84' GM 60, good builder axle?

[SSR]

I have a 84 GM 60 I was going to run, the axle will need to be completely gone through. So I have to ask, is this a good builder axle? If I have to completely rebuild it would my money be better invested in something else like a high pinion 60 axle? Do they all cost the same in the end? I'm not locked into a tcase at this point, so that is not a deciding factor, though it seems like the majority of transfer case options are driver drop.

Thoughts?

 

[RockChucker]

Depends on what t-case you want to run. It is a low pinion axle, but that isn't necessarily a deal breaker. What rear axle do you have/plan on running?

If you decide not to use it, I may be interested in buying it from you.

 

[AaronPaige]

What are you going to be running it in? What are your goals, the chevy 60 is an awesome axle in its own way it's slightly heavier than other 60s and low pinion also comes with standard rotation, whitch is a debatable subject as well, king pins have there followers to but if your a jeep guy like your picture suggests I'd sell it and buy a ford 60 and save my self some Fab work

 

[SSR]

I'm working on a YJ, currently it's nothing but a frame and tub that I have frame stretched to 109" wheelbase. I'm thinking of leaving the front leaf springs and link the rear, 60 front/14bolt rear, 38-40" tires. I have the axles, I don't have a motor/trans/tcase for it yet. Are the new super duty axles better to start with? If it's all the same in the end, or only marginally different, maybe I should pick a transfercase first, and go with whichever drop axle I need?

 

[I Lean]

Your GM axle will be easier to put a steering arm on. (just bolt an arm onto the kingpin cap, rather than having to machine or weld onto a super duty knuckle) The SD axle will be a bit wider, and have 8x170 bolt pattern...so that will take some work to match the 8x6.5 of your 14b. SD axle is a little nicer to work on due to the unit bearings--just less parts to deal with. The bright side of the old-school spindle setup is that it's very maintainable though--any parts can be replaced individually.

Unless you score a deal on a driver drop Tcase, I'd probably stick with the 60/14b you currently own.

 

[thenag]

I'm working on a YJ, currently it's nothing but a frame and tub that I have frame stretched to 109" wheelbase. I'm thinking of leaving the front leaf springs and link the rear, 60 front/14bolt rear, 38-40" tires. I have the axles, I don't have a motor/trans/tcase for it yet. Are the new super duty axles better to start with? If it's all the same in the end, or only marginally different, maybe I should pick a transfercase first, and go with whichever drop axle I need?

Since you haven't decided on t-case yet, I think your fine with this axle, I haven't priced axles in a while. As mentioned the King pin is a good thing, the only drawback is low pinion. The 78-79 Ford king pin axles are hard to find.

As for t-case finding a passenger side drop isn't that hard, a d-300 doubler would be good if you go with 4.0, or if you go gm 350 any of the gm stuff, or atlas.

If you are going to do links up front, it might be better to have driver drop, I had my 96 d60 narrowed and briefly thought about putting the diff on the passenger side, The idea was quickly abandoned due to trak bar issues.

Nathan

 

[SSR]

If you are going to do links up front, it might be better to have driver drop, I had my 96 d60 narrowed and briefly thought about putting the diff on the passenger side, The idea was quickly abandoned due to trak bar issues.

Nathan

Great point, I hadn't even considered this could be an issue down the road.

 

[mbryson]

I kind of like how my trackbar mount has turned out on my Chev 60. Best picture I could find somewhat quickly

We utilized the spring plate bolts in the casting and I welded that plate to the coil spring bucket. With the diff on the passenger side, I don't think I would have been able to make the trackbar much lower than how that turned out. It will limit how low I can set the front.

 

[Tacoma]

That is pretty slick, Marc.

 

[SSR]

I kind of like how my trackbar mount has turned out on my Chev 60. Best picture I could find somewhat quickly

We utilized the spring plate bolts in the casting and I welded that plate to the coil spring bucket. With the diff on the passenger side, I don't think I would have been able to make the trackbar much lower than how that turned out. It will limit how low I can set the front.

Good idea, what length did your track bar turn out? Does length matter as much if you can keep it flat at ride height?

 

[SSR]

Well, one thing is clear, that is I'm not clear on the direction of this build. I now have a passenger drop D60, a driver drop Atlas, and a 91 YJ I intended to leave leaf sprung front for the time being. Don't ask me how I get myself into these situations.

So where would you go from here? GM D60 needs totally rebuilt (but I guess most will), Atlas will need a different input shaft and yolks to run GM trans, and I clearly need direction to get this thing moving again.

 

[I Lean]

When you're sourcing the parts for your Atlas, ask AA what parts you'd need to swap the thing over to passenger side drop. I believe it's a fairly straightforward switch, although I've never done it. That would make your Tcase and front axle match, and let you move forward as-is.

Or, sell that GM D60 and pick up a Ford one. If you can find a '78-'79 Ford D60, the spring perch width is close enough to bolt into a YJ under the springs.

 

[SSR]

When you're sourcing the parts for your Atlas, ask AA what parts you'd need to swap the thing over to passenger side drop. I believe it's a fairly straightforward switch, although I've never done it. That would make your Tcase and front axle match, and let you move forward as-is.

Thanks for the suggestion. I gave AA a call to check the feasibility of swapping output location, it turns out the case machining determines the output. So if I want a passenger output I need to purchase a passenger drop case. While the case cost is not as much as I would have expected, when you add the cost of a new case to the input shaft and yolk changes I need, I'm probably better off selling this Atlas and purchasing what I need if I want passenger drop. He did say they made cases that were universal for a short time, but not many were made.

 

[Bart]

What are the details on your Atlas? I've got a passenger drop that doesn't have a lot of use, and I'm toying with the idea of going to a driver's drop.

 

[SSR]

What are the details on your Atlas? I've got a passenger drop that doesn't have a lot of use, and I'm toying with the idea of going to a driver's drop.

Hey Bart, I actually messaged you on FB hoping you might be interested in a trade. I am not the original owner of this transfer-case, so I can't provide information on miles or time on the case. Previous owner ran it in a YJ behind a 6cyl/999. Manufactured in 2004, 2-speed 4.3:1, 23 spline input 1310 yolks. I can pm you the serial number if you would like.

 

[SSR]

What are the details on your Atlas? I've got a passenger drop that doesn't have a lot of use, and I'm toying with the idea of going to a driver's drop.

If you go driver drop is your front 60 axle available? Your running 4.88 with detroit if I remember correctly?

 

[skippy]

Hey Bart, I actually messaged you on FB hoping you might be interested in a trade. I am not the original owner of this transfer-case, so I can't provide information on miles or time on the case. Previous owner ran it in a YJ behind a 6cyl/999. Manufactured in 2004, 2-speed 4.3:1, 23 spline input 1310 yolks. I can pm you the serial number if you would like.

the fact that this has 1310 yokes is a pretty good indicator it wasnt beat on to hard

 

[Jinx]

the fact that this has 1310 yokes is a pretty good indicator it wasnt beat on to hard

I thought the same thing...

I run 1410s on mine.

 

[mbryson]

I run 1310 stuff for the front

 

[Bart]

I remember your contact, but couldn't find it later on. Agreed on the use. Mine has 27 spline outputs and 1350 joints. I wouldn't want to drop to 1310s to accommodate the drivers drop. I'd rather have my new axle retubed to a passenger drop. Sorry. There is a good chance I will sell me passenger drop front axle with 5.38s, Detroit, and 3 of the 4 are alloy shafts. I'm still trying to decide if I would match the lengths and keep my Detroit and shafts. I won't be doing anything until this winter so if you're going to move forward before that I can't help.