60's Suck

[GOAT]

The pinion is super-high, which necessitates a higher rig overall, generally speaking. The front diff isn't very offset from center, so that causes issues with engine clearance. (also contributing to high rigs)

Coming from Texas, I have to completely agree. I cant tell you how many of the these rigs we saw at www.katemcyrocks.com on 46 claws and rockwells sitting sky high and bouncing all over the place. Tim's rig was walking up obstacles on MTRs:greg: that they had to wench up.

I say grab that HP60 for 1200.00 while you still can.

BTW. Kiel, When are we heading out to Reno to pick up that chassis?

 

[richpblaze]

Yeah right!!!

I am all for it. Dana 60's are for led footed hillbillies anyway. :greg:

That's just because you don't have them.

 

[cannoncrawler]

I know a guy selling a 60 front and a 14 bolt rear both with detroits for pretty cheap. both are rebuilt this year and ran 3 times.....then garaged!


pm me your number

 

[rondo]

Ya, true. And 50" tires would be good for.....ummm....uhhh.....well they would be super.....umm.....well.....

I'm going with absolutely nothing and super lame because of point A and the fact that they look gay because they are so completely inept in real world applications.
Cody

I have to laugh here. Inept? Maybe on a daily driver if that's what you're saying. BUt I was watching the chili challenge in New Mexico 3? years ago and those trails are waterfalls; one after another; world class. Watched one particular rock buggy with them walk up anything he wanted to. That's a long way from being inept. Now he didn't have 50 something tall tires. I honestly don't remember what kind he was running.
I'm not defending rockwells. my best pal is building a buggy with them but that's a build in progress. I haven't seen a lot of them in action myself except at EJS but i don't recall them being useless there either. One was on hells revenge and another on golden crack area.

 

[fergusor]

I haven't seen a lot of them in action myself except at EJS but i don't recall them being useless there either. One was on hells revenge and another on golden crack area.

what is hard about those trails? Ive seen stock trd toys go through there no problem. From what Ive seen Im not impressed at all with the way the rigs worked with RW and big tires.

 

[Kiel]

True the stock rears do have abnormally small stock splines. But you can't tell me that upgrading to a detroit or full spool with 2 inch 4340 axle shafts for 1200 bucks is a bad deal. The front kit runs 2150 but includes flanges etc. As for drivline issues, when your building something from scratch you can build a sweet 2 piece drivline without compromising ride height etc to get it setup for that huge pinion top loader.

I'm not saying that rocks will be the way to go, It just looks like that might be whee the market is heading with the lack of good sixtys around. Plus what do guys upgrade to when they keep breaking 60 parts after after market?? Not that that is easy to do. I would run mogs, put portal boxes scare me and the aftermarket portal boxes are around 750 each.

 

[Cody]

are a lot of people breaking 35 spline chromo shafts on 60's?

I know you see a few, but they are usually in extreme situations. I haven't been to many comps in the last couple years so maybe more shafts are being broken.

I'm not debating that a 2" 4340 shaft would be beef, but just to get (or need) that beef you'll have to build a rig that isn't particularly suited for this terrain.

 

[Rot Box]

:sick: ............ ..............:sick: ...................

(A lot of people don't......), but I like Rockwells....I also really like Portals. I also like Samurai's with welded stock axles, and 33's outdoing the rest of the group without breaking down.
It all depends on what the application is. For the most part they (Rockwells) just aren't practical, but neither is dumping $6K+ into 60's for anthing but a comp rig.
If your future rig is going to be a Fourdoor, Longbed, Big block, extendacab, dually, Twin Turbo, Kaiser, 60 series Detroit, anti tank-anti armor, K30 camper special, with 53" XML's, and NOS, then yeah I'd definatly do it. Of course I'd probably put them under the Rot Bo........... HMMM......

 

[N-Smooth]

the bottom line imo is 60's are just too expensive to build anymore. to spend $1200 on a frontend and then put 2-3k more into it is crazy! i do want a 60 front one day but when that day comes i will have cash that is just burning a hole in my pocket. i could possibly run d44s forever if i don't break anything (knock on wood) which i haven't yet.

i have wheeled with the rockwelled rig that herzog and cody are talking about and it was pretty sweet, but the negative points they are making ring true imo.

