer end of the tube but people tend to keep their inner seals too. At least these super duty 60s are quicker to pull shafts out of and reassemble than the old kingpin axles!

[@markbennett8955]

Why not just get a blank Dana 60 housing to start with or you just need a excuse to get away from the old lady ? 😂

[@WebWheeler]

Lol i never avoid an excuse to be in the garage! But a blank housing (especially high pinion) easily costs twice as much as this complete axle plus then you're in $$$ for everything to fill it. Cutting the housing down is a minor inconvenience for what's otherwise arguably the best factory front axle available 👍

[@murraymadness4674]

You really hate that axle don't you!!?

[@chalinp4886]

Bad aas

[@WebWheeler]

Thanks for watching!