Ultimate Dana 60 axles for JK

[Nice Little Jeep]

opportunity talk about the good things and the not so good things of the UD60 axles.

[AJK]

Ohhhh, dont get me me stated Dennis, I have nothing good to say about them LOL. I hope I got all the bad luck for the both of us and you get to sail on without any issues.

 

Thick brackets dont mean shit, if you only weld 50 percent of them.

[KevinG]

16 hours ago, AJK said:

Ohhhh, dont get me me stated Dennis, I have nothing good to say about them LOL. I hope I got all the bad luck for the both of us and you get to sail on without any issues.

 

Thick brackets dont mean shit, if you only weld 50 percent of them.

You can't have all of the bad luck to yourself!  This was in AZ last year.  Funny thing is when I got the shop that Scott knows they asked what is wrong and I got the words "UD60 upper control...." and he cut me off and said he has brackets pre-made.  I will say that there are some things I really like about the axles overall, like the brakes, but in hindsight I kind of wish I was more patient to wait for Currie's or DT, although I might still be waiting for DT....

[fiend]

On 1/13/2023 at 10:28 AM, KevinG said:

You can't have all of the bad luck to yourself!  This was in AZ last year.  Funny thing is when I got the shop that Scott knows they asked what is wrong and I got the words "UD60 upper control...." and he cut me off and said he has brackets pre-made.  I will say that there are some things I really like about the axles overall, like the brakes, but in hindsight I kind of wish I was more patient to wait for Currie's or DT, although I might still be waiting for DT....

How did that happen?

[AJK]

2 hours ago, fiend said:

How did that happen?

I blame Richard at Dana spicer coming in hung over and fucking up.

[KevinG]

The upper control arm bracket came welded on just two sides.  The part that I'm holding towards the camera  is actually the bottom/back of the bracket and doesn't quite reach the tube, so it isn't welded.  In fact, I think you can see where the weld stops near my thumb.  I think it just got enough fatigue that it finally gave out.  I'm pretty sure it happened on the highway on the way to AZ.

 

 

 

  Like I said before, part of me wishes I would have waited for DT or spent a little more on Curries, but at the time I literally bought these and my tires at the same time, and the axles arrived first.  The availability is awesome.  The brakes are massive and pads are easy to come by if needed, the wheel speed sensors were there and were not any drama.  I was able to use my steering from my PR44 and just swap it over. 

The bad: I got "talked" in to E lockers which never worked out well for me, but that's definitely on me for letting someone sell me on them.  Even this bracket thing is on me since it's all over the internet that it's a known thing with them, and had I been smarter I would have had someone with more experience (Byron lol) take a better look at them to see I needed to address it before I put them in.

  

 

 

  

[KevinG]

4 minutes ago, AJK said:

I blame Richard at Dana spicer coming in hung over and fucking up.

I gotta admit, I feel guilty for you having a rough time with them.  I think you and I had started chatting on WAL and I told you that I was having good luck with them.  

  On the other hand, since you sold your old axles before your dynatrac order, your jeep might still be on jackstands in your garage waiting for pro rocks.  

[AJK]

32 minutes ago, KevinG said:

I gotta admit, I feel guilty for you having a rough time with them.  I think you and I had started chatting on WAL and I told you that I was having good luck with them.  

  On the other hand, since you sold your old axles before your dynatrac order, your jeep might still be on jackstands in your garage waiting for pro rocks.  

Na, that’s what I get for not listening to my gut. I needed the axles now and they were available at a good price.

 

So, let’s list what I have fixed or modify.

·       Cut and rewelded rear track bar for clearance.

·       Cut off all rear brackets for Evo LA.

·       Blew the rear locker and gears out and had to replace every seal and bearing in the rear.

·       Pulled both E lockers and went to ARB. That was the best decision I made with these axles.

·       Cut off front upper arm mount and replaced with Currie Joint since the UD were fucking toast within the first year.

·       Broke the front track bar.

·       Broke the front track bar again completely.

·       And now I need to service my hubs.

 

Pulling out front tomorrow to cut off track bar, lower control arm mounts, and shock mounts. I am going to widen the shock mounts as far as I can for a better coil over angle. Got a new Synergy weld on trackbar mount for ram, and will probably cut off the coil buckets and fab new bump stops.

 

But yeah, on paper they were the biggest and strongest axles out there at the time LOL. The list of broken shit has passed the non-broken shit.

[AJK]

Ohhh, I forgot to add the first time I pulled the rear drain bolt out it was stripped. I RTV that shit and Uggg-A-Duggg that bitch so it can never be removed.

[Nice Little Jeep]

Well, I have read and listen to all the responds. I have not broken anything on these axles yet. (I’m gonna use the word yet) I have ran them for less than a year now, it will be one year Father’s Day weekend. Been pretty ginger with them this first year for the most part. The first year I’ve been working on my set up, making sure, the steering, suspension, Elockers and gears are all working properly. everything seems to be working like it’s supposed to. I will step it up this next year and put a little bit more of a beating on the jeep. This will be the year, I will know if I made the right axle and setup choice. Starting at the high desert round up. More to come

[Nice Little Jeep]

One-year inspection on the rear axle removed the cover to inspected. It looks in great shape. Gears are wearing really good. 

[AJK]

Looking good Dennis!

[fiend]

Is that glitter or bubbles in the oil?

[Nice Little Jeep]

2 hours ago, fiend said:

Is that glitter or bubbles in the oil?

It’s bubbles that’s why I did the socket wrench handle, so that you could see that there’s not glitter in it

[Nice Little Jeep]

Great article for installing the PSC Hydro assist system on a JK with UD60s axles.
 

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1710-jeep-wrangler-jk-psc-hydro-assist-steering-upgrade/?sm_id=organic:sm_id:fb:4WDSU:trueanthem&fbclid=IwAR1T08dnt9lIUKI4Jrw2P6r-RaKeu9l7MdwywHiylC9jerjBrgmEOcrSm_Q_aem_ASOD1j6VLyMPunrp_5P6RNTpKx1dtBkwJuQCB9q2x2yQuvk6js8Z_J_ZD7I5HaWrdJs&mibextid=Zxz2cZ