Rebuilt Dana Sixty Vs. Dynatrac 60

The benefit of a ProRock housing over a standard 60 is the increase in ground clearance. In fact, the ProRock 60 has greater ground clearance than a Dana 44.

The benefit of a ProRock housing over a standard 60 is the increase in ground clearance. I

Rebuilt Axle
Once we knew what the price and features of a custom axle are, it was time to build an OE axle as close as possible to Dynatrac’s 60 and see where we would end up. Our imaginary Dana 60 came out of the front of a mid-’80s Chevy K30 1-ton and is in good shape with straight tubes and perfect bearing surfaces that haven’t be wallowed out—a problem that might rear its head on abused axles. After checking around for pricing, the going rate for an axle like this is about $1,100, which will be the jumping off point for this part of our story.

What you get with the OE Dana 60 is a stout, low-pinion axle with 31⁄8 inch tubes, kingpin steering, and single-piston brake calipers with the weakest link arguably being the “necked-down” 30-spline outer stub shafts. Assuming the axle has been sitting out, it will need to be professionally gone through, so we commissioned a shop quote from WCD for a complete hub-to-hub rebuild of our axle, along with some important upgrades that would bring it in line with the parts on the Dynatrac axle.

Here you can see Dynatrac’s 1540 shaft next to the OE shaft. Not only is it stronger, but also it includes machining for a full snap ring, versus the OE’s machining for a partial snap ring.

Here you can see Dynatrac’s 1540 shaft next to the OE shaft. Not only is it stronger, but

Assuming we dropped the axle off to the service department for them to do the work, we’d be spending $500 in labor for the rebuild. To the stock axle we’d add a ring and pinion, a master rebuild kit, 1350 yoke, 35-spline stub shafts, Warn Premium hubs, 1480 U-joints, kingpin rebuild kits, a front hub rebuild kit, ARB differential and cover, and OE Dana spindles with new seals and bearings. These items together would equal $3,687 in parts, bringing our expenditure after WCD to $5,287. WCD also includes a warranty against manufacturer’s defects and labor for one year.

Because WCD does not stock brake parts, we checked around for pricing on OE single-piston calipers, pads, and rotors online and came up with an additional $550 in parts (although pricing varies greatly), bringing our total outlay on the OE axle to $5,837.

Dynatrac’s standard brake package uses 13.1-inch rotors and two-piston Ford calipers with readily available pads. For those wanting to run 15-inch wheels, the company can also do an 11.5-inch rotor. Other braking options include 13.8-inch or 14.5-inch rotors.

Dynatrac’s standard brake package uses 13.1-inch rotors and two-piston Ford calipers with

This of course is a worst-case scenario. If you are competent in your differential rebuilding skills, you can save $500 in labor by doing it yourself. Another $500 can be saved if the OE axle only requires bearings and seals, but not spindles and you can save even more by going with aftermarket or junkyard brakes. For budgetary reasons, we chose to retain the OE 1040 steel axleshafts, which would be perfectly adequate for this build, although Dynatrac did include stronger 1541 steel shafts in its pricing.

So What’s the Answer?
In the end, the decision hinges on a number of factors that can’t all be accounted for in an exercise like this. It will depend on your overall budget, your needs from the final result, and how good of condition the donor axle is in. Personal preference may also come in to play if you prefer kingpins to ball joints, a high-pinion over a low-pinion, or the ability to have, or upgrade to, bigger brakes.

The major benefits to going with a custom axle, such as the one in this story from Dynatrac, is that the Dynatrac price includes a brand new axle, upgraded axleshafts and better brakes over stock, custom overall width and geometry, and the ability to spec out your axle exactly how you want it.

Now before you start writing your letters telling us how you could build an axle for this swap with a the cash you found in your couch cushions and a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon, just remember the goal of this story was to have as to close of a comparison as possible. We understand there are cheaper ways to end up with an axle, but at the conclusion of this exercise we have two totally comparable axles, built with as many new, equal parts as possible, and brought up to a similar standard, making this as fair a comparison as you can get. So while we can’t give you a definitive answer on which way to go on this one, hopefully we’ve provided you with enough information to make an educated decision based on your needs.