D60/D50 help/advise....(never thought this would happen!!)

marty79

marty79

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Location
Newton, NC
I'm on the market for bigger than D44s. selling mine and need to upgrade..and @Jody Treadway yes I'm getting a winch too, lol
I see couple D50s for sale...are they worth it? for hammering down up to 38s/39s no bigger?
as for D60s: what years are Drivers drop so I could keep 231 without flipping it?
I'm looking/thinking of buying a set of 39.5s right now...is that too big for D50/D60 stuff ....I have become little more of a throttle guy but still try to be pretty mindful and plan on using winch too so whatever I get would not be "heavily beaten" lol as you might see on the trails.
any and all advise appreciated! (I never thought this day would come)
 
Take a 1 5/16" socket with you. Find an axle that the socket fits the pinion nut. That's the one you want.

78 and up Ford will utilize drivers drop front diff on a 60.
 
ok next question...will it be hard to find 15" rim for 8lug axles so I know what tires to look for and what not to look for?
are the Dodge D60s from 2500/3500? i ask cause they are setup just like factory xj already and figured it would be a easier bolt in...thought about doing front leafs but would rather stick with my 3link setup since it does perform pretty well
No comment on D50s??
 
marty79 said:
ok next question...will it be hard to find 15" rim for 8lug axles so I know what tires to look for and what not to look for?
are the Dodge D60s from 2500/3500? i ask cause they are setup just like factory xj already and figured it would be a easier bolt in...thought about doing front leafs but would rather stick with my 3link setup since it does perform pretty well
No comment on D50s??
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You can buy 15" 8 lug wheels anywhere. You can also buy grinding wheels to clearance the calipers.
The OEM cool sprung Dodge front axles are not nearly as desirable as the Ford versions. This is due to the vacuum disconnect housing and the fact it is low pinion among other things. It is not a bolt in for an XJ.
If you want an upgrade, the 50 ain't it.

Ever thought of just adding RCV shafts to your 44 and calling it a day? I've seen you wheel and if I wasn't snapping RCVs left and right, you won't be.
 
Jody Treadway said:
Ever thought of just adding RCV shafts to your 44 and calling it a day? I've seen you wheel and if I wasn't snapping RCVs left and right, you won't be.
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i have but that requires money out of pocket...
i've sold my 35s and sold my axles, still on jeep for now, so that leaves me funds for upgrades in axles and tires and just enough for winch....roll cage will have to come later
 
plus I want wider full width axles anyways for more stability with my current lift and figured stock D60 would handle anything/everything I would ever through at it and then some. with money being tied up in RV and summer outings, this is only chance/way I get to upgrade my jeep lol....sell one thing to buy another!! (those Grooved Thornbirds finally paid off in my 9yrs of grooving LOL)
 
Jody Treadway said:
What is your budget for swapping one tons?
They still need a good bit of upgrades from stock to hold up.
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well if I don't buy a winch, i have 800...maybe 900 max. I only broke D44 beating the hell out of it on every trail at the Flats and it took it so figured D60 ujoints is the biggest upgrade and should suffice to start with, at least for me. I only broke the joint too not the axle so my Ujoints are/have been the weak link
 
If i run some wore out 37s that i don't have to buy, my budget would go up to 1300 for axles but really don't want to spend another 50hrs grooving as the axle swap and RV and summer outings have me ALL COVERED UP lol
 
remember too it's "john fuller" we're talking about....baby steps!!! so I'm focusing on getting some 1tons and tires for my budget to start with along with a winch....then chop it and cage it...then beef up other stuff
 
Pretty sure you won't find tons for that budget. Check on axles from an 04' up F250 or F350 single wheel on car-part.con

That's the cheapest way to go. You'd need wheels with the metric pattern. 17" would be best, which prob means new tires too. It won't be cheap. RCV's would be much less in the end.
 
Its not impossible to find 99-04 Superduty axles for less that 700 or so. I've got $400 in mine. They're easy to swap into just about anything. Factory 3.73 and 4.10 is common.
 
