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Over the years, getting the right heavy-duty rear end for a project car simply meant junkyard scrounging. And plenty of it. You had to unearth the right rear end for the right car. Now, it’s no secret that those GM passenger car 12 bolts, Ford 9-inch rears (with the appropriately tough “N” series pumpkin), and Dana 60’s were fitted to only a select few automobiles (and in some cases, a select few light trucks). They were scarce then. The good ones that bolted right in have been gone for decades. If you do find an appropriate piece today, you’re probably in for a ton of work and expense, due to age, abuse, inappropriate applications and so on.
So what’s an enthusiast to do? It’s actually incredibly easy right at the moment. As it turns out, Strange Engineering (along with at least one other) offers a full range of heavy duty, bolt-in rear end assemblies for a large number of popular applications. The brute that was offered by Detroit has to be the Dana 60. Sure in highly modified race form you can now build a better rear than a Dana, but for many applications, it’s still difficult to beat. Here’s why:
Dana 60’s are equipped with a huge 9-3/4-inch diameter ring gear and when fitted with a contemporary positraction setup (there are several, including Detroit Lockers), the axle splines increase to a hefty 35. The pinion is a large 1-5/8-inch diameter affair (29-spline) that can be setup to accept massive Spicer 1350-series universal joints. Gear ratio choices prove plentiful too, ranging from 3.31:1 all the way up to 7.17:1. As you can see, the Dana 60 has always been the bully of the boulevard when it came to rear end housings. Spot one under a Nova and you can be rather certain there’s serious heat under the hood.
But that’s not the end of it. Strange Engineering’s Dana 60 (dubbed the “S60”) isn’t exactly a piece-by-piece clone of the original. Instead, its jam packed with interesting technology, much of garnered from lessons learned in the drag racing trade. Essentially the Strange Engineering team took the stock Dana 60 and filled with a full compliment of modern features. For an inside look at the basic housing, check out the accompanying slide show.
In this photo, we see that Strange Engineering came up with the idea of actually improving upon the vintage Dana 60. Their version is dubbed the “S-60”, and it’s full of neat tricks and rear end innovation. As pointed out elsewhere, it’s available in any number of configurations from a bare housing without ends and brackets to a bolt in housing (as shown here) all the way up to a complete rear axle assembly.
Next issue, we’ll conclude our look at Strange Engineering’s Dana 60 housings. Watch for it!
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Click Here to Begin Slideshow
In our last issue, we detailed Strange Engineering’s Dana S60 rear axle housing. If you rewind, you’ll recall Strange completely went through the 60-series rear, came up with a center section casting and in the process fixed the shortcomings of the original rear end. Best of all, it’s offered in all sorts of different layouts designed to fit a wide cross section of cars and you order anything from a bare housing to a complete rear end assembly.
In the photos that follow, we’ll complete out look at the bad boy of the rear end boulevard. It’s a nice piece (super stout too!). Check it out. Click Here to Begin Slideshow
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
Upstairs, the nose of the S60 is setup so that it can be used on many different applications. That means that a Mopar pinion snubber is easily affixed
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
In many applications (this one being a first gen Camaro), Strange equips the S60 with OEM style leaf spring perches.
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
This is important. Note that each side is fully welded (wherever accessible). Check it out.
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
Here you can see how the perches are further welded to the housing. In the old days, it wasn’t uncommon for racers and enthusiasts to brace the perch. This little welding job here pretty much does the same thing.
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
Another important feature of Strange’s S60 program is the fact they can provide different perches for different springs. The perch shown here is setup for a multi-leaf spring (2-3/4-inches wide). They can also supply a perch for a monoleaf spring package (2-9/16-inches wide).
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
Internal adjusters are supplied as standard equipment in the S60 case. This allow for easy backlash setup.
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
You might think this is a small feature, but we think it’s great: Strange has included an easy-to-access drain plug with the housing. This eliminates the huge mess that arises when you pull the back cover off for inspection or service.
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
Up front, the S60 accepts any conventional Dana 60 yoke – standard Dana-Spicer pieces with a dust seal or high performance billet models.
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
A nice option available with the S60 is this cool cast aluminum cover. It’s a premium casting that is considerably thicker than standard.
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
There’s no need for a girdle or housing back brace on the S60. The internal beef within the housing precludes it.
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
It’s a small thing, but the housing comes complete with a vent, as shown here.
Strange Engineering Reinvents The Dana 60 Part 2
Another seemingly small detail is this: What is it? Simple. It’s the bendable tab used to secure a brake line.
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