If one was to buy an off-the-shelf, complete rear end for a 3600 lb leaf spring Nova with a 625 HP BB, that could see a 200 shot of nitrous, what would be the best choice. I don't care about the efficiency at all, and even weight much. Just durability. Don't want to have to worry at all about anything breaking.

This is a stock width rear.

Cost needs to be below $2k.

Strange 60, 9 Inch, or 12 bolt?

Will see less than 1000 street miles a year which is mostly driving 10 miles to the track.

Are there locker diffs that are very durable and hook as well as a spool, yet would be better on the street than a spool? Or at this power level is a spool the only reasonable option.

Also, who would offer this rear with quality components and proper setup and assembly?

Thanks.

wel from what i heard the 60s are near unbreakable, heavy and ineffecient though. very limited street id go spool.

Well......I'm also a Nova guy.
I havce always driven to and from the track.
I have a lot of high 10, low 11 passes on my 12 bolt.
I run a spool, 4.10 gears, and good axles with C-clip eliminators. The tubes are welded to the center section, and I run a cap support cover with the axle brace tubes from LPW.
In 6 years, I have lost 1 set of gears. They didn't break, just wore out and got noisy. I should have left them till they broke, the replacement sets have been a pain in the butt. Richmonds I might add. Quiet until I raced one time....
This is a tough call. Price wise, the 12 bolt is cheaper, but if you break it.......the cost can double in a hurry.
If I had to do this again from the start, I'd go 9" and have it made bullet proof. There are a few shops who can make you one to bolt in.
Look in the car mags for sources.
Moser comes to mind. And Dutchman motorsports in Portland OR is another.
I don't know about locker diffs, but I will say that a posi won't last with continious strip duty.
Every time you come out of the water, one tire might hook before the other, and the clutches take all the abuse. They wear and then the posi doesn't posi anymore. Been there done that.....never got the T shirt. But did spend a lot on the posi. Also, the spider gears will break. And that sucks.
You have enough HP to justify doing it right. But under $2K will be a struggle.
Ron

I wouldn't even consider a Dana, too damn heavy, granted their just about unbreakable, but holy crap are those things heavy. That leaves the 12 bolt and 9" to choose from, with the potential to exceed 800 HP, I would probably opt for the 9" and I would nix the posi unit and run the spool. The big decision is cost, the 9" done right will run roughly 2500, the 12 bolt about 1500-1800. One last thing to consider, if you opted for the 9" and built it right you can throw a lot more horsepower at it than the 12 bolt. IMO the 12 bolt is getting close to the ragged edge as far as dependability with 800 HP and a 3600 pound car.

I would consider 12 bolt. That will give you most value when selling.

M/W has masterline 35spl axel, Masterline Steel spool, Italian made gears in ( brown boxes )

I would consider using Ford 9" ends, but with 12 bolt bolt pattern. And modify brake shields.

Its Cheap, it works. And it works great.

Running 8,88 with 671hp/300 shot in 3200lbs. 1 season. lot of street miles. over 100 runs. Everything looks fine.

A richmond Pro gear had been down before.

Thought i heard some where(possobly richmond)that their pro gear can be used on the street if torco gear oil is used if i have the name correct! Not sure what you meant on last sentence. AL

with a 9inch you can change gear ratios easier, you cam also have a spare pumpkin just in case

he said he didnt care about the weight,

J-Lo

has anyone used the strange dana 60? it looks like a lotta rear for the money. i'd bet that is a rear that once you got it you could just forget about it. no first hand experience though. mike

For brute strength, the Dana 60 is the way to go. Slightly heavier, but not as heavy as you might think when compared to 9 inch or twelve bolt. Can't remember the exact weights at this time. Would just go with a used rear and have a reputable shop set it up. Any of the rear ends will be very easy to install into a leaf-spring car.

12-bolt rear works very well when properly set-up. Would need the good bearing caps and a girdle to live.

