You've done great, brother! This is some great info, you have collected, thank for sharing it. I think you're right, a Dana 60 in front should be strong enough unless you are going to really punish it, bolt on huge, tall tires, going rock climbing in Moab, or going to add a diesel or other really heavy engine.
I had a friend that had a 4x4 1 ton van 1 ton with a 6.9 litre diesel. You'd be surprised how heavy those diesels are. Anyway, he had just a Dana 44 in front. It worked ok. He just went real slow offroad. Rock climbing was a bit off limits, too.
Yeah, I have the big 2 speed rear in my 54 Wayne Chevy, too. My 55 Wayne Ford has something else and smaller. The Chevy rear is definitely over kill, and a heavy sumbitch. The springs are really rigid. My bus came from Montana, and has tanks underneath that can drop sand in front of the rear wheels if one gets stuck. The original 2 speed in these buses has a 6:18 and 8:18 ratio in them, if I am not mistaken. I presently have 20 x 8.25 bias tires ( came with 7.50's so this raised the overall gear ratio a little ) on split rims on my 54 Wayne Chevy. Somehow I got it up to almost 70 miles per hour with the stock 4 speed manual, according to the speedo.
I replaced my front springs with the stock amount of leafs plus a 3 inch life, but my end up removing one or two leafs before I am done. It sits up a little higher in front than in the back.
You know, I even considered using the rear out of a 2 1/2 ton AM General truck. (deuce and a half). These axles are wicked strong, give added ground clearance too, but may be too low of gearing for you. (6:18). I have been wanting to buy one of those deuce trucks, but the old lady keeps rolling her eyes and saying no. One of these days I tell ya...
With the Rockwell's, the front axle width is the problem. Those trucks are wider than these buses are. Plus, it takes a lot of lift to clear that big gear box in top of the axles. For the street, it's a bit impractical. If you don't use hydraulics to steer, you can experience bump steer ( so I am told). Not sure if I can convert them to the 10 bolt pattern we want. I would imagine you can.
All in all, the Dana 80- in back is probably more practical, and cheaper. Not as strong, but lighter. As you may know, it's best to keep the vehicle as light as possible for off-roading. Too heavy and you just sink and squash everything. Plus, it's expected that one treads lightly.
They keep closing down parkland due to damage from off-roading ( motorcycles, quads, trucks, etc) destroying it.
I haven't had much money lately, so progress has been slow. Right now I am trying to put the motor back together in my 55 Wayne Ford. It' s got an old 239 cid Y block. I believe it's the first year of the overhead valve 239 ( before that they were flat heads). It's got just enough power to pull the hat off your head ( if I rev her up). I am just trying to keep the old girl running so I can drive it around town. It's pretty congested here in Pinellas County, Fl and I am afraid to take it out on the road and experience road rage if it quits. ( Plus tow trucks want a fortune to haul these buses).
I'd like to eventually add a nice burly front bumper with a brush guard and winch, plus a stronger rear bumper with a strong hitch. I was thinking that I may build some of it out of composite instead of using steel. Kevlar and carbon fiber mix would make it nice and strong, and light. I am pretty handy with that stuff, too. I almost wish I could media blast the inside of my hood and front fenders and lay up a layer or two of Kevlar/carbon fiber fabric inside so I could stand on the hood and fenders if I want to without denting them.
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