|
|
Installing Moser 60 Rearend Axles - A New Rear For Your Mopar - First Look At The New Moser 60Moser Engineering Fills The Gap-Again From the July, 2004 issue of Mopar Muscle By Randy Bolig Photography by Courtesy Moser Engineering, Randy Bolig
|
|
We needed a test car. Dave... We needed a test car. Dave Young of Lakeland, Florida, has a 9-second Barracuda. Would the Moser 60 take the abuse? Let's just say, it laughed at us. Beginning in the mid-'60s, if you wanted the ultimate in an indestructible, no-holds-barred rearend that would take any abuse you could throw at it, Mopar was the company that could supply what you needed-the Dana 60. Over the years, the 9 3/4-inch (Dana 60) was installed in everything from Darts to Road Runners to 'Cudas and so on. Originally, it was used only in 440 four-speed and 426 Hemi-equipped musclecars between 1966 and 1972. The Dana 60 is essentially a 3/4-ton truck axle with smaller wheel bearings and brakes. With its large 9 3/4-inch ring gear and 1 1/2-inch-diameter axle shafts, the Dana's only serious disadvantage is its weight. But what makes this rear so indestructible? The differential utilized a plate-clutch-type Sure Grip housed within a cast-steel housing. The Dana 60 was available in two configurations: the car version and a truck (or industrial) version. The car version was equipped with a mounting point for the pinion snubber, and the truck unit was not. The truck Dana housing is rounded as opposed to flat in the snubber mounting area. For passenger-car use, a pinion snubber in this location helped to prevent the torque from forcing the rearend too far upward. Most Dana 60 assemblies you find at swap meets are usually the truck unit, which will work fine unless you are intending to use a pinion snubber. Moser makes all of its own... Moser makes all of its own components for the Moser 60 rearend. We supplied the ladder-bar mounts we bought from Competition Engineering. The center housing is cast by Moser, and highly resembles the stock-car-style rear complete with the snubber mounting location holes drilled and tapped. Local Mopar guy Dave Young has a nice-looking '68 Barracuda filled with a 500-inch-wedge engine producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 3/4-axle-twisting horsepower. How did we come to that deduction? Dave twisted his 8 3/4. We knew a Dana was the only logical answer, but finding one was going to take some time and effort. When we heard that Moser Engineering had recently tooled up and was building their version (called the Moser 60), our question was answered. A call to Moser confirmed the rumor, and the stuff was soon on its way to us. But we wanted to know-what goes into building a Moser 60? We decided to get some photos and spill the beans to everyone. So follow along as we build a bigger butt. Using the diagram on the Moser Engineering web site, we designed the rear to fit our '68 Barracuda. So what do we think of the Moser 60? It's about time somebody did this. Finally, a Dana-style rear that can be built to put under your restored Mopar or a killer unit can be built like we did. Either way, Moser hits the nail on the head for making a rearend that anyone can use.  First, the center is pulled...  First, the center is pulled off the shelf, and the required 3-inch tubes are installed and welded in place.  In our application, a four-bar...  In our application, a four-bar suspension setup is utilized, and we sent Moser the brackets. There are too many application specific combinations for a four-link, so Moser will not weld the mounts into place. After the brackets were slid onto the tubes, the required ends were welded on. If you are using a leaf-spring rear, the spring perches are mounted by Moser to your specifications.  Our Moser 60 was filled with...  Our Moser 60 was filled with a spool, 4.88 gears, and Moser's custom Alloy axles.  D = 42 inches E = 37 5/16...  D = 42 inches E = 37 5/16 F = 18 3/4 G = 18 9/16 Accessories- Spool
- 4.88 gears
- Stock 8 3/4 / Dana axle tube-ends
- Axles with a 4 1/2-bolt pattern
- Large 7290 universal joint
- 5/8x18x2 1/2 wheel studs
