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Dana 300 flip it, or cut and switch a D60

pennsylvaniaboy

pennsylvaniaboy

make fullsizes great again
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Jun 27, 2020
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So I am in the process of gathering drivetrain parts for a buggy build. Here is the current plan -> 3.9 LZ9/904/ecobox/d300. This will feed a '05+ Dana 60 and sterling

I know the d300 is passenger drop, and has some shortcomings, but I have a rear girdle for it that should solve the spreading issues, hope that keeps it alive.

Ppl paying attention will know that a '05+ d60 is drivers drop. My plan was to cut both sides of the tubes, and simply swap the diff and tubes, thus making it passenger drop.

Then comes along Behemoth drivetrain's dana300 flip kit ($925)

Flipping the d60 is arguably free, other than the slugs for the tubes, but this would be done in a basic garage without alignment bars and pucks.

Flipping the d300 is $$, but would leave the D60 tubes intact, and might actually help with packaging as I can offset the drivetrain to pass side in the chassis. If it shits the bed, easier to retrofit some other drivers drop case


TLDR....Cut and flip a d60, or spend money and Flip a d300
 
I've never been a fan of flipping the D300. They already are prone to leaks the right way up.

But, it's probably easier than tube swapping. The benefits to tube swapping would be moving the diff if you wanted to.

I hear there is a company making D300 billet cases that are pretty popular, might have to fair a week or 70 :flipoff2:
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I've never been a fan of flipping the D300. They already are prone to leaks the right way up.

But, it's probably easier than tube swapping. The benefits to tube swapping would be moving the diff if you wanted to.

I hear there is a company making D300 billet cases that are pretty popular, might have to fair a week or 70 :flipoff2:
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Yeh, I not that sold on spending atlas money on a d300, to wait longer than atlas times.....and as to "moving" the diff. id plan to flip it to use stock length shafts
 
Flip the 300.
When you got a little bit of money, swap an atlas in.

I swapped tubes in a SD60 once. sucks and you still don't have room for links. If you're putting that much work into an axle, make it custom.
 
Bebop said:
Flip the 300.
When you got a little bit of money, swap an atlas in.

I swapped tubes in a SD60 once. sucks and you still don't have room for links. If you're putting that much work into an axle, make it custom.
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agree to some degree. But I dont get the tube thing. I have put a '05 d60 in a rig already, used artec lower mounts and it was fine, I plan to suck them in even more on this one. But its really not that hard. Even cutting all the brackets off, a few beers, a sawzall, and grinder knocks it out. Add a portband and plasma and it's even easier....
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
agree to some degree. But I dont get the tube thing. I have put a '05 d60 in a rig already, used artec lower mounts and it was fine, I plan to suck them in even more on this one. But its really not that hard. Even cutting all the brackets off, a few beers, a sawzall, and grinder knocks it out. Add a portband and plasma and it's even easier....
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Link mounts that far outboard will limit your steering angle.
 
Bebop said:
Link mounts that far outboard will limit your steering angle.
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nope, this rig is running a 10" ram, artec steering arms, and 1550 shafts, it maxxes the knuckles out.. Sooo :confused:

I respect your views, but this is the same thing I read and was told when I put it in several years ago, and all the reasons I should have built a 99-04. It's not the case.
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
nope, this rig is running a 10" ram, artec steering arms, and 1550 shafts, it maxxes the knuckles out.. Sooo :confused:

I respect your views, but this is the same thing I read and was told when I put it in several years ago, and all the reasons I should have built a 99-04. It's not the case.
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With what tires ?
 
Ok.
Good for you I guess.

I tried 50 degrees (had to shave the knuckle stops) with 43s on 3.5 BS and it was not even close.
 
Sounds like you want to flip the axle. I would flip the tcase personally. I flipped a Toyota axle to driver's drop and while not "hard" still a PITA and took a while. I did it in a 2car garage with an angle grinder, a flux core welder and no alignment pucks or bar and it's straight and I haven't died yet. I know flipping a Toyota axle vs a d60 is not a direct comparison but still:flipoff2:
 
Nate from Dirt Lifestyle made a video (series?) about flipping a Dana 60 super Duty.

