Posted by Grant on December 18, 1999 at 13:08:37:
In Reply to: DANA 70 FRONT QUESTIONS posted by Jim Branson on December 18, 1999 at 09:24:49:
Dodge has used Dana 70's from 1957-up on the W300 trucks.Early front ends had closed knuckle steering, tie rods on the rear side of the axle, drum brakes and 6 lug wheels. 1969 brought finer spline axles (can't remember the count) and 8 lug wheels. Sometime in the 1970's (72?) they went to open end knuckles, tie rods on the front side and in the late 1970's (78?) finally disc brakes. I believe gear ratios ranged from 5.88 to 3.55.
A later 8 lug, disc brake front end would be the way to go if you want a bullet-proof front end for some project. Disc brake conversions are available for the older 6 lug axles, but they can be a bear to find or make custom wheels for.
Hope this helps---Grant