Anyone have an idea what this axle is?

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bill-der

Active member
Joined
Mar 19, 2010
Messages
44
I have tried all the axle ID charts I could find on google, and it looks exactly like a dana 30, but I am refusing to believe it... The axle is actually very beefy and it Dana 30 just doesn't sound right to me...

I have looked up every single number I can find on the housing with no results, and I need to find new drums, shoes, wheel cylinders & hardware. If I can't find that stuff, I might just have to buy a used axle but right now I am not sure what is more cost efficient. I also have a driveshaft that is 1 inch too long, so another axle with a shorter snout might help me out there too, assuming I can get a u-joint that fits the new yoke. anyway, Sorry for rambling...


Numbers on the axle webbing, looking from the rear:
Upper Right: 86981
Bottom Right: 53
Upper Left: US PAT 2 018 188
Lower Left: US PAT 1 888 618

Other Brake Part #'s
Backing plate is Bendix 302138-L & 302138-R
Brake Shoes are stamped with 41717
Wheel Cylinder looks like 8M2192 A2
Brake Drum looks like KH 2173

IMG_4131.JPG


diff.jpg
 
The number on the bottom or top right side of the center housing is usually the modal number. Which would be 35. But the rear cover on a 35 is oval and is wider then it is tall.

The cover on that rear looks like a 25, 27 or 30 dana cover.
 
Hmm... Still not convinced, as it doesn't really match anything else I have seen in any of the photos.

I guess even if I knew the model, I still wouldn't be able to buy the hardware without knowing what it came from?
 
Anvil - What is your dana 60 from?

The guy I bought it from actually said it was a dana 60 that his buddy just checked out and was in good order :rolleyes:, but after trying a dana 60 gasket and a dana 44 gasket, none of them fit and it doesn't look like any of them in the pics[S...

The guy i bought it from told me a lot of things that I shouldn't have listened to, haha.
 
So in a stroke of genius (actually at the bottom of the second link posted by hot40rod) I decided to go against the odds and search for a DANA 53, and here's what I got...

The Dana 53 first appeared in the late 1940s and is much like a Dana 60. Although all Dana 53's are semi-floating, rear axles. The Dana 53 was phased out in the 1960s by the Dana 60. Rare, hard to find service parts.


Who knew...


Anyway, not looking good for aftermarket parts as I came across others looking for drums etc... so I should probably start looking for a new axle that is a little more serviceable since I really don't want to make my own brakes for this thing:

Still not 100% sold yet until I see a picture of this thing, but thanks everyone for the help!


Anybody looking for a rare dana 53?
 

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