'05+ Ford Super Duty Dana 60 Axle Tech & Info

[Russellmn]

I think I remember you running lower ball joints all the way around on your knuckles, how are they holding up?

That wasn't me with all lowers. I do know some people that do that and it seems to work well for them...

 

[Dan]

Cool, good to know thanks.

 

[MtnYota]

How are the stock locking hubs holding up for people? If upgrading is it better to add RCV’s hub gear to the stock units or swap to the Warn lockout?

RCV hub gear

I installed the RCV hub gears. Installation is fairly easy but you have to un-crimp the sheet metal ring the holds the vacuum diaphragm on. RCV had no instructions, so here is the best info I found on how to get them apart:

 

[MtnYota]

Has anyone had issues with the short side tube turning in the housing? I welded the tubes preheat/Mig/peen/post heat/wrap. After one Rubicon trip I noticed the weld had pulled out of the cast and I had a 1/8” gap on the bottom.

Here is my plan:

I’ve got some tension on it and am going to heat the casting and see if I can get it to move.

I’m thinking about adding plug welds on the backside, rewelding it and adding some sort of a truss.

 

[TrailTamer]

MtnYota your axle is 99-04 or 05+?

Trimmed as such?

Stealing some pics:

For the 05+ housing you can trim about 2" of the casting.

 

[MtnYota]

2006 and trimmed just like above

 

[Dan]

Has anyone had issues with the short side tube turning in the housing? I welded the tubes preheat/Mig/peen/post heat/wrap. After one Rubicon trip I noticed the weld had pulled out of the cast and I had a 1/8” gap on the bottom.

Here is my plan:

I’ve got some tension on it and am going to heat the casting and see if I can get it to move.

I’m thinking about adding plug welds on the backside, rewelding it and adding some sort of a truss.

It's a lot more work but a truss might be a good idea.

Edit: just saw where you said you might add a truss.

 

[MtnYota]

Ya it’s surprising since none of artec’s truss setups add much support to the short side.

 

[Dan]

A truss is just about the easiest thing there is to fab. I'm surprised more people don't build their own

 

[pennsylvaniaboy]

Nope. But it was burned in as hot and possible and the truss, tube, knuckle, etc are all tied together

 

[Bebop]

2006 and trimmed just like above

I did this on my rig, and it's been tested, good success. 1/4 plate.

 

[Dan]

I did this on my rig, and it's been tested, good success. 1/4 plate.

So you haven't had any issues with the factory Dana 60 tubes coming out of the 05+ chunk after you trimmed the casting?

 

[Bebop]

So you haven't had any issues with the factory Dana 60 tubes coming out of the 05+ chunk after you trimmed the casting?

No. Cause I wouldn't trim the casting, remove half of the plug welds, don't tie the rest of axle tube with the truss and hope of any kind of strength.

Instead I offered a valid solution to his problem.

I have no idea why people think trimming this casting is a good idea. It's not.

 

[MtnYota]

Well that’s the reason I’m posting here. Had an issue, hadn’t heard of others having issues. I’ll get this bish straightened out, rewelded and trussed up. Glad you’re happy with your bling custom axle.

 

[TrailTamer]

So you haven't had any issues with the factory Dana 60 tubes coming out of the 05+ chunk after you trimmed the casting?

And axle shaft-less

 

[Dan]

No. Cause I wouldn't trim the casting, remove half of the plug welds, don't tie the rest of axle tube with the truss and hope of any kind of strength.

Instead I offered a valid solution to his problem.

I have no idea why people think trimming this casting is a good idea. It's not.

You have no idea why? Really? Dana didn't leave much meat on the bone for fabricators to mount brackets so some of the casting needs to be trimmed.

The success rate of trimming the casting seems pretty good, I wouldn't hesitate to remove it if I was running a truss and welding the tubes 360° to the chunk. Definitely wouldn't be worried about removing those two tiny plug welds.

Another valid solution is to quadruple your budget and run a custom 14 bolt front axle but not everyone is willing to do that.

 

[bdkw1]

Has anyone had issues with the short side tube turning in the housing? I welded the tubes preheat/Mig/peen/post heat/wrap. After one Rubicon trip I noticed the weld had pulled out of the cast and I had a 1/8” gap on the bottom.

Here is my plan:

I’ve got some tension on it and am going to heat the casting and see if I can get it to move.

