[lowrollin70gmc]

A Dana 60 isn't too bad to set up, I'm actually finishing mine up this weekend and I set up a friends last spring.

I take a set of old carrier bearings and slightly hone the inner diameter so that they slide on the carrier with some effort, but no press required. I also do this to the race of the inner pinion bearing as this is how the pinion depth is adjusted. These are my set up bearings as the shims on a D60 go between the bearing and case and pressing new bearings on and off is risking damaging them. Once I have an acceptable pattern and backlash I press on the new bearings, beat it into the case with a deadblow hammer and recheck the pattern and backlash.

Take your time and google how to read patterns (easy once understood). I also make large adjustments (.010 or .020) until I bookend the desired pattern and fine tune it after that. Easier to make two .010 adjustments followed by an .005 and maybe an .002 than ten .002 adjustments.

Dana 60 Tools: Micrometer (for shims), deadblow hammer, dial indicator and stand, 1 5/16 socket, torque wrench (ft-lbs), dial indicating torque wrench (in-lbs)




I learned how to do this after a shop screwed up my Nova's axle. For the $300 in labor it cost me plus a set of thrashed bearings ($150) in the 2000 miles driven I could have had the correct tools. Instead I was out the $450 as I was 1800 miles away and wasn't going to go back to that shop.