Dana 60 size axles for M37

[Joe Rokon]

Bruce,thanks for the heads up. Now I understand. What engine are you running in your M37?

[Bruce B]

Joe, my truck is a 1941 WC 1/2 ton closed cab. i am running a Cummins 4BT 4cyl diesel,SM 465 trans,div. 205 t-case 44" super swamper boggers,1/2 ton rear housing w/M37 3rd member w/upgraded 3/4 ton axle shafts, front and rear lockrights and a M37 front axle housing. this combo makes a great trail riding machine.
maybe pieter has a pic he will post?? BB

[pieter]

My Favorite Truck what I would buy in a heartbeat...
I have pictures, but not with me right now. I will post a few up when I get a chance. This is the only one I have hosted of the engine compartment.

[Desoto61]

There are three master cylinders on the firewall. Are the brakes set up with seperate MCs like on some race cars so you can adjust the bias front and rear?

[Bruce B]

yes, they are the race car pedals that use seperate front and rear MCs
w/ bias. adjustment. 3rd MC is for the clutch. BB

[pieter]

Pictures of Bruces Truck...

Ironically, I don't have any action photo's ;o(

But, you can follow the link and see some other pictures. There are a couple I snagged a long time ago :o) If you look closely, some of you may recognize a particular Town Wagon in it's infancy of trail usage.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmvliet...7616037231597/

[Don in Missouri]

I have some action shots of Bruce's truck on rocks at http://imageevent.com/shaggy/potawatomi

[Unimogr]

We've got an M37 with a 350 Chevy that's sitting in an unfinished state in the shop. I've tried to convince the guys to swap in a pair of Unimog 404 portal axles. (7:56-1, diff locks)

[pieter]

Additional Pic - 5

Toasted Stock axle, inner short side

[pieter]

Pic 6

Stock Dana 60 u-joint compared to CTM Dana 60 u-joint

[pieter]

Pic 7

Here is a link to all the pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmvliet...7615727954189/

[pieter]

Additional pictures:



and

[MasterYota]

Wow thats a tight fit inside the bell... From the pictures it appears there isn't enough room for the joint/shaft yokes to articulate during a sharp turn. Do you think there is enough room or are you planning to modify the shape of the bell to accomodate the movement of the larger yoke?

Looks good though!

[Bruce B]

Its a tight fit inside the bell. if you look at the headon pic you can see a little peen mark about 4 O'clock. because of caster (spl?)at that mark it will take approx 1/4" deep X 1/2" long recess to clear the bell at full left turn. there is another brand of outter that is machined more square in the problem area that might work with little or no relief. i turned in the steering stops as much as the bell would allow and that also affected the clearace at full turn. makes a huge differance on the trail decreasing the turning radius though.
but the above is the least of my worries right now, i just found out the outer hub bearing i was using is not compatible with the race.i am going the try and find a bearng race combo that will work or might have to use the original spindle or use D-60 hubs. D-60 hubs might put the rotor to close to the knuckle and would also require new wheels.so project "Mil-60" is on hold. BB

[Keith in CO]

D60

Thanks for the posts Bruce. You are a brave pioneer indeed. Being able to convert these Dodge axles to high-spline count D60 shafts would address one of the weakest links in the drive line.

I suspect it would be more well recieved if the original spindle and wheel pattern could be used, especially for someone to step up and offer a conversion kit. At some point it becomes more feasible to just swap the entire axle as an assy.

Keep us posted on the hub bearing issue. Also, info on which aftermarket D60 shafts likely fit (application intended for Ford, Dodge or Cheby? lengths? etc) would come in handy. What did it take to respline the side gear and drive flange?