Dana 60
 

Did a search and cant find any info of anyone running a dana 60 in a 2nd gen f body .Any info much appreciated.

They are heavy and take a lot of HP to turn. Is there a reason you want to run a Dana vs a 12bolt or 9"?

I believe the 9 inch has more drag.I want a 60 nuff said

There is a company that makes a light Dana 60. Can not remember it off the top of my head. Maybe someone will chime in.

Not a Firebird, but have a new Strange Engineering Dana 60 in my '67 GTO street car. Quoted as 60 pounds heavier that their Ford 9", but the trade-off for the 9.75" ring gear and extra beef is worth it. I've seen two Ford rearends spit the pinion out and that was part of the reason for going the 60 route.

I purchased mine this time last year because of their big sale, and I received an email a few days ago saying that their yearend sale is again on.

I have a Moser 60 in my 74

I have a Dana 60 and a Strange S60. The bare housing on a Strange 60 is 80 lbs compare to the Dana 60 110 lbs. Dana 60 is a stout rearend and they offered it with a 40 spline axles and spool. Dana is also very easy to rotate due to a better pinion location compare to the 9inch. Dana 60 is VERY difficult to set up and I recommend a Strange S60 for ease of back lash adjustment. They have a spanner nut just like the 9 inch for adjusting the backlash. You can't go wrong with either a 9 inch or a Dana 60.

I run a Dana 60 out of a truck so it has the thicker wall tubing. I put ford big bearing 9" new style ends and run the explorer disc brakes I had . I have strange spool and 35 spline axles. had the tubes welded to center also and I set up the rear end. I have under 1400 in the whole deal, I don't think you can buy a nice 9" center for that. And I doubt I will hurt this thing at my power level.

Agree 100% about the difficulty of set-up. They are very stout pieces with the giant ring gear. But setting one up is a bear. I have a case spreader to flex it open to install the pre-load shims, but it's tough. The spanner nut idea would be a huge improvement for service. Even the Dana 44's are pretty tough to service and they are small.

One thing about setting them up are the shims are under the side bearings. Lucky for me at least i word for Ford and they have a real nice kit to remove bearings for adjustment without damaging them or buying an extra set and honing them out for setup purposes.

I’m using one in my drag car. It’s out of a mid 70’s F250 with super thick tubes. I narrowed it and use Moser GM ends on it. I know it’s heavier than others and considered old school but I can build 2 of them for what an equal in strength 9” would cost. Biggest draw back is the availability of higher Pro gears with 4.10 (I think) being the cut off.

interesting comparison of horsepower loss and weight between the 12-bolt, 9", and the S60:
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp...ear-axle-swap/

Thanks for all the responses and staying within the scope of what I want under my ride.the Strange 60 looks good with the adjustable pre load.60 lb increase in weight or even 100lb has no effect on my decision.

Per the comparison I posted earlier the S60 is only 20lb more than a 12-bolt. I have the S60 in my GTO, tru-trac w/410, no complaints after 10k miles

Weight over top of the back tires is a good thing. Been running a Dana 60 for 27 years in my 64. Only had to change ring and pinion once about 5 years ago. Found small cracks at the base of the pinion teeth during a fluid change. Pro gears and a trans brake 3400lb car with big tires. Not bad

And they at least look closer to stock when you see a car with a Dana from behind having a back cover and all.
Remember, I broke a 31 spline MW axle in a 11 flat car. A Dana never has a chance breaking at that level, full floating.

Guess I never seen the need for a Dana or 9" until you are making 1200HP and hooking hard. When I worked for Jim Kinnett he ran 12 Bolts in his Super Stock car and the first few years in Pro Stock behind Hemi's and a 4 speed. Steve Bagwell did the same. Changed to a 9" just for ease of gear changes. Set up properly with a good spool or carrier and good axles they will last.

Not according to this...

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp...ear-axle-swap/

I got a Moser 60 for my 73 Ventura, bought it locally for 1/2 price off new with very low miles.

The downfall of a Dana 60 is u can only get down to 3.54 gears unlike a 9 inch. But for strength of a posi unit the Dana 60 is hands down stronger. I am running a Tru trac on my street Dana and they must have weigh 40+ lbs for that differential. The 9 inch's diff is not going to be as beefy for sure. But with a spool then a 9 inch will shine. More option and easier to service.