So it begins...Dana 60 problems.

[Grims]

First minor thing was the break lines are to short to go through the brackets they provide, we had to go under them and ziptie them to the axle.

Second, the ABS isn't working...it worked fine before. I just hope they didn't forget to install the reluctor ring like on another post I read.

Third, and this is the biggie...I think they put a spool in the car. I first noticed pulling out of the driveway that the tires were kicking up gravel. So I backed it back in the garage jacked it up...and the wheels will not turn independently. I hope to God that that's just a odd True-Trak thing. But I would hold one wheel while someone else tried to turn the other...and nothin...neither would turn. At highway speeds It felt fine...well pretty much anything over 30, and even under 30 it was just a slight stiffness you can sense in the rear. But, in parking lots the tires chirp a little when you turn sharp.

I'm going to give Strange a call in the morning and see what's up with this.

[CamTom12]

TruTrak feels like a loose posi when you drive around at part throttle...

[Grims]

Yeah, I'm thinking I'm just not use to a good strong posi. Around corners it handles great...and I think a spool would be a lot harsher. I went in an empty parking lot today and did soem figure 8s. Turning sharp right caused a slight vibration. Turning sharp left was very smooth. If this is a spool in it...It's very tame :)

I am getting some gear whine at 30-35. I'm hoping it's just temporary and will go a way with time (only have 40 miles on it so far.)

[Transamman25]

LOL .. damn bro we are having same issues with a buddy of mines 2002 LS1 same issues .. we are re setting pinion angles and such tommorow

[Chris 96 WS6]

I don't think there is such a thing as a tame spool. You'd know it if the axles were locked in a 1:1 ratio. The outside tire would probably squeal around corners.

[CamTom12]

I think (hope) that tame spool bit was a joke, haha

[Chris 96 WS6]

Jokes are supposed to have more smilies :)

[Shon Herron]

tight turns with a spool will chirp/shake the car alot!!!

[Grims]

Why is it every time I finally get to use multi quote it won't work!? :lol:

By tame spool I meant that it can't be a spool because it's way to tame. Most of the guys at LS1tech says this is normal...while Scott@DriveLineSoultions says it is not, and the True-Track should not be so tight.

I did some figure 8s in a parking lot, and sharp right turns caused a slight vibrations with some tiring chirping, while left tunrs were pretty smooth, but still tight.

At highway speeds around corners the car feels like it handles MUCH better, it just feels like it's glued to the road, where as before it just wanted to ski around a bit.

[Transamman25]

well we re set pinion angle this am - same thing .. so must be normal .. guys from strange say the same

[Grims]

I'm making a list of things to ask them now.

[Grims]

Talked with Tim at Strange.

True-Track Stiffness, he says with worm gears instead of clutches this is normal.

I asked him about what brand gear oil, he says they have no preference as long as it's non-synthetic

ABS issues, he says their information says they installed the reluctor ring, pull the cover makes sure it's there...if it's not then they will find someone in town to fix it for me.

I asked him about the gear whine I'm getting, he says for a high performance rear end a little gear whine is normal. I have heard that any rear can be dead quiet if it is setup properly...but the noise isn't really at a level for me to make an issue out of it if it doesn't get any worse.

I ordered Motive gears and they put in Precession. He said they're the same quality. Any comments on this?

[Transamman25]

wow .. i wouldnt be very happy - you should get what you paid for .. I would have them pay to make sure the reluctor ring is installed and have them pay for the motive gears you ordered .. regardless of quality better or worse .. thats not what was paid for

[Grims]

I would actually rather pull the cover my self and make sure it's there, so I can check to make sure it has the true-track and not something else. If the gears are of the same quality it really doesn't bother me..I would rather have my rear shipped out then waiting 3 weeks for gears of equal quality.

[Transamman25]

well wait til the 500 mile mark when ya gotta drop fluid anyway .. what are you running ? cuz we are running Lucas 80w90 in his

[Grims]

All the only place that was open on Sunday had was 75w80 coastal. Cheap shit, but we plan to change it next week when we check the reluctor ring.

He also said friction modifier wasn't necessary with worm gears.

I am impressed with their offer to pay to have any problems fixed locally though...if they follow through on that I gotta give them props.