 Before assembly begins, the...  Before assembly begins, the bearings and ring gear are preheated to a temperature not to exceed 300-degrees Fahrenheit. Heating expands these pieces to aid in installation, but heating over 300 degrees will cause too much expansion and damage to the parts.  Placing the required amount...  Placing the required amount of pinion-gear shims is easier for the Moser crew because they do it day in and day out. It helps that they manufacture the housings and deal with a known tolerance.  With the pinion seal and the...  With the pinion seal and the inner-and-outer-pinion bearing-races installed, the pinion gear is shoved in the hole.  The yoke threads are lubed,...  The yoke threads are lubed, the yoke is then installed, and the nut tightened to a "turn it till it almost breaks and then stop" torque reading. This translates to 250-270 lb-ft.  Next, the ring gear is bolted...  Next, the ring gear is bolted to the spool, and the side shims and spool bearings are installed. What makes the 60 different from other rearends that are similar, is the shims used on the spool to adjust the backlash are placed between the bearing and the spool, instead of the bearing and the housing. This also requires a try-as-you-go process, like the pinion gear shims, and is usually time consuming.  After the final backlash is...  After the final backlash is adjusted, the bearing caps are put in place and torqued. After the caps are installed, Moser again checks the backlash to make sure it is still within spec.  Although a stock-style cover...  Although a stock-style cover can be used, we wanted to try and break the Moser 60, so a rear cover with bearing supports was installed. The cover is tightened to the housing, and then the bearing-cap support bolts are torqued. The support bolts, when torqued, are in place to keep the bearing caps from flexing under extreme conditions.  The Moser 60 is put in place,...  The Moser 60 is put in place, and the ladder bars are installed on the mounts. Before connecting the bars, each bar is adjusted to the center of its travel.  Although we have been trying...  Although we have been trying to get Dave to convert to disc brakes for safety reasons, he still insists the drum brakes work fine.  With the brakes slid into...  With the brakes slid into place, the axles can then be installed. Our brake drums needed turned, and the wheel stud holes enlarged. We took them to Harrel's Automotive in Lakeland, Florida, and Lonny set us up.  Here is the Moser rear ready...  Here is the Moser rear ready to ship. Moser can even powder coat your rear, but since we would be welding the ladder-bar mounts to it, we opted to have it shipped bare.  Twisting off the wheel studs...  Twisting off the wheel studs at any speed is a major bummer. To make sure that is not a problem, Moser sent these 5/8-inch thread-in studs with spacers and nuts.  With the car on the lift at...  With the car on the lift at Inline Performance Specialist, Todd Struck made sure the rearend is centered in the car and wheel opening before the welding begins.  The axle vent just happened...  The axle vent just happened to be in the exact location where the bar brackets needed to be welded. We installed a plug, ground it smooth with the housing, and then welded the bracket over it. This means we need to install a breather elsewhere.  After everything has been...  After everything has been measured and found to be square with the car, welding can begin. When you are welding, make sure to not weld in one location for a long period of time. This will twist and bend the housing, and the rearend will no longer be straight.  Before the car could be driven,...  Before the car could be driven, installation instructions require the car be jacked up and ran thru the gears a couple times. Let's just say a freewheeling, 500-inch wedge sounds awesome.  We thought the ladder-bar...  We thought the ladder-bar mounts would make a good place to mount the shocks. We thought wrong. With the mounts squared to the frame, the shocks were angled more than we liked. So we ordered a pair of shock mounts from Competition Engineering.  With the rear in place, it...  With the rear in place, it was time to weigh the car and set the bars close to where we needed them.  Once the pinion angle was...  Once the pinion angle was set, it was time to set the preload. With a four-link setup, the lower bars set the wheel base, and the top bars are for adjustments. The upper-left bar is to adjust the pinion angle, and the upper-right bar is to adjust preload. Our left bar was set, and the right bar was adjusted to add a small amount of weight to the nose of the car to balance it out.  We tried to break the rear....  We tried to break the rear. We threw everything we could at it. The car was spinning the tires a bit, but still managed 1.4 60-foot times. Even with the car spinning at the line, we still managed to get some respectable eighth-mile times. Eighth-mile was consistently high 6.5s, and this equates to quarter-mile times in the high 9.6s. Once we get the bars adjusted a little better low 9s will be had.
|
|
|