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Some F-250s and early F-350's came with a Dana 50 TTB. There is no easy way to determine which truck had this, but if it’s a TTB truck with Dana 60 sized hubs, then it has the Dana 50 version of the TTB. The Dana 50 is very similar to a Dana 44; it uses a 9” ring gear as opposed to the 8.5” Dana 44 ring gear and Dana 60 sized hubs and outers (gurus: am i right?), but it still uses the same size/spline inner axle shafts. The advantage in this is that the center u-joint (stub shaft) is much larger on a Dana 50 TTB.
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The Dana 50 version obviously has larger ears and the u-joint is a drive shaft stlye 1310. (the guy at the yard said 1350, but it didn’t look that big to me :shrug) It also uses full circle retainers as opposed to the c-clips that the 5-297x Spicer joint uses. This method of retention is much more durable.
A major issue with the TTB 3rd member is that it uses a c-clip to retain the axle shaft. The only way to change a shaft in the field is to remove the entire 3rd member, which = messy and time consuming. Where the c-clip attaches on the Dana 50 shaft is thicker than the Dana 44 version and will hit the spider gear cross pin before you can get the c-clip to engage.
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The common way to fix this problem is a spring in the cup of the slip shaft. (this method is also used for a locked front end, and can be used with a stock Dana 44 stub shaft as well)
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The spring will provide pressure, pushing the 2 passenger inner axles apart and keeping the stub shaft secure in the housing. I used a 7/8” compression spring from OSH, cut down to about 2½”. You may have to play around with the length of the spring before you are comfortable. Make sure you install the complete passenger side axle shaft and spindle. This will give you an idea as to how much play the spring allows.
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Slide the stub shaft into the housing:
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About this time, if you haven’t already done so, you will want to chop off the stupid nipples on the frame that catch your knuckles:
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Now, since the Dana 50 ears are larger, you will want to rotate the stub shaft to see if you need to grind the beam down a little for clearance.
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Mine was fine, so once I got the spring length dialed in i was pretty much done.
FROM HERE, REFER BACK TO STEP 14 OF THE PREVIOUS POST.
The Dana 50 version obviously has larger ears and the u-joint is a drive shaft stlye 1310. (the guy at the yard said 1350, but it didn’t look that big to me :shrug) It also uses full circle retainers as opposed to the c-clips that the 5-297x Spicer joint uses. This method of retention is much more durable.
A major issue with the TTB 3rd member is that it uses a c-clip to retain the axle shaft. The only way to change a shaft in the field is to remove the entire 3rd member, which = messy and time consuming. Where the c-clip attaches on the Dana 50 shaft is thicker than the Dana 44 version and will hit the spider gear cross pin before you can get the c-clip to engage.
The common way to fix this problem is a spring in the cup of the slip shaft. (this method is also used for a locked front end, and can be used with a stock Dana 44 stub shaft as well)
The spring will provide pressure, pushing the 2 passenger inner axles apart and keeping the stub shaft secure in the housing. I used a 7/8” compression spring from OSH, cut down to about 2½”. You may have to play around with the length of the spring before you are comfortable. Make sure you install the complete passenger side axle shaft and spindle. This will give you an idea as to how much play the spring allows.
Slide the stub shaft into the housing:
About this time, if you haven’t already done so, you will want to chop off the stupid nipples on the frame that catch your knuckles:
Now, since the Dana 50 ears are larger, you will want to rotate the stub shaft to see if you need to grind the beam down a little for clearance.
Mine was fine, so once I got the spring length dialed in i was pretty much done.
FROM HERE, REFER BACK TO STEP 14 OF THE PREVIOUS POST.
