I had some awful noises coming from the rear end and was going away for the weekend so I thought I would drop the truck off at the local drive shaft place who I have had done some work before. Anyway, I just got the call that the whole rear-end is shot, have you guys ever heard of this? Evidentally the pinion has missing teeth, I am going to look at it now and I will post any thing I see. Does anyone have a source for this stuff, he told me the parts are crazy expensive.

Let me know guys....

 

Sounds like a pinion bearing went bad and caused the pinion to move back and fourth causing it to "knife edge" until it breaks.


Ring and pinions are only about $200 for a Dana 70 from Randy's Ring and Pinion (www.ringandpinion.com) but most places will charge an arm and a leg to install them. Most places I hear charge anywhere from $300-$500. Depending on the damage, you might also have to buy spider gears and carriers.


They're pretty hard to install yourself, I helped out with about 5 ring and pinion installations until I was able to do it myself. Also takes a few special tools like dial calipers and air tools to make it easy. You have to get it set within a few hundreths of an inch.

For a cheaper installation, you might want to try to find some buddies that either have race cars or off road vehicles, as they change their ring and pinions a lot. Maybe you'll find someone who can do it for around $100.

However, it might be easier just to find a Dana 70 or Dana 80 from a junkyard and install it. I'm sure you can get those rear axles anywhere from $100-$300 in a junkyard, and installing an existing axle with the same model is simple. Just hook up brake lines and the leaf springs and go.

 

Well, just got back from the shop, it is ugly. It looks like what you described is correct. In the bottom of the housing sat 3 teeth of the pinion. So they are ordering the rebuild kit, which consists of all new bearings pinion and main, about $400. All said and done the bill will be around $700-$800, that hurts. There is nothing I can do now since the whole thing is in parts on the hoist. This is another painful lesson in life owning the mighty CTD.

 

If it was me, I wouldve gone to a newer rearend assy with disk brakes for $1000.00 plus r+r labor.
-Jim-

 

Be glad it isnt a non od first gen with 3.08s, you`d be out of luck on parts from what I hear.

 

You can convert an existing or junkyard Dana 70 to disks for very cheap and easily. The brackets are only about $50. Then use Cadillac El Dorado calipers (so you can have an ebrake) for around $80, rotors from a '75 C20 for pretty cheap, and a few brake line adapters maybe. You might have to get rid of the proportining valve, I dont know yet.

I'll be converting mine to disks soon, I hate drum brakes, especially one ton brakes.

 

Who makes the brackets and where can we get them?

And what year ElDorado Brakes?

 

I'd love to know where to get the brackets as well. That would be a great mod on my truck, but how's this going to affect my rear antilock? I think I'll be out of luck if I want to keep ABS. It does help in the snow.

 

$1350 or so for a complete replacement in this area. Thats' brake to brake. You price sounds about right when I was checking a while back.

TB, when you get going on the conversion, take pics and keep us up to date. Thanks, Don.

 

Converted my Dana 60 rear (same spindles and hubs as a 70) in my Jeep to discs. It is very simple, really. You can use 73 - 87 3/4 ton GM front calipers, brackets and rotors. You do have to modify the brackets a bit, though. The center has to be hogged out a bit and the 4 bolt pattern drilled with the correct spacing from the mounting flange on the axle. I don't use a proportioning valve but I do use an adjustable limit valve to stop the rears from locking up prematurely. You have 2 options of caliper and pad size that both work. I use a transfercase mounted e-brake (much stronger) so I didn't bother messing with a caliper e-brake. I helped a buddy convert his 95 2500 to the same style disc setup and it never set the ABS light off but the truck has 44" swampers so I don't think the ABS were ever try to work because you would not be able to lock up the rears on his anyway. He did keep the proportioning valve and it works fine.

 

I'd like more info on this "upgrade". If the Dana 60 and 70 are the same why did you have to modify things?

 

Lots of guys make disk brackets that bolt on to the four holes by the spindles. You can probaly get brackets made for the Dodge 70 instead of modifying the Dana 60 or 14FF ones.

When I convert mine, I'll do a writeup and post it here with pics and stuff. It'll be about a month or two because I have some other little projects like a gooseneck hitch and transfer tank to do first.

I'm pretty sure it's the pre 1978 Eldo calipers, because they are the same pattern as the '75 calipers I used (that way they'll fit the premade brackets)

 

I guess I am not sure what you mean

The 60 that I used on my Jeep has the same spindles and bearing hubs as a Dodge 70. The chevy caliper brackets are what had to be modified. I implied that the same thing can be done to the 60 and the 70.

 

Please clarify for me, If I buy a set of Dodge Dana 60 caliper like I see on E-bay, they will or will not go right onto the Dana 70 in my truck? What happens if I upgrade to a Dana 80? The rest of the parts are from a Chevy truck? What do you do if you want to keep e-brakes on the rear calipers and not use the driveshaft brake?

 

Funny thing, last night Karen land looked at an 85 crew cab long box, 2wd. We plan on trading an 8N tractor for it. He's throwing in a huge, aluminum transfer tank, and one of the heaviest goose neck plates I've seen. The rockers and cab corners aren't perfect, but have a couple years left in them. The carb needs some tweaking, and a couple other little things.