I’m thinking about adding plug welds on the backside, rewelding it and adding some sort of a truss.

What wire? Er70 does not stick to cast well. You need something with a higher nickle content. 308 or 309 works much better.

 

[Sterlingfire]

I used ni55 wire to weld my tubes to the housing front and rear using this wire. It's expensive, but you don't use much to do a double pass on the axles.
I recommend preheat, but you won't need post heat. I peened my welds as well, but not necessary. No need to wrap in a blanket or bury in the sand after...i just preheated, welded an inch, then jumped to the other side of the casting preheating and welding another inch, then jumped back to the other side, did a touch of grinding and start my new weld at the opposing side of the last weld until i met the welds together. No warping.

 

[Bebop]

You have no idea why? Really? Dana didn't leave much meat on the bone for fabricators to mount brackets so some of the casting needs to be trimmed.

Have you even looked at where my lower link mount is welded ?

What wire? Er70 does not stick to cast well. You need something with a higher nickle content. 308 or 309 works much better.

Makes for pretty colors too

Well that’s the reason I’m posting here. Had an issue, hadn’t heard of others having issues. I’ll get this bish straightened out, rewelded and trussed up. Glad you’re happy with your bling custom axle.

Was trying to show you the lower coilover mounts that act as truss to C tie-in brackets.
But if you want to be all butt hurt about me spending money, go right ahead

 

[MtnYota]

No butt hurt here, your setup is slick. I take it from you post you used the stainless filler? Your coil-over mount was what I was thinking about doing to strengthen it.

 

[Dan]

Have you even looked at where my lower link mount is welded ?

I did notice it's welded to the cast chunk and I'm impressed, especially for how much you wheel. If that was my rig and I welded it that's all I would think about, and I'm not new to welding cast.

Also curious what filler and technique you used to weld that.

 

[HYDRODYNAMIC]

Has anyone had issues with the short side tube turning in the housing? I welded the tubes preheat/Mig/peen/post heat/wrap. After one Rubicon trip I noticed the weld had pulled out of the cast and I had a 1/8” gap on the bottom.

Your limit strap bolt is not even close to tight.
The bird shit attaching the truss/steering mount to the axle tube does not build confidence.
In reality the cast to tube weld was not existent from day one. Grind that turd out 100% and weld it correctly.
Correctly does not mean turning up the heat and burning it in real good with a 120V flux core.
Do not take offense, I am only trying to ridicule you to make an example of of why weld prep and execution is a fundamental to success.

 

[Bebop]

I did notice it's welded to the cast chunk and I'm impressed, especially for how much you wheel. If that was my rig and I welded it that's all I would think about, and I'm not new to welding cast.

Also curious what filler and technique you used to weld that.

I'm impressed it's holding up too
But after 3 years of beating on it and clipping a tree at 40mph on this side, gotta admit, this is the last thing I worry about.

It was MIG welded with a fairly extensive prep, a full wrap around plate that also ties in to the truss, peening, post heat and the works. I can't recall the filler used for that. I'm pretty sure it was what ni55 or something like that. Was a few years ago and I had someone that I trust hold the gun while I was praying and closing my eyes.

MtnYota If I were you, I'd pull the axle, put it on a jig and line it back up. You can't go a good job with it under the car. As far as the welding portion, you need the right pre-post heat, blanket cool down etc. Really hard to do under the vehicle. If you do it right, you'll need to replace your inner seals. So at this point it would be easier to pull the diff before welding too.
I'm spitballing, but judging by the welds I can see, you either don't have a big enough machine or are turned way down. You will need heat to make this stick.
Make sure to do a great prep, grind every bit of the weld that cracked, remove all traces of rust and crap you can get too. If you have access to a mag drill, maybe try to get in the factory plug holes and clean them up a size bigger so you can fill them in real good.
Do multiple passes, spread the heat but keep it hot. Plan your process and don't stop, so make sure to limit sources of distractions.