XJsavage said:
Its not impossible to find 99-04 Superduty axles for less that 700 or so. I've got $400 in mine. They're easy to swap into just about anything. Factory 3.73 and 4.10 is common.
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True, but that's just the beginning. The last ton swap I did was something like ten years ago. But figure I had $1100 in a D60 front and a 14 bolt rear, then another $2k just in parts to get the front axle under the truck.
 
shawn said:
True, but that's just the beginning. The last ton swap I did was something like ten years ago. But figure I had $1100 in a D60 front and a 14 bolt rear, then another $2k just in parts to get the front axle under the truck.
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Baby steps. This is JF we're talking about here. :D

Owning the set is half the battle. The prices will do nothing but go up!
 
On a serious note why keep your axles and upgrade your shafts. Doesn't have to be RCVs get a good set of chromos from east coast gear supply and a set of good u joints and roll with it. In still on a Dana 30 and 35s and can keep up with alot of people. Spend the time learning how to pick a line and what your rig is capable of doing. Instead of pounding the throttle and hoping you'll jump, bonce or spin over something.

Keep the tires and axles you have put a GOOD winch on it and GOOD shafts and watch other people and learn how to find a line that works for what you have

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broncosbybart said:
Pretty sure you won't find tons for that budget. Check on axles from an 04' up F250 or F350 single wheel on car-part.con

That's the cheapest way to go. You'd need wheels with the metric pattern. 17" would be best, which prob means new tires too. It won't be cheap. RCV's would be much less in the end.
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that's what I'm gonna look into. I've already sold my tires so good on that as far as starting with new ones. This week i'm gonna start the hunt for best deals out there.
 
XJsavage said:
Its not impossible to find 99-04 Superduty axles for less that 700 or so. I've got $400 in mine. They're easy to swap into just about anything. Factory 3.73 and 4.10 is common.
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This is what I'm hoping for. I've seen many listed at Pull-aparts for around 250 each so as soon as I get some time to go with tools and saws, I'm going.
 
Loganwayne said:
On a serious note why keep your axles and upgrade your shafts. Doesn't have to be RCVs get a good set of chromos from east coast gear supply and a set of good u joints and roll with it. In still on a Dana 30 and 35s and can keep up with alot of people. Spend the time learning how to pick a line and what your rig is capable of doing. Instead of pounding the throttle and hoping you'll jump, bonce or spin over something.

Keep the tires and axles you have put a GOOD winch on it and GOOD shafts and watch other people and learn how to find a line that works for what you have

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
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like said before, my jeep don't get money put into it unless it comes out of the jeep itself...as expensive as this hobby is/can be, I make sure it doesn't take away from family and DD and other stuff. Selling those nobby Thornbirds paid off good and the axles will bring me pretty good money so IF I play my cards right, i can end up with D60s, wheels and tires, and HOPE a winch but at least the axles/rims/tires would be worthy for now.
Remember I tried the D30 for little over a year and got tired of breaking so many axles/joints lol...I'm sure those nobby tires didn't help either.
I used to be a "crawler" style wheeler but I admit now I enjoy some rpms and love to hear that 4.0 scream. Don't get me wrong, these D44s took some hard beating so far and still holding up minus one break but IF I can do all that with stock D44, figured why not really beat the hell out of some D60s and never worry about U-joints as weak link.
I realize most people say D60s suck stock but not everyone is pushing and hammering them to thier limits on big ol tires lol. I plan on running no bigger than 38s and figure stock form would more than suffice for my "beating" plus make my rig a whole lot more stable being that much wider than it was on the wide 35s I had
 
Why not spend 60 bucks on a set of spicer u joints, not the auto parts store joints and see how it does. If your wanting to not have to spend alot of money that is truly the only way to do it. I realize you'll make all your own brackets and whatever else but in the end it still gonna cost you a good chunk of change. And 60s housing are a good bit bigger that 37-38s would be the smallest size tire o would run to make up for the lose in ground clearance. I have literally tried everything to break a Dana 30 chromo on the trails and have broken every thing else in the axle trying. I'm not a crawler by any means.

