Dana 60 hemi charger rear end??

[rikubot]

Hi fellers,

I've got an acquaintance that CLAIMS he has the Dana 60 rear end out of a '68 hemi charger. 4.56 gears. He wants $1500 for it, is this a good deal, and how can I be sure it came out of a charger and is actually legit? What should I be cautious of when buying an old rear end? He also claims it has low miles...

Thanks in advance dudes.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Actual car danas will have the pinion snubber on them. Truck rears have no provisions. In my opinion, the money could be better spent on a strange unit. The only reason i would pay that money is if i was building a 100 pt hemi show car.

[rikubot]

It does have the snubber on it. And it looks like it has the bigger brake drums buts it's hard to tell from the picture. What do you mean by a "strange" unit? Right now, I have an 8 3/4 non posi unit with 3.23 gears and was looking for an upgrade.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Strange is the brand. For a few hundred bucks more, you get a brand new rear, much stronger, bigger axles, no used parts. Even the rear bousing is new.


http://m.summitracing.com/parts/str-prsl05

[rikubot]

Damn that thing is badass. I'm sure it's worth the money but I'm pretty low on fundage. The 1500 would be a big stretch. Does summit let you pic your gears?

[c00nhunterjoe]

Unless you are running a stick with slicks, the 8 3/4 will live. You can get used suregrip pumpkins in the 400-600 range.

[rikubot]

Yeah my car is just a cruise missile. Stock 440, 727. I like that idea better. I've seen a few on eBay here and there for about what you said. Any ideas where I should look? And is rebuilding a rear end tough? Thanks for your advice.

[six-tee-nine]

Not an expert on the matter but I slightly tend to dissagree here.

If you want a dana for drag racing the extra cash invested in a new one might be justified. If you want something that looks stock then you might want the OEM Dana.

Last time I checked, Dr. Diff was around $2300. Sure enough, pricing starts under 2 grand but by the time you add perches, a decent sure grip unit you'll end up spending alot more than $1500.

If that $1500 brings you some good large drums also, then the price isnt that bad at all. Take into consideration that dana's are heavy and if you can pick it up locally that will save you another fair buck.
I personally think its geared too steep for street use.
But hey if you are a bit technically skilled, rebuilding a sure grip, changing the ring and pinion and putting in some new bearings and seals isnt that much of a job. You could always have a axle shop dialing in the ring and pinion if you dont have the tools for it.
Again if you need to outsource all the work, then  you could end up spending as much or more than a new unit.

[John_Kunkel]

A tape measure will tell you if it's a '68 B-body Dana, overall width from drum-to-drum will be 60 1/8" and the spring perch centers will be 44". You can pop off the rear cover verify the gear ratio and gear surface condition.

[rikubot]

Thanks for all the information and advice guys.  Lotta good stuff. I was leaning really far toward the "buying a pumpkin" for my rear end choice, but it does look like he has the big brakes on it, where mine are only 10" drums in the rear. But it may not have the 11s, he doesn't have it at his house so he can't measure. Are the big drums hard to find? I plan on getting a disc upgrade for the front in a kit off eBay. I'd like the have the best brakes offered on the b bodies of this era. The kit on eBay is 11" rotors for the front, and my buddy got the 11" rear drums off a roadrunner for his monster Scamp. I'm ASSUMING that was the good stuff. I do a lot of assuming haha

[Dino]

Nothing wrong with a 8 3/4, especially if your not launcing a torque monser every two minutes.  Having the ability to swap gears on a whim is an added bonus.  10" drums when set up right will work just fine for a cruiser as well.  I'd invest the $400 or so and install rear discs before paying for 11" drums.

[six-tee-nine]

Not sure about this but if you got a dana 60 (being ordered as a 440-4speed or a 426-4speed) did'nt they come standard with the big police drums?

Yeah, as dino said, a Dana is not mandatory with street tires (= not enough traction). But when I see a 68-70 B-body with a manual rowing stick, I automatically tend to check what axle it has under it. Personally for me, these two things belong together...

[John_Kunkel]

Most Danas had 10" brakes.

[Troy]

Most Danas had 10" brakes.

Interesting. I thought that R/T automatically upgraded to HD brakes so you actually went back down with the 4-speed? Now I need to run home and check! I have a mess of really nice 10" backing plates and a set of new drums that I thought I'd never get to use.

Troy

[rikubot]

Damn that's crazy. My car was a factory 383 car, and it has drums all the way around. 383 base. What was the performance brake package made of, if they had one?

[cdr]

front disc brakes got the 10'' rear brakes

[cavemanno1]

Hd standard brakes were manual drum 11x3 front and 11x2,5 rear!
My r/t 4 speed came with them!

[rikubot]

Please excuse the ignorance, what does HD stand for?

And what do you guys think of this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/mopar-A-B-E-body-cuda-charger-disc-brake-conversion-/231734785546?hash=item35f478360a:g:jEcAAOSwYHxWMTp1&vxp=mtr

[c00nhunterjoe]

Heavy Duty.
    This is where i got my setup from. Stops great. I see no need for power brakes. Perfectly able to lock them up on command with 1 foot. Best bang for the buck in my opinion.

https://www.performanceonline.com/62-74-MOPAR-Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth-Disc-Brake-Conversion-Kit/

[rikubot]

Wow, I have power brakes and have to stomp both feet just to get a SOMEWHAT decent stop. These should work just fine with a power brake booster, right? All I should need is a proportioning valve and master cylinder, correct? All I want is a lot better stopping power. I don't think my brakes currently could even lock up a modern seatbelt...

[rikubot]

And it looks like ground shipping is free! Total came out to $399when I threw them in a cart.

[Dino]

I have power drums and they take no effort to lock so something's not right with your brakes.

A new MC and prop valve wil be needed altough a combo valve would be better, or the stock Charger disc brake setup.  The drum booster should work on single piston calipers but may not be enough for calipers requiring more pressure.

The Bendix dual diaphragm booster and the disc/drum brake lines with distributon block/metering valve/prop valve would be my choice for a stock look.  If you don't care about stock then consider a hydrobooster.  That'll be my next project.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Fwiw, i did not install a proportioning valve in my setup. If your car has 4 wheel factory drums, it doesnt have a valve on it anyway. If you plan to convert to 4 wheel disc, then in my opinion, you dont need one either. In my case, i am disc/ factory drum but i run sticky rear tires. My car does not nose dive nor squat under normal to sever braking. It is well proportioned. Obviously my 205's up front lock up before my 11" rear stickies do so i prefer full line pressure going to my rear end.

[rikubot]

Now I'm wondering what the deal is. My booster hisses like crazy, you reckon that has something to do with it? When I'm in the driveway, it's super touchy and stops great, get movin and its kinda scary. I bled and adjusted them last summer, and replaced a wheel cylinder. I'm not sure what the issue could be. The fluid streamed out well after I got that new cylinder in there.

[cdr]

sounds like a bad booster.