 

[rockyota83]

Your limit strap bolt is not even close to tight.
The bird shit attaching the truss/steering mount to the axle tube does not build confidence.
In reality the cast to tube weld was not existent from day one. Grind that turd out 100% and weld it correctly.
Correctly does not mean turning up the heat and burning it in real good with a 120V flux core.
Do not take offense, I am only trying to ridicule you to make an example of of why weld prep and execution is a fundamental to success.

i agree with everything here but flux core is actually pretty good for welding axle tubes to cast, done it numerous times(240v though) with zero failures

 

[MtnYota]

I don’t claim to be an expert welder. Everyone is calling out my weld prep. I flapper wheeled and used a knotted wire wheel to get the joint clean to bare metal. Pre-heated to 400 *F welded using 0.035 ER70 in alternating 1” stitches with a 240v Hobart 180. Peened the weld and re heated to 400 and wrapped in weld blanket. The weld tore the cast away from the housing. What am I missing?

My intent is to grind everything back down flush and clean. I have no objection to getting Ni55 of stainless filler. Preheat again to 400F

 

[arse_sidewards]

If you had just fuckin phoned it in with the old tombstone and some 6011 from the 90s it never would have broken.

 

[Sterlingfire]

I don’t claim to be an expert welder. Everyone is calling out my weld prep. I flapper wheeled and used a knotted wire wheel to get the joint clean to bare metal. Pre-heated to 400 *F welded using 0.035 ER70 in alternating 1” stitches with a 240v Hobart 180. Peened the weld and re heated to 400 and wrapped in weld blanket. The weld tore the cast away from the housing. What am I missing?

My intent is to grind everything back down flush and clean. I have no objection to getting Ni55 of stainless filler. Preheat again to 400F

Not sure stainless will help you... but i guess it could, I'm no expert.
when you get the ni55, do 2 passes instead of only one. Preheat and peen after is best. You can also wrap it if you want. It sure can't hurt.

 

[bdkw1]

I'm impressed it's holding up too
But after 3 years of beating on it and clipping a tree at 40mph on this side, gotta admit, this is the last thing I worry about.

It was MIG welded with a fairly extensive prep, a full wrap around plate that also ties in to the truss, peening, post heat and the works. I can't recall the filler used for that. I'm pretty sure it was what ni55 or something like that. Was a few years ago and I had someone that I trust hold the gun while I was praying and closing my eyes.

MtnYota If I were you, I'd pull the axle, put it on a jig and line it back up. You can't go a good job with it under the car. As far as the welding portion, you need the right pre-post heat, blanket cool down etc. Really hard to do under the vehicle. If you do it right, you'll need to replace your inner seals. So at this point it would be easier to pull the diff before welding too.
I'm spitballing, but judging by the welds I can see, you either don't have a big enough machine or are turned way down. You will need heat to make this stick.
Make sure to do a great prep, grind every bit of the weld that cracked, remove all traces of rust and crap you can get too. If you have access to a mag drill, maybe try to get in the factory plug holes and clean them up a size bigger so you can fill them in real good.
Do multiple passes, spread the heat but keep it hot. Plan your process and don't stop, so make sure to limit sources of distractions.

Rewelding the plug welds doesn't work all that well with a MIG. TIG is better. Mag drill and ream then pound in a dowel pin, weld it on the top. At least then if the welds break it won't go anywhere.

 

[Snoop dogg]

I don’t claim to be an expert welder. Everyone is calling out my weld prep. I flapper wheeled and used a knotted wire wheel to get the joint clean to bare metal. Pre-heated to 400 *F welded using 0.035 ER70 in alternating 1” stitches with a 240v Hobart 180. Peened the weld and re heated to 400 and wrapped in weld blanket. The weld tore the cast away from the housing. What am I missing?

My intent is to grind everything back down flush and clean. I have no objection to getting Ni55 of stainless filler. Preheat again to 400F

Weld tearing the cast away. In my opinion that's just confirmation that the filler and/or your prep was insufficient. I'd say it was just improper filler based on the steps you took. But that's what will happen it will crack at the cast side , as that filler wasn't meant for cast. It probably started cracking right after you welded just couldn't see it, which looks why it cracked evenly all the way around and driving/bouncing around helped make it noticable. The cast and tubes cool at different rate but there's posts in this thread where people have success without an intense procedure, but using the right filler.

I can't remember the filler rod that I used last time but I tried electrodes for dissimilar metals, did a pre and post heat, and weld blanket. Prepped it real well and would run a hand stainless brush over my weld area before I welded in segments just to keep it clean as I go. Haven't had any issues.

 

[Bebop]

Rewelding the plug welds doesn't work all that well with a MIG. TIG is better. Mag drill and ream then pound in a dowel pin, weld it on the top. At least then if the welds break it won't go anywhere.

I like the dowel pin idea.