Why no dana in an AAR or T/A ?

[Moparal]

Because they were to heavy?  Not enough power to break an 8.75?   Weight balance ratio?  Just wondering

[JS27N0B]

Because they were to heavy?  Not enough power to break an 8.75?   Weight balance ratio?  Just wondering

I'm sure it was because it was not required becasue the hp and torque was low enough, and why add cost and weight to the cars.

[340Challman]

So why does everybody like the Dana? They may be strong but I think the design stinks. Shoving the axle seals all the way in to the inner bearings is in my opinion piss poor engineering. What I consider a maintenance item requires a $500 tool to spread the housing to extract the carrier so that you can change a seal. The housing has spread limits and each time you spread it you creep up on the max tolerance. I prefer an 8.75 with the third member. So is it just the novelty like having a Hemi?
My Challenger has a Dana with 4.10's and I dread the day I see weeping at the drums.

[Alaskan_TA]

Extra weight & more mass for the engine to spin that 340 cars just do not need to be burdened with. 

[71chally416]

The question should be why did GM put a 10 bolt in a 454 Corvette? 

[JS27N0B]

So why does everybody like the Dana? They may be strong but I think the design stinks. Shoving the axle seals all the way in to the inner bearings is in my opinion piss poor engineering. What I consider a maintenance item requires a $500 tool to spread the housing to extract the carrier so that you can change a seal. The housing has spread limits and each time you spread it you creep up on the max tolerance. I prefer an 8.75 with the third member. So is it just the novelty like having a Hemi?
My Challenger has a Dana with 4.10's and I dread the day I see weeping at the drums.

The carrier does not need to come out to replace axles seals. It is a Semi floating axle shaft with seals at the end of the tubes. it is no different than changing axles seals in a 9 1/4 or 8 1/4 diff. Come to think of it the only Dana 60 I can think of that would require carrier removal to replace axles seals is in the fronts of trucks.  I do wish they had the threaded adjusters like Chrysler corporate diffs though.

[340Challman]

The carrier does not need to come out to replace axles seals. It is a Semi floating axle shaft with seals at the end of the tubes. it is no different than changing axles seals in a 9 1/4 or 8 1/4 diff. Come to think of it the only Dana 60 I can think of that would require carrier removal to replace axles seals is in the fronts of trucks.  I do wish they had the threaded adjusters like Chrysler corporate diffs though.

That is a relief. And that was the last time I worked on a Dana, in my Ramcharger. That sucked. Even had to drop the leaf out because the spreader wouldn't bite the housing fully with the spring in the way.  All for a seal.

[Chryco Psycho]

it would require the yolk to be removed to change the pinion seal , just as it would on an 8 3/4 diff & the dana doesn`t have a crush sleeve  it would be easier on the Dana

 Good question on the 10 bolt Vettes though 

[340Challman]

it would require the yolk to be removed to change the pinion seal , just as it would on an 8 3/4 diff & the dana doesn`t have a crush sleeve  it would be easier on the Dana

True CP. On pinion seals you just have to deal with it. But since you have to go through all of the business of stressing the housing and carrier removal just to change the axle seal on that front diff, it would be foolish not to just go through everything while in there. Unless you know everything is fresh. What a pain. I'm glad to hear the rear Dana's are not the same.

[Oldschool]

The AAR's and T/A' did not have big torque/HP engines for one thing. The Dana equipped cars were the big torque cars.  The road racers don't "shock" the diff like a big heavy 4 speed car with a big power engine does. The big deal is the road racers have momentum upon the power shifts and don't shock the driveline too hard.  The big power (440-six pack, Hemi) cars usually played around from a dig with sticky tires.  That is very hard on the drivetrain.  That is where the Dana survives when the others can't.

[Katfish]

Very timely question, I'm just at the point of getting my Dana set-up to put in my Challenger.  It looks like it's going to cost $1500 to get all the work done.  And when I ask myself "why?".  It just boils down to the cool factor.  There is no good reason what-so-ever for me to be swapping out the 8.75.

Every since I was a kid it was only the very rare cool cars that had that chrome cover on the diff.

I'm still asking myself if this is a waste of money, sad part is, I KNOW it is.  But I'm still leaning towards doing it.

[Changin Gears]

You only need a Dana for 1st gear, the rest of the time there is not enough torque multiplication to require it. Road racing wasn't in 1st.  The mopar NASCAR boys of the day ran 8 3/4's also.

[cudamax2343]

With the Banjo you can Swap-out pigs in half an hour. I love-em and the early ones are the best. I used to run a 340 with a Draw through Boost (turbo's) at about 16psi and ran it with 276's to the course then slipped in a 323 Pig in or 391's depending on the track and Road course conditions