9-inch is an excellent rear and makes gear ratio changes much easier. The location of the pinion in relation to the ring gear makes the 9-inch "use up" more horsepower than the 60 or the 12-bolt, but this can be remedied by using a Strange center section that uses 12-bolt gears.

EDIT: Ron454, if your gears got noisey after the first race, there is something wrong with the set-up. You might want to have the rear checked out and they "might" be able to be saved if not too worn. Otherwise they will just get worse.

Originally posted by Big Block Dave:
J-Lo Can she adapt to a 9", or did Puffy hone the bushings out too far?

Thanks guys,
Any comment on a locker for a 12 bolt or 60 that is about as good as a spool and is VERY durable?

I have a 8.5" 10 bolt with GM posi in the car now running 12.0s with probably close to 1000 passes on it ans it still works great, but the new engine is a whole new game.

I just want a rear I do not have to worry about at all. I will have all the engine I need and more.

Originally posted by Big Block Dave:
J-Lo Ditto, no double ditto

Originally posted by onovakind67:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Big Block Dave:
J-Lo Can she adapt to a 9", or did Puffy hone the bushings out too far? </font>[/QUOTE]nice!

Both the 9" Ford rear end and the Dana are good choices. The twelve bolt uses less power but won't hold up to a lot of power for a long time. The 9" and 12 Bolt both weigh about 210-220 pounds and the Dana 60 comes at a little over 250 pounds, complete. The dana is about as strong as a tank but the Nodular Iron 9" is much easier to change gears in. You can even set up two different pumpkins with different gearsets and swap them in and out as needed. There are also many more gear ratios available for the Ford. It's truly one of Ford's best design ideas ever. I've seen lots of broken 12 bolt ring and pinion gears. They just spread under load a lot easier than the larger Dana and break the teeth off the R&P gears. The 12 bolt rears are about .15 hundredths of a second quicker down the quarter but break more, they last O.K. if you have an automatic without a tranny brake which "shocks" the gears like a stick. The main disadvantage for the Ford 9" is cost as one set up with good parts will set you back a little over $3K dollars. The Dana and 12 Bolt can be had for a little over $2K. I'd reccommend a spool for dragstrip use as it will make the car bite a lot better. If using a posi-trac get a detroit locker or the best Spicer available and stay away from the Ford cone type as they don't work and aren't rebuildable. For any of the above see Strange or Mark Williams first, check out all options, then decide how much you are willing to spend.( Kinda like buying stereo equipment). I forgot to mention that if the 12 Bolt is chosen it is very important to make sure that the axle tubes are welded to the center section to prevent the axle tubes from pulling out because they are only pressed in. Any aftermarket supplier should do this anyhow, but it's good to check first.

For the cost, I'd go with the Dana. Nothing says fast like the cover of a Dana 60 staring at you! Plus, even though it is a little heavier, it is weight in the right place, over the tires. If you plan on changing gear ratios often, go 9". I'm not sure about the J Lo, I think it's been used and abused too much and seems to "break up" alot. :D

Go with the 60. If you can find one of the 6 pinion posi units it will actually live (it is the only thing that I ever had live in a low ten second car). Yes they are a real pain to set up but they will not break and any of the old Mopar huge drum brakes will fit if you use the Mopar axle ends.

Doug can I jump in graemlins/waving.gif Mike, Harold, and others, what about the Strange Dana specifically guys? How do you like it? Would you all change anything from how it comes? Sounds like a hell of a deal to me by the time you upgrade a 12 with tube ends, axles, Eaton, 1350 pinion, etc.......

Mike, since your an old time stick racer, do you think this will hold up to a 10.00 heavy stick car and would you opt for any upgrades? Like brakes,wheel bolt pattern, splines etc????

