Dana 60 Drum Brakes

[Old_iron]

I am going through the brakes on my replacement Dana 60 Rear, and am not very familiar with them at all.

Do you guys see anything in there that I should replace? Spring kit?

Is there any way to function test the cylinders without having the system hooked up?

How can I check for rust in the brake hose inlet area (where the lines enter the brake housing)?

Is this grease (attached) fine to repack the axle bearings with?

Lastly, what type/weight of oil do I use in the diff once I'm all done?

Thanks!

[kwmech]

Wheel cylinders are relatively cheap. All the springs look good. I would take apart the adjuster wheel and make sure it is not frozen. Lube it up with some water proof grease. Pre lube the bearings with grease, but not heavily. Diff gets filled with 80/90

[Old_iron]

Originally Posted by kwmech

Wheel cylinders are relatively cheap. All the springs look good. I would take apart the adjuster wheel and make sure it is not frozen. Lube it up with some water proof grease. Pre lube the bearings with grease, but not heavily. Diff gets filled with 80/90

Thanks for the info. How do you check for rust in the brake hose inlet area (where the lines enter the brake housing)?

[Old_iron]

Also, is it standard to replace any of the seals when refreshing an old diff like this? The pinion seal or hub seals? Only if they look like they have been leaking?

[MYOUNG]

"Thanks for the info. How do you check for rust in the brake hose inlet area (where the lines enter the brake housing)?"

Are you talking about the inside of the wheel cylinder?? The brake line fitting is fastened to the back of the wheel cylinder and it protrudes from the backing plate on the outside a small amount so im not sure what you mean. If you want to check the wheel cylinder you can peel back the rubber boots and check for brake fluid. If fluid drips out when the boot is removed then that is an indication that the wheel cylinder seals are leaking. Wheel cylinders are fairly inexpensive on these trucks.

I think that you could replace both wheel cylinders and hardware kits with seals and brake shoes + gear oil and gasket for around 120$ That's what I paid when I went through the rear end and brakes on my 69 C20 with the dana 60. I did it about 4 months ago.

The pinion seal im not sure about as I left mine alone.

ROCK AUTO is your friend

[Old_iron]

Originally Posted by MYOUNG

Are you talking about the inside of the wheel cylinder??

Yes, I didn't know that they were one and the same.

Originally Posted by MYOUNG

If you want to check the wheel cylinder you can peel back the rubber boots and check for brake fluid. If fluid drips out when the boot is removed then that is an indication that the wheel cylinder seals are leaking.

Excellent, thank you.