[Shon Herron]

If you paid extra for Motive's and got something else then you are due back some funds. If they were of the same quality then there would not be any price difference, right?

I ordered Motive gears and they put in Precession. He said they're the same quality. Any comments on this?

[Grims]

anyone know what the price difference is on Precession gears? I can't find anything on them.

[CamTom12]

I ordered Motive gears and they put in Precession. He said they're the same quality. Any comments on this?

I like Precision better, it's what I run :)

[Grims]

Gear whine is getting worse, not better. I'm going to throw in some friction modifier this weekend and see if it helps.

[Shon Herron]

i dont believe any additive is going to cure gear whine.

[Grims]

i dont believe any additive is going to cure gear whine.

Is there anything I can do?

[96redlt1ta]

Put the stock 10-bolt back in.

[CamTom12]

Gear whine is getting worse, not better. I'm going to throw in some friction modifier this weekend and see if it helps.

Don't want to do that with a locker/trutrack...

And whine is from gear lash. Once you hear it you can't reset to get rid of it... takes fresh gears properly set-up.

[Grims]

Put the stock 10-bolt back in.

I would rather have a high pitched whistling noise than a rumbling whirring noise that would put a couple 15" subs to shame.

[boos_WS6]

I have read this post and was just about ready to order a Stange 60 for my 2k T-56 bird of prey and now I am having second thoughts.
1- I do not want a bunch of noise out of the rear end
2- I want what I paid for.
3- I want the install to go smooth and not have to Z-tie my hardware to the axle housing.
My goal is to have a street car mainly and it drive without clicking and banging. I want 373's instead of the 342's in my 10bolt.

I have 530hp at the flywheel and want the best rearend kit out there. I got a quote for all the chille (the complete system with installed back plates and drive shaft from strange for 3k.) 3week lead time.
P.S. what do ya think of the BMR trailing arms mounts? Do they weld easy to the axle?
Joey

[Grims]

Well, no aftermarket rearend is going to feel/drive/install like a stock one. The only issue with the Dana install was the brake lines, and it really wasn't that big of a deal. The noise isn't bad..noise is jsut a risk you take with any after market rear.

[CamTom12]

The best thing you can do with an aftermarket rear is to have a good local guy set the gears up. That'll eliminate the gear noise you get from the big companies doing it.

[Grims]

ABS doesn't work because there is no relcutor ring. Pulled the cover to check and low and behold it wasn't there. So we changed the oil put the cover back on...but then the frickin fill cap screwed right into the cover and fell inside! By this time it was 10 at night and we had no time to take it back off, figure out what happened, fix it, reapply the parmatex, let it set, refill it with oil..ect. So my friend had to give me a ride home...now I'm stuck with out a car for work.

[CamTom12]

Sounds like me... All I've got is my bike and some freezing-ass cold weather

[Grims]

I got the bike..no way in hell I'm drivin 15 miles of work in freezing weather on it though.

[CamTom12]

I'm stuck with it at this point... It sucks

[Grims]

I just caught a ride to work in a nicely heated comfy 4x4 :P

[Transamman25]

Grims your more than welcome to use my ol 4x4 ... youll be the talk of the town .. pic on myspace

[boos_WS6]

Grims who did you buy the dana from and have you talked to them about the stuff wrong and missing? I will copy your deal to speed inc who I was just about to order from and see what they would have done if this would have happen to me.
JOey

[Grims]

I just got off the phone with Strange. They apologized profusely and said they WILL get this resolved. She said she needed to do some research and she will call me back this evening. The person I talked to last week said if this was the case they would let me take it somewhere locally to have it fixed...we'll see.

[quickmedic1]

I have been lookin to get a Dana but every site I go to people are having problems. I would be curious to see the ratio of problem vs no problem owners. It amazes me that a car car be assembled with thousands of parts and Strange cant get it rirht with 15-20-parts. Good luck with yours.

[Grims]

Strange is attempting to make a rear that can take anything you can possibly throw at it, while GM makes one that can't take what you can throw at it stock. You are just bound to have little issues with something this radically different then a stock setup.

[96redlt1ta]

So how big is the ring gear on the Dana 60???

