question about a dana 60

[olebrowndodge]

my car is a 73 challenger it has a 440 engine and 727 tranny with dana 60 rear,,at 60 to 65 mph the rpm are around 3000 to 3500 on open highway, dont like this at all especially the gas milelige, i dont really know the size of gear is has,, my question is can i put a 3:23 gear in a dana 60 ?, a guy around here tells me i cannot go above a 3:55 for a dana 60 , is this true ? my cars are used for driving on highways not racing or idleing around town

 

[Cudaized]

Hi olebrowndodge,
By what you are stating I believe you have 4:10's in the Dana. I have a 440 six pack with 4:10's and that's about what my engine revs at about 60MPH give or take some MPH for tire size. I am not sure but I think the smallest stock gears are 3:54 for the Danas. I had them in my car for a short while and they did make a big difference on top end.

 

[olebrowndodge]

ok thanks cudaized, but what about a 3:23 gear can it be used in a dana 60, i dont know how stupid i sound on this , i know a lot about mopars but never did know a lot on rear gears,,thanks

 

[R/T4speedconv]

My 70 has the 4:10 dana 60 also. Back in the day (late 70's) I looked into changing it to a 2:76. You will need to get the gears from a Dodge truck and a new case and carrier that fits it. You might as well build up a whole new rear end at that point and swap them in and out as needed.

 

[Cudaized]

Any gear ratio that is made for a Dana 60 can be used, I'm just saying that the smallest factory set I have ever heard of are 3:54's and I've been messing with these cars since 1970. Maybe there are after market 3:23's for a Dana but I have never seen them.

 

[R/T4speedconv]

The problem is the 4:10 carrier/case is only good for 3:54/4:10 ratio-any other ratio and you have to change the carrier/case because of fit/clearance. But the good news is that the Dodge truck line has many ratios in the dana 60 so you can have fun shopping for the one you want.

 

[olebrowndodge]

you guys are a lot of help , thats why i get on these mopar forums and ask questions before i go and make to much of a fool of myself at my local parts place lol ,,,thanks for the info

 

[olebrowndodge]

guess im gonna have to find an 8 3/4 rear to get my car the way i want it

 

[R/T4speedconv]

That would be the easy/cheaper way....Or If you are lucky you can find a older Dodge Pick-up with a Dana 60 in it in a wreaking yard

 

[burntorange70]

How tall a tire are you running now? With a 26' tall tire and 3.55 that should put you at around 65 MPH at 3000 RPM. Go up to a 28' tire and the 3.55 and you will be around 70 MPH at 3000 RPM.

 

[joemac1j]

I don't know where the information comes from, but I put a 4:88 in a Dana 60 that came with 4:10 gears from the factory in my 70 Cuda 440-6Pk. I raced the car a lot. Didn't have to change the case.
joemac1j

 

[Supershafts]

Get a GV...

 

[moper]

Any dana can have any gear ratio. The carriers are the same, the offset differerce is done with shims. That being said, I've never seen a high gear than 3.54 for them. But, a 3.54 with a 29" tire is almost the same cruise rpm as a 3.23 with a 28. If you really want to get out of it, a good Dana 60 for an E body is worth about 3x what an 8 3/4 is. So aside from replacing the driveshaft, you should be making money off the deal.

 

[greenmonsta79]

You could just swap in a T-56 Thats what I plan on doing on my 71 Challenger Im building a 451 Stroker and stuffing a Viper T-56 behind it they make SFI bellhousing that bolt a T-56 behind a Big block Mopar, My Dana 60 is a 67 axle with a powerlock Posi and I have 3 gearsets that came with it a 4.10, 4.56 (in it now) and a 4.88 I was told the carrier from 4.10 up is one carrier the 4.10 down is another carrier, not to be confused with the CASE! Keep the Dana 60!