I will also add the bigger the axle the more expensive any component in that axle will be.

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Loganwayne said:
Why not spend 60 bucks on a set of spicer u joints, not the auto parts store joints and see how it does
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cause i know my crazy ass will then break the axles not the joints lol. My wheeling style has "dramatically" changed so I'm trying to grow with it. when I extend the wheelbase and add doubler, than I will probably "try" and crawl more again like I used to but lately I've been enjoying little harder wheeling!
 
marty79 said:
like said before, my jeep don't get money put into it unless it comes out of the jeep itself...
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Do some some simple math as budget is a deciding factor for you.

Option A- Keep the 44, add good shafts and Superjoints.
You can keep all of your existing front axle components, wheels, tires, etc for minimal investment.

Option B- Whatever 1 tons you find.
These will require different wheels, tires, lift, brake control upgrades, driveshafts, probable steering fab/upgrades, etc.

Weigh everything out before you jump to a unnecessary conclusion assuming budget is the biggest issue.
 
I'll also add the way your Jeep is set up you will need to either cut all your sheet metal off. To the bottom of the glass in the rear or lift the Jeep higher raising your center of gravity making it more likely to flop

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Don't discount the Dodge Dana 60 and 70 combo either. They can sometimes be had for as cheap or even cheaper than the SD stuff. They have their own dowfalls like anything else.
Best cheap wheel option for a SD 99-04 axle pair is the factory 16s. 8 on 170. By far the toughest factory steel wheel I've ever put my hands on.
For any other axle with 8 on 6.5 pattern, the factory wheels from the more current 2500 and 3500 Dodge and GM trucks can be had for pennies on the dollar too.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
 
Loganwayne said:
I'll also add the way your Jeep is set up you will need to either cut all your sheet metal off. To the bottom of the glass in the rear or lift the Jeep higher raising your center of gravity making it more likely to flop

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that's not an issue at all...soon it's getting chopped completely anyways...no glass, no doors, no windshield, no roof, no weight..full cage and that's it. rear fenders/wheel wells are getting gone completely when I do this so it's pretty much going to be a "buggy" cherokee i guess if you would call it that.
Jody Treadway said:
Do some some simple math as budget is a deciding factor for you.

Option A- Keep the 44, add good shafts and Superjoints.
You can keep all of your existing front axle components, wheels, tires, etc for minimal investment.

Option B- Whatever 1 tons you find.
These will require different wheels, tires, lift, brake control upgrades, driveshafts, probable steering fab/upgrades, etc.

Weigh everything out before you jump to a unnecessary conclusion assuming budget is the biggest issue.
Click to expand...
this is all good points....it's why I've only actually sold the tires so far and axles are "claimed" but not removed yet till I make an actual decision. lots on my plate right now to figure out and decide what route to go. tires I wanted sold anyways to get a winch with different tires so that part was good no matter what!
 
XJsavage said:
Don't discount the Dodge Dana 60 and 70 combo either. They can sometimes be had for as cheap or even cheaper than the SD stuff. They have their own dowfalls like anything else.
Best cheap wheel option for a SD 99-04 axle pair is the factory 16s. 8 on 170. By far the toughest factory steel wheel I've ever put my hands on.
For any other axle with 8 on 6.5 pattern, the factory wheels from the more current 2500 and 3500 Dodge and GM trucks can be had for pennies on the dollar too.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
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this is what I'm "hoping" for...i have a guy looking tomorrow for me to see what he can find in his yard since he works at junk yard and has some 39.5s for sale so he's hoping to give me good deal on the 39.5s, front and rear axles and wheels....this would be too easy though LOL if it does work out but I'm hoping. He says the yard he works at is filled with lots of dodge trucks with 8lug axles and I told him what I need so he's confident he can find me a set.
 
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