 

[I Lean]

the bottom line imo is 60's are just too expensive to build anymore. to spend $1200 on a frontend and then put 2-3k more into it is crazy! i do want a 60 front one day but when that day comes i will have cash that is just burning a hole in my pocket. i could possibly run d44s forever if i don't break anything (knock on wood) which i haven't yet.

i have wheeled with the rockwelled rig that herzog and cody are talking about and it was pretty sweet, but the negative points they are making ring true imo.

You definitely don't need to put an additional $2-3K into a front D60 to make it really strong. Really, even a stock-shafted front 60 will hold up very well for most people, at least for a while. That means all you need to buy is gears and a locker, and even then you may be able to use the gears it comes with. (depending on your needs, of course) Even if you want alloy shafts, the Yukon variety are cheap enough that you can get set up with 'em for probably $600-ish.

That's not to say you can't spend that much and make it even stronger, but you don't have to.

 

[CrawlerCraig]

I run spicer shafts in my 60 and they hold up just fine! I run 40's with 5.13's I did up-grade to the 35 spline stubs which is a must...........you can break the stock stub shafts on dry pavement if you wanted to! I have yet to see a 60 U-joint break......I have broke my fair share of hubs and stub shafts..... Untill I up-graded to the 35 spline and drive flanges.

 

[ut4x4Bronco]

What really sucks is when you have 60's and people think your running Dana 44's.I have also had hard core ford nuts accuse me of having Chevy axles because of the hi-pinion rear.

 

[wr250]

What really sucks is when you have 60's and people think your running Dana 44's.I have also had hard core ford nuts accuse me of having Chevy axles because of the hi-pinion rear.

haha
point at thier dana axles and say "those arent ford parts, those are dana-spicer parts, get a 9" if you want ford only parts"

 

[reddman]

FYI for all you rockwell fans, i just found this out the other day.

The knuckles on a rockwell turn about half as sharp as a 60. I was driving a customers rig with front and rear steer rock's a couple days ago, man that thing needs 4 wheel steer!

That was kinda a kick in the nuts for my plans to build a 40 spline 9" with rockwell outers. Oh well, at least I found out before I had built them.

I found the ultimate axle the other day, while using a tractor to do a motor swap in a barn on Becca's Red Bull RockHer in the middle of Texas. It was the front out of a John Deere front end loader, model 4200 or something like that. It was a portal axle of sorts, but different than any other axle I have ever seen. It had at least 60* of steering!!!

 

[1993yj]

What really sucks is when you have 60's and people think your running Dana 44's.I have also had hard core ford nuts accuse me of having Chevy axles because of the hi-pinion rear.

Wow. That must really ruin your weekend.

 

[420willys]

i have two steering rocks on my shop floor, they make a dana 60 look like a dana 30, i have one shaved and it has more ground clearnace than a 60. when you find the two you want to buy cut the boots and check to see if they have the u-joint's or the older style bendex joints,i read where if the tag says rockwell then they are the u-joint style, not true for me. i made the mistake by looking at the tag and one turned out to be a bendex style. the knuckels are huge the shafts and u-joints are insane in size, the bull gears is very thick and very high pinion with 1410 stock driveshafts.

with all this i am still going to run a dana 60 front for my YJ, two reasions i like the lighter axle, after seeing what and how weaght affects a jeep ( or buggy ) i am on the jenny craiging kick, the other reasion is i am getting a 79 F-250 60 front for free, so it will drop right in. some day i will install the rockwells into somthing like a buggy but for now i am keeping the 60 idea, jason.

 

[Herzog]

Wow. That must really ruin your weekend.

I hate it when people think my D44's are sixtys.

 

[I Lean]

I hate it when people think my D44's are sixtys.

Eh, you're just undercompensating. :guilty:

 

[neagtea]

I am with cody on this. Weight sucks. Has any one investigated the unimog option?

 

[mbryson]

I am with cody on this. Weight sucks. Has any one investigated the unimog option?

I did, but didn't like the replacement parts issue if they did break. (saw a few that have ripped the portal unit from the housing a couple of times---I've also seen a few broken D60 knuckles, but I think you'll be able to get your front D60 back together before you'll find a vendor for the 'mog units) Sweet clearance, though.