28 NOVEMBER 20194-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
COVER SECTION: GEARS, LOCKERS & AXLE BUILDS
LITTLE
COMPROMISE
GARAGE
REFRESH ON
A DANA 60
BY Verne Simons
[email protected]
PHOTOGRAPHY VERNE SIMONSHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
front axles, “Dana 60”
generally implies nearly bul-
letproof performance. Are
there stronger axles? Sure.
Are there weaknesses and
undesirable aspects to the
Dana 60 axle? Sure. But when it comes to build-
ing a front axle to handle most of what we can
dish out, chances are the name Dana 60 will pass
someone’s lips, and early on.
There are several variations in what a Dana
60 is, and many changes have occurred over
the many years that these axles have been pro-
duced—some good, some not so good. Some
factory Dana 60s are highly desirable (and rare),
while other factory Dana 60s are less desirable
and fairly common. There are also several very
desirable custom “Dana 60” axles in the after-
market, some that may not have any parts from
the mother company.
Somewhere in the middle of the pack (but
closer to the top) is the 1992-1998 ball joint Ford
Dana 60, the focus of this article. Books could
be written on the differences between the axles
all tagged with the “Dana 60” name, and that’s
not the point of this article. We are here to show
you the best way to get the strength and upgrad-
ability you want to build an axle that will take the
abuse while keeping the cost and value of differ-
ent upgrades in mind.
To that end , we can assure you that ordering a
custom Dana 60 from several aftermarket com-
panies is a great idea, but plunking down that
much cash isn’t always an easy pill to swallow. We
nabbed this 1995 Ford Dana 60 for under $300
from a roadside junk yard during an epic trip down
to the southern tip of Baja, Mexico. That price is a
great deal for one of these desirable axles, and to
us this particular one will forever be known as the
Mexican Dana 60.
So in a world of DIY and with a nod to saving a
buck or two, what’s the best compromise when it
comes to the legendary Dana 60? Here’s one rec-
ipe for success with room to grow with a garage-
based refresh on our Mexican Dana 60.