[Grims]

9.75

[quickmedic1]

Strange is attempting to make a rear that can take anything you can possibly throw at it, while GM makes one that can't take what you can throw at it stock. You are just bound to have little issues with something this radically different then a stock setup.


You are right but it does get unnerving when you think about how much it costs. I will try to be open minded and watch the progress though.

[ZMan3k]

so what did you use to paint it?? Rustoleum makes a 1200* resistant spray paint for bbq's that you could use to paint it black if you wanted.

[quickmedic1]

Has anyone had their rear assembly sent unassembled so they could have it done by someone they trust? If so are they quieter done that way or doesnt it matter?

[boos_WS6]

Strange is attempting to make a rear that can take anything you can possibly throw at it, while GM makes one that can't take what you can throw at it stock. You are just bound to have little issues with something this radically different then a stock setup.



Hey Grim you might let them know what they do for you has direct bearing on me spending the cash with them!

Please let me know if they make it right with you. My main concern is the noise and the weight of the rear-end. Did you use your stock drive shaft?
Joey

[CamTom12]

I built my entire 9-inch piecemeal style...

Got a housing with some jacked up axles, ordered new axles and a locker for it. The only thing I really re-used was the gears and since I re-set them after they'd already formed a wear pattern they do make a little noise, but overall I feel I'm a lot happier this way than if I'd have bought it together.

Mine's got a Moser housing and axles, Strange Nod. centersection, Precision gears, and a Detriot Locker

[Grims]

Hey Grim you might let them know what they do for you has direct bearing on me spending the cash with them!

Please let me know if they make it right with you. My main concern is the noise and the weight of the rear-end. Did you use your stock drive shaft?
Joey

I can think of 10 people off the top of my head that would be pushed over the edge and not go with strange anything if they hear yet another bad story about the Danas.

(btw this thread is the first hit on google for 'Dana 60 reluctor ring')

I used a massive 3.5" chrome moly drive shaft from them. I wanted to buy one from them so they couldn't say I didn't shorten mine or something.

[Firebirdjones]

Yes Quickmedic, I setup my own rearends. I don't really trust aftermarket companies to do it, since they are doing it in mass quantities and trying to get them out the door.
Setting up pinion depth, back lash, proper bearing preloads etc...all takes time to do correctly, and sometimes several attempts.

I have had bad dealings with Moser, so Strange is all I use at this point, and sometimes Currie and Mark Williams. But after alot of problems with Moser, noise issues, housings out of square etc....I pretty much deal with Strange, and prefer to buy the bare housings and then purchase all the parts seperate from other favorite/various suppliers. Set it up myself, they are always quiet and trouble free.

To somewhat answer a question earlier about Motive and Precision gears, I have been told by other suppliers that both of these gears are made by the same people. Alot of these rearend manufactures like to use Motive and/or Precision because it seems these gears are easier to make them quiet, or tend to make less noise. Probably due to a softer metal, the metalurgy or hardening process, or something along those lines. Which in my opinion makes for a less superior gear assembly, so I stay away from them. The rearend companies like them because they garner less complaints.
I prefer Richmond gears. Most people cannot make them quiet enough, or complain about noise and blame it on the gears, again I think this is a setup issue. I run Richmond gears exclusively and have never had a noise issue.
And yes Grims, As I believe it was Camtom that said,,,,once your gears are making a whining noise, it's a done deal. The only way to make it go away is to get a new set of gears and set them up again.

Sorry to hear about the problems Grim. I was kinda curious about the reluctor ring myself, since this dana 60 is a new piece that has just hit the market recently, I was wondering if they even made a reluctor ring that large yet.
Don't feel bad about the brake line tabs. I recently aquired a strange 12 bolt housing, and the tabs were in the wrong places, I had to cut them off, have new ones stamped out of steel sheet and reweld them back in the proper places. The crappy Moser housing I was messing with a couple years back didn't even come with brake line tabs :rolleyes: so I had to make those as well. Just part of the fun when dealing with the aftermarket. Hope it all works out. Larry.

[Grims]

They are wlling to have it rebuilt...but they won't send parts in advance and require mine returned before they will ship them out...that's 2-3 weeks EASY of down time.

