87 F350 Solid Front Axle (Dana 60?)

[ford4wd08]

Trying to do some work my inherited 87 F-350 (carbed 460, ZF 5 speed, 4x4).

Looks like it has adapters to let it run as a dually.

I believe the front axle is a Dana 60, can anyone confirm the spline count?

I would like to get new manual lock out as my bearings are shot and the stock ones seem sort of fragile for 35 years later and plastic.

Also trying to get the adapters off if anyone has seen this style before and knows how to remove them....

[kramttocs]

I hear good things about Warn.

Can't say I've seen a hub like that. I thought all Dana 60 hubs were the same and just had adapters for pairing with drw setups but I don't see how that one would come apart. Or have gone together.

Has me stumped.

 

[kramttocs]

I hear good things about Warn.

Can't say I've seen a hub like that. I thought all Dana 60 hubs were the same and just had adapters for pairing with drw setups but I don't see how that one would come apart. Or have gone together.

Has me stumped.

Looking in the holes around the studs, do they accept a socket?

Being a C&C truck, it would have been a drw front setup from the factory so this one is really interesting.

[Nothing Special]

Looking in the holes around the studs, do they accept a socket?

Being a C&C truck, it would have been a drw front setup from the factory so this one is really interesting.

I don't know what the factory dually front hubs look like, but they don't use spacers. In other words there's no spacer to take off. It's a hub designed to mount a dually rim on the front. You take them off the same way you take hubs off for a single wheel, by taking the locking hub off and removing the wheel bearings. But you don't take them apart.

That said, I'll emphasize again that I don't know what the factory hubs look like. Those LOOK to me to be aftermarket adapters that could be taken off. But for all I know they are the factory dually hubs and can't be taken apart.

As to spline count and locking hubs, I think at least all Ford Dana 50 and Dana 60 front axles take the same locking hubs (probably more than just Ford, but I'm less sure of that).

Some people say that Warn hubs are overpriced, and that some of the less expensive options (Mile Marker? others?) are plenty good. But I use Warn Premiums. I like the Warn Standards that Ford used as OE, but the one pair of Warn Standards I've bought new worked differently, with a detent to hold them disengaged and a spring loading them engaged. I had trouble with one of them pretty regularly popping out of the detent and locking itself when I didn't want it locked. So I went back to Premiums.

[kramttocs]

I don't know what the factory dually front hubs look like, but they don't use spacers. In other words there's no spacer to take off. It's a hub designed to mount a dually rim on the front. You take them off the same way you take hubs off for a single wheel, by taking the locking hub off and removing the wheel bearings. But you don't take them apart.

That said, I'll emphasize again that I don't know what the factory hubs look like. Those LOOK to me to be aftermarket adapters that could be taken off. But for all I know they are the factory dually hubs and can't be taken apart.

As to spline count and locking hubs, I think at least all Ford Dana 50 and Dana 60 front axles take the same locking hubs (probably more than just Ford, but I'm less sure of that).

Some people say that Warn hubs are overpriced, and that some of the less expensive options (Mile Marker? others?) are plenty good. But I use Warn Premiums. I like the Warn Standards that Ford used as OE, but the one pair of Warn Standards I've bought new worked differently, with a detent to hold them disengaged and a spring loading them engaged. I had trouble with one of them pretty regularly popping out of the detent and locking itself when I didn't want it locked. So I went back to Premiums.

Thanks Bob.

So maybe it was just the 2wd that had some years with factory spacers. I'll have to check our 91 and 94 C&C sometime.

The spacer here looks similar and attaches the way one would expect.

https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/dodge-dana-60-weird-spacers.679525/

[salans7]

Thanks Bob.

So maybe it was just the 2wd that had some years with factory spacers. I'll have to check our 91 and 94 C&C sometime.

The spacer here looks similar and attaches the way one would expect.

https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/dodge-dana-60-weird-spacers.679525/

The OEM big three dually hubs looked like the link below. To get them off, you pull the hubs, pull the outer bearing, pull the rotor off the spindle, and then unbolt the adapter from the rotor.