I'd research flipping the Dana 60 a lot more. There aren't many high pinion passenger side axles, right? So this might cause more complications with the starter or exhaust more than driver side. It might fit better. Since everyone has to cut the housing to fit driver side links maybe there is a way to avoid cutting the housing, retube it, and still use stock length short axle shafts but probably not.
 
I'm in the custom axle camp. The keeps the D300 from being custom as is is a little fragil. If staying RH drop front works with exhaust and other component then I would go custom axle housing. I would do is a little different though.
Calculate where you want the pinion to be in the chassis. Then determine wms and the location of the passenger inner c.
cut off the passenger inner C. grind and cut the tube from inside the cut off C.
Mark the passenger long side tube, cut to length. Set pinion angle. Heat and install the inner c. SET CASTER at the time.
Retube the left hand side to meet wms specs. This way you on remove 1 tube from the cast housing or use inner sleeves. Builders choice. The right tube in only cut and inner c reinstalled, no sleeve needed.
You win the pinion and castor angle game this way no compromises.

I would be tempted to build the axle with common length shafts. GM D60 is the most common and has good tube lengths or 79 Ford D60 for the most short tube. These are easy to replace later.
Or just build exactly what fits the chassis and get custom length 1550 chromos in 35 or 40 spline.

If the 72" wms works then I would just use 05 length shafts in 1550. They are super common and cheap.
 
I’d flip the D300 and leave D60 driver drop. You can always sell the flip kit if or when you upgrade the t-case later. Or everything just works out great and you never need to change it
 
I have a passenger side drive HP 60 but it’s a custom housing not OE. I’m not aware of any factory hp pass side drive front axles. There are more low pinion driver drop front diffs than there are high pinion passenger side front diffs.
 
From a 30 second Google search I found a post on PBB, Valley Rock says:

Clocking ring, seal up shift rails, cables or build your own shiter and go .
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None of that stuff is neccesary unless you choose to go that route, with cable shiters none of that is needed, with homebuilt external shifters coming up from the bottom, none of that is needed .

I've been running Dana 300s upside down for years, in fact I have never run one upright in it's normal position, and I dont run all that internal noise or a spacer under the cover .
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Nope . I put in about 3 quarts of 90 wt. IIRC and call it good .

Sealing is a science tho, one im pretty good at, those old cases leak upright, they can leak even more upside down unless you really give it proper assembly, neither of mine leak a single drop, I hate oil leaks, i clean and double seal the shift forks if they even think of weeping .

Paper gaskets and permatex aviation form a gasket are your friend, some people just glue everything together with silicone, and thats fine too but I dont wanna deal with all that if I go back in to it .
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pennsylvaniaboy said:
Im all ears if its a good solution
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The only thing I added when I flipped mine was a clocking ring from AA, only to adapt it to the 46re and get it flat.

Doubled up the shift rail seals, ground them to get 2low and front dig, cut the shifter mount flush and fabbed twin sticks.
 
Putting money in a D300 is kind of a waste IMO. Find a JK NV241 (not a Rubicon case) and switch the yokes to match. It's bolt in, 6 round pattern and 23 spline input. You could be done in an afternoon. The outputs are 32 spline according to the intarweb. Sell the 300 and recover most of your funds.

Cutting a front axle and trying to piece it back together without an alignment bar is frought with danger of getting it out off whack. Its also a ton of work.

Here's a single lazy search on Ebay -> 12-18 JK Jeep Wrangler NV241 Transfer Case Assembly (40K Miles) Tested Unit | eBay

My D300 experience.
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Can you actually fit a HP PS diff first? My buggy with a LP GM D60 and a 3rz is real close to hitting well everything with the front drive line at full stuff. Granted my drive train is low in the car but the front pinion runs next to the engine at full bump and it's a inline 4cyl. I'd be mocking drive train in the chassis before doing anything personally. Set it at what you want full bump to be and measure everything.

Swapping tube s on a D60 with slugs isn't a big deal.
 
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