[Firebirdjones]

Ouch man that sucks! I am guessing they want to assess what is going on before they warranty anything. Sucks though that the customer is left hanging until something is resolved.
I recently went through the exact same thing with a $1,000 roller cam setup, I was forced to buy another setup so I didn't have to wait, and then have Comp Cams reimburse me when they got their end resolved. Keep me posted, very interested to see how this shakes out. :thumbsup: Larry.

[boos_WS6]

I am out with Strange. They should have advance shipped you a complete unit. Not just because it was nosiey. It had the wrong gear set and had the wrong tabs. Not very smart for a new product launch!
Grims I am most likey going with a Ford 9" with 3:73 from Scott with Driveline Solutions. I talk to him yesterday and he sounded like he knew his stuff. I first must get the Reluctor gear thing fidgued out.

Joey

[quickmedic1]

Thanks for the info firebirdjones. I think I am going to buy a used 12 bolt from a mechanic I know at a local dealership and get it set up. The rear is a strange 12 bolt that has a complete LS1 rear brake set up already on the rear assembly. Cables,lines,rotors,calipers,etc. $1400 + parts for rebuild.

[Firebirdjones]

Can't really snuff Strange boos, just because they haven't shipped another rear to Grims. I don't know of any aftermarket manufacture of anything that will do that :lol: Most companies want to inspect the old one first. It's just the way it goes.

The brake line tab issue is no big deal. Like I said, mine were also in the wrong places on the strange 12 bolt, but cutting them off and rewelding new ones in the proper places was not that difficult, and it now looks like a factory install. Besides, it's much better than the situation I was in with a Moser 12 bolt,,,it didn't come with any brake line tabs at all :lol: and the 12 bolts have been in circulation for several years now. Since the 12 bolts have been this way and now I hear of Grims Dana the same way,,,,I really don't expect the 9 inch rears offered have the brake lines in the right spots either so you will probably be in the same boat.
It's just the quirks of dealing with aftermarket parts. They have all had little things I don't like about them, but I am a picky SOB and when I get done with a rearend install, I make it look like GM put it in there, right down to the letter stampings on the axle tube, correct chassis black paint where it applies etc.....yes I am anal :lol: Larry.

[Grims]

Yeah, I can understand where Strange is coming from. Until it's torn apart they won't know what caused the gears to make noise and send the parts the shop needs. But, at the same time I simply can't think of any possible way to be with out a car for a 2-3 weeks.

[ws6_z28]

Yeah, I can understand where Strange is coming from. Until it's torn apart they won't know what caused the gears to make noise and send the parts the shop needs. But, at the same time I simply can't think of any possible way to be with out a car for a 2-3 weeks.

I really havent been following this thread too close but why dont you put the stock rearend back on while the other one is been serviced? Did you trash it?:eek:

[Grims]

I gave it a way.

[ws6_z28]

I gave it a way.
:no::twak:

[Firebirdjones]

Ya that sounds like a rotten situation all the way around. Hopefully everything works out. Larry.

[quickmedic1]

I guess this is why I feel the way I do. I can understand the manufacturers point of wanting to get the parts back for a quality check. But I also feel your situation is different from mine since your car is a daily driver. It would make more sense to me for Strange to allow for a reasonable amount of time for a rental car especially since they did not install the parts as described.

If you forget about the noise issue and the brand of gear used that still leaves the fact they did not install a reluctor ring where one should have been. This all by itself warrants an R & R of the carrier which means a complete set up all over again. I just feel that they should be more willing to make things right for a customer who purchased in good faith a product that was not delivered as ordered.

I have a 1994 25th with one of Golens 383s in it. With the Procharger D1 it turns 573 rwhp and I really wanted to get the Dana BUT I am now looking at a used 12 bolt primarily because of your situation as well as others.

[Grims]

Well if you think about it 2300 for a rearend and driveshaft is pretty cheap if you consider all the labor involved, and the expensive materials. Now consider replacing all the parts will cost them at least 500..then they have to pay a shop to rebuild it and warranty their work, which i bet will be another 500. I bet at this point they are losing a lot of money, because their profit margin can't be that high on this stuff. A rental car would be another 250 or so for a week.