Few month update on my strange dana 60.
07-23-2009, 12:04 PM
#1
Few month update on my strange dana 60. Well wanted to wait a bit on my dana 60 before posting up a review.
I heard that strange takes forever to make these but mine was ready in two weeks from order date.
It arrived and ordered a new driveshaft since they require a shorter one. I got that from strange at same time as rearend.
The rearend bolted on extremely easily and was plug and play pretty much.I ordered it with the backing plates installed and set up from my 3 channel abs.
My bmr lowering brackets bolted right on but my fat hothckis rear sway didn't fit that great. I moved that sway to my 96z and got sphone back moly sway bar and it fit perfect on the dana.
I went with 3.54 gears as am turboed and traction is already not so great even with drag tires and more so on my daily street tires.
The rear end is very quiet even after a couple months. It has maybe a bit of hum on decel and maybe very very slight hum or whine accel. Its certainly really good and have had horrible experiences with gear swaps into my stock rear end . 3.73 and 4.10 swaps gave me 8 to 9/10 for noise.It was so unbearable that went back to stock 3.42 was so depressed.
The 3.73 were richmond the 4.10 were gm motive. The 4.10 were quiet in my 97 ta but loud as heck in my 99 ta. Not sure exactly why. They were set up by pros too.
The dana gears are large and extremely strong and the dana tru track is stronger than the other rearends too so for now didn't get a spool or a locker .Also going to auto soon so that should help and the car is a street car that might see the track a few times in its life. So think the tru trak should hold up.
So thats about it. I am running currently a stock torque arm to the trans. I am going to torque arm off the trans mount when swap to the 4l80.
So overall I am a very happy dana 60 owner.
Local buddy/mechanic is pro racer. He has a near 8 second BBC vega and super wicked huge displacement BBC 1st gen camaro. He has run junkyard dana 60s for years and years and never eveb changed the fluid in his vega or had the cover off.
Never any problem at all and these are not spools or lockers. Both cars are autos one runs powerglide and not sure on the camaro maybe turbo 400.
They are driven on slicks or et streets. No babying he abuses hell out of these rearends and his cars in general.
So its a few pounds heavier than a 12 bolt or 9 inch. Few pounds extra don't mean crap to me. I wanted strong first priority. Make up for weight with hp.
My build now is likely putting down around 650rwhp at low boost just getting used to the build tuning it still and being conservative. Plan on max power of around 1000rwhp with spray and boost. Figure that is good enough top limit as past that would be out of fuel system and would worry more about the trans, and not sure how much my iron block can take. Anyway I think my dana will take all I can throw at it.
I am so happy with the dana that likely will get another one for my 96z when go procharger on it.
I heard that strange takes forever to make these but mine was ready in two weeks from order date.
It arrived and ordered a new driveshaft since they require a shorter one. I got that from strange at same time as rearend.
The rearend bolted on extremely easily and was plug and play pretty much.I ordered it with the backing plates installed and set up from my 3 channel abs.
My bmr lowering brackets bolted right on but my fat hothckis rear sway didn't fit that great. I moved that sway to my 96z and got sphone back moly sway bar and it fit perfect on the dana.
I went with 3.54 gears as am turboed and traction is already not so great even with drag tires and more so on my daily street tires.
The rear end is very quiet even after a couple months. It has maybe a bit of hum on decel and maybe very very slight hum or whine accel. Its certainly really good and have had horrible experiences with gear swaps into my stock rear end . 3.73 and 4.10 swaps gave me 8 to 9/10 for noise.It was so unbearable that went back to stock 3.42 was so depressed.
The 3.73 were richmond the 4.10 were gm motive. The 4.10 were quiet in my 97 ta but loud as heck in my 99 ta. Not sure exactly why. They were set up by pros too.
The dana gears are large and extremely strong and the dana tru track is stronger than the other rearends too so for now didn't get a spool or a locker .Also going to auto soon so that should help and the car is a street car that might see the track a few times in its life. So think the tru trak should hold up.
So thats about it. I am running currently a stock torque arm to the trans. I am going to torque arm off the trans mount when swap to the 4l80.
So overall I am a very happy dana 60 owner.
Local buddy/mechanic is pro racer. He has a near 8 second BBC vega and super wicked huge displacement BBC 1st gen camaro. He has run junkyard dana 60s for years and years and never eveb changed the fluid in his vega or had the cover off.
Never any problem at all and these are not spools or lockers. Both cars are autos one runs powerglide and not sure on the camaro maybe turbo 400.
They are driven on slicks or et streets. No babying he abuses hell out of these rearends and his cars in general.
So its a few pounds heavier than a 12 bolt or 9 inch. Few pounds extra don't mean crap to me. I wanted strong first priority. Make up for weight with hp.