Those look like some sort of aftermarket adapters that utilize weird lug nut studs.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294875621743?hash=item44a7f4e96f:g:EVEAAOSwPD9h4aSi

[Bruce moose4x4]

The OEM big three dually hubs looked like the link below. To get them off, you pull the hubs, pull the outer bearing, pull the rotor off the spindle, and then unbolt the adapter from the rotor.

Those look like some sort of aftermarket adapters that utilize weird lug nut studs.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294875621743?hash=item44a7f4e96f:g:EVEAAOSwPD9h4aSi

Look inside the rotor, is there some nuts? Looks like it could be a long stud going all the way through the spacer and rotor? Just guessing.

[kramttocs]

The OEM big three dually hubs looked like the link below. To get them off, you pull the hubs, pull the outer bearing, pull the rotor off the spindle, and then unbolt the adapter from the rotor.

Those look like some sort of aftermarket adapters that utilize weird lug nut studs.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294875621743?hash=item44a7f4e96f:g:EVEAAOSwPD9h4aSi

Thanks Shaun. That's the style I was thinking of.

[ford4wd08]

Thanks Shaun. That's the style I was thinking of.

Thanks for all the good feedback guys.

I did end up going with Mile Marker Hubs. They seem to be pretty good quality from my initial inspection.

And you all are right, these are after market spacers that are an absolute pain to remove. There is no good way to get a grip on the hex section of the stud extension. By the time you have a wrench thin enough to fit the hex portion behind the spacer, it is too thin to apply torque to the stud.

You basically have to use two lug nuts as jam nuts to be able to remove them and pray the wheel stud threads don't fail, when they do you have to sacrifice a lug nut and weld it to the stud to remove. I've done just the driver side so far and I'm 7 to 1 jams nuts vs having to weld one lug nut.

So, needless to say these will not be going back on my rig.

I located a OEM set that does bolt to the rotor and has separate wheel studs on Ebay.

In this year range, the rotors and all are the same for the SRW and DRW on 4x4 models with a Dana 60, the only difference is this factory hub extension that is bolted to the rotor. This did change on later models.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234524228080

I purchased them and they're in route. Luckily I can recoup some of my money as the SRW hubs are worth some money too.

Good new is these are much more serviceable.

I seriously think this is the original brakes on this rig. There are 3 rivet groups from the pads on the back side of the driver side rotor!

[ford4wd08]

Thanks for all the good feedback guys.

I did end up going with Mile Marker Hubs. They seem to be pretty good quality from my initial inspection.

And you all are right, these are after market spacers that are an absolute pain to remove. There is no good way to get a grip on the hex section of the stud extension. By the time you have a wrench thin enough to fit the hex portion behind the spacer, it is too thin to apply torque to the stud.

You basically have to use two lug nuts as jam nuts to be able to remove them and pray the wheel stud threads don't fail, when they do you have to sacrifice a lug nut and weld it to the stud to remove. I've done just the driver side so far and I'm 7 to 1 jams nuts vs having to weld one lug nut.

So, needless to say these will not be going back on my rig.

I located a OEM set that does bolt to the rotor and has separate wheel studs on Ebay.

In this year range, the rotors and all are the same for the SRW and DRW on 4x4 models with a Dana 60, the only difference is this factory hub extension that is bolted to the rotor. This did change on later models.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234524228080

I purchased them and they're in route. Luckily I can recoup some of my money as the SRW hubs are worth some money too.

Good new is these are much more serviceable.

I seriously think this is the original brakes on this rig. There are 3 rivet groups from the pads on the back side of the driver side rotor!

Well I got my new hubs in and installed. Definitely a much much better option than the spacers.

They are much easier to service than the other ones I had.

Also put on new rotors, calipers, pads, brake lines, races, bearings, and a set of Mike Marker Hubs.

Should be good to go for a long time now.