1979 Ford high pinion Dana 60 build for a TJ

Dana 44 vrs. Dana 60 stub shaft 😏

"RobD" wrote: Dana 44 vrs. Dana 60 stub shaft 😏

Any bets that Rob will find a way to break it 😏

I am not betting, if it can break,, I will find a way to do it 😀

"Dan-H" wrote: [quote="RobD"]Dana 44 vrs. Dana 60 stub shaft 😏

Any bets that Rob will find a way to break it 😏

I got the axle shafts put together today and installed with the spindles. Tomorrow, I am hoping to get the track bar and steering in and welded up. I might be up and running by next weekend. John and I might be making a Fordyce run to test it out on Sat 😀

Nothing like Fordyce totest out your rig. Might as well test it the right way.

BTW...I'm posting this in the middle of the meeting. 😂

"RobD" wrote: I got the axle shafts put together today and installed with the spindles. Tomorrow, I am hoping to get the track bar and steering in and welded up. I might be up and running by next weekend. John and I might be making a Fordyce run to test it out on Sat 😀

You shooting for the 22nd?

Today’s update!!



Today I got the spring buckets into place, the track bar bracket tacked into place, with the track bar bracket I got from parts mike, and the flat Wagoner pitman arm I use, the drag link and pitman arm are almost parallel 🍺 My track bar is the same one I used on my Dana 44, but I had to shorten it 2 inches. In the axle end, I am using a 3/4 inch bolt through a heim joint. My tie rod measured in at a whopping 56 1/2 inches eye to eye. I used a 52 inch .250 wall DOM tube and treaded the ends; I got my 56 1/2 inches!!!!



Tomorrow, I plan on getting most of the welding done. I still have several gussets to make and weld in to support the upper control arms brackets and the truss over the pumpkin. I would like to get all that done and paint the axle, but doubt I will get all of that done.

Wow! That looks great Rob. Nice work.

"RobD" wrote: In the axle end, I am using a 3/4 inch bolt through a heim joint.

When you say a 3/4" bolt, is that the dimension of the head or the shank of the bolt? A 3/4" shank seems huge! 😲



I'm no axle builder, but my understanding is the trackbar and draglink are suppose to be the same length as well as being parallel. Its probably just not clear in the pictures, but your trackbar looks much shorter than the draglink.

The bolt head is 1 inch, and the shank is 3/4 inch. The track bar takes a beating with the way I drive and 40 inch tires. I am building everting heavy duty!!!



Yes the trackbar is about 6 iches shorter than my tierod. The one thing about building a front axle on a TJ is that "what is ideal and what fits are two different things" There is no real way to get the track bar the same length.

"FAM" wrote: [quote="RobD"]In the axle end, I am using a 3/4 inch bolt through a heim joint.

When you say a 3/4" bolt, is that the dimension of the head or the shank of the bolt? A 3/4" shank seems huge! 😲



I'm no axle builder, but my understanding is the trackbar and draglink are suppose to be the same length as well as being parallel. Its probably just not clear in the pictures, but your trackbar looks much shorter than the draglink.

Brad and Justin,



Can your measure the length of your trackbars and drag links? I am wondering how much longer your drag links are than your trackbars. measure from center of tierod hole to tierod hole..Thanks

"RobD" wrote: Brad and Justin, Can your measure the length of your trackbars and drag links?

I feel so left out 😈

The only reason I didn't ask you was that your axle isn't that much wider than stock, and you run your trackbar bracket low on the spring perch due to your steering set up. Brad and Justin run a wide axle and they are running their tracbar bracket up high above the axle and that makes it shorter than if they were running it low like you....But you can measure yours for me just to see how much shorter your trackbar is than your drag link..It should still be shorter?

"JohnDF" wrote: [quote="RobD"]Brad and Justin, Can your measure the length of your trackbars and drag links?

I feel so left out 😈

"RobD" wrote: But you can measure yours

NO! 😈

Please!! I am sorry you have a shorter one than Me, Brad, and Justin 😲 Your axle, get your mind out of the gutter 😂 😂 😂

"JohnDF" wrote: [quote="RobD"]But you can measure yours

NO! 😈

It may be shorter...but I "flog-it" just as hard as you guys 😛

😂 😂 😂 😂 🍺 Nice work rob. Looking good. 😎

Brad, Justin, John, and Troy....Can I get all of you to measure your trackbars and drag links....Fred got me thinking!!! My set up will work the way it is, but it would be nice to have my trackbar longer. I just don't think there is going to be anyway to make it happen, short of going to coilovers or moveing the track bar mount on the frame so I can push the axle forward about 3 inches and move the coil springs to the back half of the axle tube. If I did that, I could run the trackbar infront of the coil spring and all the way over to the knuckle.



Just wondering how far off you guys are that are running wider than stock axles like me...I am 29 inches on the trackbar and 35 inches on the drag link.

"RobD" wrote: John,....Can I get all of you to measure your trackbar and drag link.

No 😈



What's the matter...the other guys didn't come through for you 😳

DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"JohnDF" wrote: [quote="RobD"]John,....Can I get all of you to measure your trackbar and drag link.

No 😈



What's the matter...the other guys didn't come through for you 😳

Brads:



Track Bar: 32" +/- 1/4 "



Drag Link: 32" +/- 1/4"



They look equal from my rough measurement.

John:



Trackbar = 31 (ish) "

Drag link = 34 (ish) "

I've been out of town. I'll measure my stuff as soon as I can.



And I think I'm running the same hiem as you on the axle end of my pan-hard bar. It's a huge bolt.

33 3/4" Trac Bar

34 1/2" Drag Link



My drag link mount is near the stock location though under the coil bucket on the pass side.

I got all the welding done today. Tomorrow’s agenda is to clean up the axle and paint it and paint all the steering links. By tomorrow afternoon, I should have it installed in the Jeep. I will still have to install all the bearings and races into the new rotors and then install them. If I am lucky, I might actually get the tires on tomorrow night 😀 😀 😀 😀