My build now is likely putting down around 650rwhp at low boost just getting used to the build tuning it still and being conservative. Plan on max power of around 1000rwhp with spray and boost. Figure that is good enough top limit as past that would be out of fuel system and would worry more about the trans, and not sure how much my iron block can take. Anyway I think my dana will take all I can throw at it.
I am so happy with the dana that likely will get another one for my 96z when go procharger on it.
07-23-2009, 02:42 PM
#2
If you see posts like that, report them. I can ban spammers like that, but I can't remove their posts in this section since I'm not a moderator in here.
Back on topic - that's good to hear that you had a positive experience with your Strange D60. My Strange 12-bolt had a bad gear setup from the get-go, and has whined like a bitch since. I am going to have a pro set up a new set and see what happens - at least it hasn't gotten worse.
If anything does happen to your rear end over time, please let us know, both good and bad. Seems like the only time people comment about parts like these is when they have problems (like me), but you rarely hear the stories of the people that are happy.
Sounds like you have a stout setup that will really put this rear through its paces...
Back on topic - that's good to hear that you had a positive experience with your Strange D60. My Strange 12-bolt had a bad gear setup from the get-go, and has whined like a bitch since. I am going to have a pro set up a new set and see what happens - at least it hasn't gotten worse.
If anything does happen to your rear end over time, please let us know, both good and bad. Seems like the only time people comment about parts like these is when they have problems (like me), but you rarely hear the stories of the people that are happy.
Sounds like you have a stout setup that will really put this rear through its paces...
07-23-2009, 03:03 PM
#3
If you see posts like that, report them. I can ban spammers like that, but I can't remove their posts in this section since I'm not a moderator in here.
Back on topic - that's good to hear that you had a positive experience with your Strange D60. My Strange 12-bolt had a bad gear setup from the get-go, and has whined like a bitch since. I am going to have a pro set up a new set and see what happens - at least it hasn't gotten worse.
If anything does happen to your rear end over time, please let us know, both good and bad. Seems like the only time people comment about parts like these is when they have problems (like me), but you rarely hear the stories of the people that are happy.
Sounds like you have a stout setup that will really put this rear through its paces...
Back on topic - that's good to hear that you had a positive experience with your Strange D60. My Strange 12-bolt had a bad gear setup from the get-go, and has whined like a bitch since. I am going to have a pro set up a new set and see what happens - at least it hasn't gotten worse.
If anything does happen to your rear end over time, please let us know, both good and bad. Seems like the only time people comment about parts like these is when they have problems (like me), but you rarely hear the stories of the people that are happy.
Sounds like you have a stout setup that will really put this rear through its paces...
Yeah if you want quiet gears get oem not sure when you go the strange or maybe try yukon and think read good things about precision??
Oem should be very quiet. Ratio of course can make it worse too if you are up there like 4.10s. Being 3.54 likely helps some as well.
I really should have taken the extra time to have the pattern checked before initial break in. I could have maybe go it to be even quieter . Also think some noise is from it being a worm gear posi and just the sheer size of the gears in it.
My 3.73 and 4.10 were pretty quiet at first but pretty much right after a short period of few hundred miles they were awfull. This rear end already has couple thouand miles or so on it so feeling pretty safe. And cant' see it getting louder from launching it this thing is stout.
07-23-2009, 03:24 PM
#5
Are you stick or auto?
Auto think no problems at all heck guys run pretty good power on stock 10bolts .
Stick well stick think fine. I am stick now and am around 650rwhp I would think but then I am not tracking it on et streets either yet.
Remeber these things come standard with 35 spline axles.
I would run a tru trak and see if you break it. Then if you do then go to
locker or spool. The dana tru trak is going to be stronger than the nine inch or 12 bolt anyway so were you going to spool or locker in those then?
I would go and run my car at track now but sold my current t56 to buddy so can't be abusing it before it comes out of the car. Its taking willpower especially since buddy lent me his et street radials in case I want to play a bit!
Seriously I read the dana tru track is good for 1000.
Might be in older posts on the comparison thread between rear ends.
Dana is a freaking monster but I like it! Local guys got mosers..very noisy too. superloud whine on at least two of them. But its not rearend its gears and setup. I think people should check patterns before running them I should have and got pretty lucky but still should have.
07-23-2009, 05:21 PM
#7
wow 1000,i shud be good with the trutrak then,like you said before it might be heavier but hp can replace that,i look for the strongest also,gonna be leaving the line at 5000 or better so i want it to hold.i have m6 its in my signature,the rear and dyno tune shud be installed by the end of august and hoping to hit the track for mid to low tens.
