Budget Dana 60 Rearend Build - Hey, Nice Rearend

Tod Struck at Inline Performance offered to set up our new gearset, so we took all of our parts to his shop.

To get a baseline for setting up our new gears and Sure Grip, the bearings were removed from the original units to measure the shims used.

The appropriate number of shims was then placed on the new carrier before it is installed in the housing.

Our 4.88 gear was then installed on the carrier; bolts were torqued to 110 lb-ft. Lock-tight was used to ensure these bolts stay put.

The new pinion bearing was installed on our pinion gear, and the new race can now be installed in the housing.

We were then ready to install our new center section and check gear engagement.

We used the yellow marking dye provided with the kit to check the engagement of the ring-and-pinion gear. This is adjusted by shimming the pinion gear for proper engagement.

Using a dial indicator, gear backlash was checked. This was adjusted by placing shims between the carrier bearings and the carrier.

With the critical dimensions checked, we disassembled and cleaned all the components, then reassembled and torqued all the fasteners. The torque specification for the caps is 80 lb-ft.

After installing our new pinion bearing and crush sleeve, our new yoke was installed and pinion preload was set.

With the center section complete, we pressed the new, sealed axle bearings in place and installed our new axles.

All that's left was to fill it up with quality gear oil and our Dana 60 was ready to install. This setup should be good for as much power as we can throw at our Charger, and it cost about half as much as purchasing a new rearend. All told, we spent about 12 hours fabricating and assembling this unit.