Thanks graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I had this same problem this year with my 12 bolt letting go. I went the 9 inch route. I got a Chris Alston Fab 9 bolt in with a backbrace. I got it powdercoated black. I installed edelbrock adjustable upper's and used my ssm lower lift bars. I installed hotchkis frame braces. I went with a auburn posi with 31 spline axles. I had the housing ends come with big furd bearings drilled with a chevy bolt pattern for my stock rear brakes. (I was running out of money). The housing with strange axles, bearings and studs set me back about 1500 bucks. I built the third member for about 600 bucks including labor. The rearend is setup now. Next comes the 496 :cool:

I looked in Moser and the highest gear I saw for the "60" rear was a 3.73.

I was planning on going with a 3.55 or so rear. Anyone know of a higher gear than a 3.73 available?

I'll give Strange a call and see what they have to say.

Don't have the money to do this once, certainly not enough to do it twice. I would hope the Strange Dana 60 would allow you to use common brakes. Have to check.

I looked on the Strange website and saw a set of Dana60 3.55 gears.... I'm planning on calling on Monday to find out for sure.

If you don't care about weight, I recommend a 14-bolt full floater. :D

BOD

Originally posted by caru68:
I'm not sure about the J Lo, I think it's been used and abused too much and seems to "break up" alot. :D it came delivered with a Crack down the middle!

Everyone has about described it pretty good.

But I wonder how many folks really ever change gear ratios in a 9" by just plopping in another chunk? Serious guys of course have another killer assembled aftermarket centersection sitting there (maybe 2 or 3 of them), ubt that's pretty expensive stuff..could easily add up to a spare $2000-$2500+ of parts. It's always touted as a benefit, but most street type guys I know don't have that many spare chunks laying around with optional or spare gear sets. If it dies, they pull it out and fix it.

Also lots of folks assume that just about any 9" is killer, when in fact many are really pretty weak. Gotta get the right stuff. Aftermarket stuff is getting cheaper though with competition, so that helps.

So, other than having to lay on your back to change gears, when/if you break it, the quick change benefit isn't that big of a deal to me. Still gotta pull axles etc. But I admit it's easier to set it up on a table than on your back! Plus having the side adjusters instead of shims is nice!

The Strange 60 is now made with screw type side adjusters which is a BIG advantage over a regular Dana 60. Old way required lots of press work! PITA!

But for a cheap strong diff, I think you could probably use a truck type 3.54 or 4.10 Dana 60. Find one with the Powerlok 6 pinion posi and change axles and outer housing ends and you're going for pretty cheap. You could throw in a spool if you wanted to. Yes it's heavy, but odds are it's gonna outlive you!

Otherwise, I'd have a hard time not using a Strange 60 or one of the other variations these days.


JIM

I have the Strange 60 in my Chevelle. For the price of upgrading my stock rear with new axles, c-clip eliminators, new gears, posi unit, etc. I went with the entire rear end from Strange ready to bolt in. I also purchased a Ford 11" Rear Drum kit from them as well. The rear end is heavy and I was told it eats up some power, but I wanted a bullet proof a rear end as I could get. IMO, for the money, it was worth it to me.

The Dana 60 is a very strong rear end. I have two Camaro buddies with Danas and know for a fact that gears to 3.54 are available for them. My Super/Stock racer friend has had one in a 396/427" - '69 Camaro that was in there for 14 years with no maintenance until the pinion nut backed off. This was not the Dana's fault. I think the Strange unit would be a great rear end for a put it in and forget it car and should live with any amount of power. The second Camaro friend has a nitrous 593" with over 1000 RWHP and has had no trouble with the Dana. (8.63 @ 163 - 3480 lbs.)

Yes, 3.54's are easily available and if you get a little crazy like I did and need less gear..in my case 3.07's, you can modify stuff for a Dana 61 without too much trouble. I think there are even some 3.33's available.

I'm not sure who's making the new housings, but seems like everyone has them now. The biggest deal with a Strange 60 is the screw adjusters and the pinion snubber mount for Mopar guys. Otherwise you can still get new stock Dana housings very cheap.


