USA Standard Pinion installation Kit For Dana 60 Rear
Setting up a new ring and pinion in a rear Dana 60, or curing a howl that comes from worn pinion bearings under a 3/4-ton or 1-ton truck, starts with fresh parts on the pinion side. ZPKD60-R is the USA Standard Gear pinion installation kit for the rear Dana 60, made under the Yukon Gear and Axle family of brands. It is meant for axles where the carrier bearings and races are still in good shape and can be reused, so you pay only for the bearings and small parts the pinion actually needs.
The Dana 60 pinion is straddled by two tapered roller bearings, a large inner (head) bearing behind the gear teeth and a smaller outer bearing near the yoke, each running on a race pressed into the housing. The pinion has to sit at an exact depth relative to the ring gear and spin with a set amount of bearing preload; get either wrong and the gears whine, run hot or chip. USA Standard describes this kit as Koyo or Timken pinion bearings and races together with seals and small parts, which covers the bearing surfaces and the seal that wear or get disturbed every time a pinion comes out. Carrier bearings are not part of it.
Driveline noise can come from tires, wheel bearings, the transfer case or the transmission as well as the axle, so isolate it before you tear anything down. Pull the cover, check backlash with a dial indicator, and run marking compound on the ring gear to see the contact pattern. A pattern that has walked toward the toe or heel along with measurable pinion play points at the pinion bearings. If the carrier bearings are also rough, skip this kit and go to a complete overhaul kit such as the USA Standard ZK D60-R master overhaul kit, which includes carrier bearings as well.
This kit is listed for the Dana 60 rear axle. Rear Dana 60s were built for many years under heavy-duty Ford, GM and Dodge pickups and vans as well as some high-performance cars, and there are front Dana 60s that take their own front-specific kit, so identify the axle before ordering. The axle tag or the cast numbers on the housing, plus the ring gear size and spline count, tell you what you have; if you are unsure, send us the vehicle year and VIN or a photo of the axle tag. Other Dana 60 bearing and overhaul parts are listed in our rebuild kits section.
If the yoke shows a groove where the seal rides, replace it with a Dana 60 1410-series yoke rather than fitting a new seal on a worn surface. For a rear end that runs hot or gets worked hard, a nodular iron Dana 60 cover adds capacity and protection.
| Brand | Yukon Gear & Axle |
| Part number | ZPKD60-R |
| Fits | USA Standard Pinion installation Kit For Dana 60 Rear |
| Type | Differential Install Kits |
| Condition | New |
| Ships | Same business day (in stock), from the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No. It is a pinion installation kit for axles where the carrier bearings and races can be reused. If the carrier bearings are worn, buy a master overhaul kit instead.
It is listed for the rear Dana 60. Front Dana 60s use their own front-specific kit, so confirm which axle you have from the tag or housing before ordering.
Yukon's Dana 60, 61 and 70U setup chart lists 17-30 in-lb with new pinion bearings and 8-12 in-lb when reusing bearings. Use the gear maker's figures if they differ.
Plan on a press with bearing separators, a dial indicator and magnetic base, an inch-pound torque wrench, a pinion yoke holder and a long breaker bar or strong impact for the pinion nut, plus marking compound for the contact pattern.
If the bearings are tight and the leak is only the seal, yes. But if the yoke has play or the axle howls, a seal alone will leak again because the loose bearing lets the yoke move.