JIM
JIM

with everyone chasing 9" 's are rare around here, so my bud sent a 14-bolt chev trk to dutchman in portland , had it cut down to length for his 55 / 427 / 5-speed - and the newer bigger axles were drilled for 5 on 5 3/4 not 6 lug , they set it up and put street 3:73 AND NO WAY is that ground pounder ever tearing that rear end out, FOR something differnt. eazy too find .

I had 3 assembled pigs for my 9", but two were factory stock. 2.73, 3.23, and 4.11. I bought them all assembled from a mustang restorer. It got that I could make the change in about 90 minutes. Getting the pumpkin back on all of those studs at once is a RPITA when you're alone on your back. I was nowhere near the power levels you guys are talking about though.

The biggest thing to remember is that your rear end is only as good as the parts in it. Some of those killer deals in the back of magazines are just that. Killer on your parts. I had a 9" in my camaro with all MW stuff in it and it was by far overkill in the durabilty department. But I also learned the hard way on the 9" I did buy to fix up.

I used the factory center section that my chassis guy told me NOT to use. "It'll be O.K." I said. Well the first time I went to the track with it I launched at 5800rpm and the whole pinion support came right out of the rear end, still attached to the driveshaft, spinning and wreaking havoc on the rest of the underside of a car. One week link did about $1200 in damage and I was only making about 540 ftlbs of torque.

It destroyed the centersection, gears, driveshaft, one ladderbar, and the back of the trans. Tokk the MW stuff to my chassis guy and he checked it all for runout and it was still dead on. Says alot for MW, which I would live and die by.

If I had to do it again, I would put a 12 bolt back in the car. With the advent of today's technology and the quality of parts, one could put plenty of power at it and it would still live with no problem. Look at the Stock/Superstock racers out there today that STILL run 12 bolt rears and are making gobs of HP and TQ with very steep gears in HEAVY cars(they have to weigh factory plus 170lbs to be legal.

With a little time on your part and the right guts in the rear you could be very confident with one and still stay around that $2000 mark.

If your that leary of a 12bolt, put a 9" with 12 bolt guts in it. The biggest problem with the 12bolt was the housing flexed and the guts took the beating. With welded ends(both), a good rear end cover, and quality housing ends and axles, a 12bolt will live behind many high HP launches.

Rob

I think I'll call Strange up about the 60.

How much was the brake kit for it?

And how good is the traction lock rear that comes std with it? Is that a clutch type unit?

If your going to get any type of posi-trac do the Detroit Locker thing. The Heavy duty Eaton holds up pretty well also. But if you want the best bite get a spool with good 31 spline or larger axles. All of these items are available for a Dana 60. The Strange unit would be a good choice.

The Strange 60 Rear End comes standard with 35 spline SST axles, Gear of your choice (9.75 ring gear) 3" Axle Tubes Welded 360*, 1350 pinion yoke, Trac-loc posi or spool,(I think), I cant remember what type of housing ends you can order. I went with the Ford Housing Ends. I wanted to keep my brake system as unaffected as possible so I went with the Ford 11" rear drum Kit. I think the price was $275 or so. The 11" drums did make a difference in stopping power. I think they are the same as The F150 Trucks get. The salesperson at Strange told me that this rear end could handle 1000 HP easily. I am no where near that or ever will be. I dont think I will be breakin this thing either, Like Harold said, put it in and forget about it. I also went with a new Driveshaft and a 1350 tranny yoke as well, all from Strange.

I forgot to mention that the Dana 60 is 95% efficient too.

How does a detroit locker "drive" on the street. I recal riding in a car that had one (I think) years ago and it was pretty harsh when cornering on tighter turns.

It still must be better than a spool.

The way this car is getting, I don't mind putting up with stuff, I just don't want it to drive me too nuts. It is only a weekend street/strip toy.

I've heard that the Detroit Lockers snap and pop going around corners but have never used one myself. My son has a heavy duty Eaton in his truck twelve bolt and it has been unbreakable so far. The truck is 4080 pounds and has stock axles. Can you say thank you lord, 10.48 @ 127 on stock axles. He has been very lucky so far.