Dana 70F Front Differential
Used in Dodge W300 1958-1978

Dodge Power Wagons are known for their robust components and superior off-road capability. That reputation is well deserved because of the stout 4WD off-road vehicles Dodge produced in large numbers for use in WWII. Chrysler Corporation Dodge Truck Division started using the Dana 70F front differential in their 1958 W300 1 ton 4x4 Power Wagon trucks. The 1958 W200 Power Wagon was offered with a base price of $2747. The 1958 W500 (the largest Power Wagon available in 1958) was priced at $4495. So the W300 was probably priced somewhere between these 2 models. Most W300s were probably ordered vehicles, specified for a specific job requiring a heavy duty, extremely tough pickup truck. The W300 was based on a D500 frame and had front and rear Dana 70 differentials and a 9 foot Utiline bed (optional) and a front PTO winch (optional). Both single rear wheel and dual rear wheel trucks were available. They were expensive, heavily sprung, rough riding, uneconomical and had a rather large turning radius. With a V-8, the W300 with 4.88 gears and 9.00 x16 tires could still cruise at 65mph. Small rural fire departments loved them for their off-road capability. W300 production numbers were in the low hundreds per year and there is very low collectability. The last year the Dana 70F front differential was available was 1978. By then, the Dana 60F had established its reputation as the "go to" heavy duty light truck front differential with a superior open knuckle design and disk brakes.

Utility companies, the U S Forest Service, rural Fire Departments, and others who needed a high weight capacity, off-road capable vehicle comprised the bulk of the W300 buyer pool. The W300 was not a good choice for high speed, light duty highway use. Almost all of the W300s were purchased, performed their duties until they were worn out, and were then disposed of. The exception is the W300 brush trucks, which were used for fire fighting in rough terrain. A few of these brush trucks remained in fire department inventories and occasionally trickle out in auctions. Some of these pumper trucks are well preserved and were well loved by the departments they served for their off-road capability and uniqueness. Perhaps not surprisingly (given their agricultural equipment heritage), International Harvester used the Dana 70F front differential for their 1300 series 1 ton 4WD vehicles from 1968-1975.

Not all W300 trucks came with a Dana 70F front differential. One of the people who has a page in our Gallery has owned 3 mid 1970s W300s (he still has one) and all of them have Dana 60F open knuckle front differentials. The Dana70F was rarely used after 1975 and it was also rarely used in some W200 trucks. The early W300s came with a NP 420 transmission with a big truck input shaft (but closer to light duty truck gear ratios). Another W300 truck (1972) in our Gallery is owned by Bill Greenshield. He is the original buyer, and his truck does have the Dana 70F front differential and a 360 engine. His story is below:

Bill Greenshields' 1972 W300 Dump Truck

Bill has owned his 1972 W300 Power Wagon dump truck since it was new. He bought it from a dealer in Enid, Oklahoma. Bill ordered his truck as a cab and chassis, with a manual 4 speed, 4X4, power steering and brakes, am radio, and a clock. Nothing fancy for a work truck! He added an American dump bed with lift to the truck in Oklahoma City. The dump bed runs off the PTO. The engine has an Edlebrock 4BBL carburetor, Weiand intake manifold, and an electric choke. Bill always had trouble with the original choke, so he replaced it with the electric choke when he upgraded the carburetor. The single exhaust system was replaced with dual exhaust. Bill has replaced the 360 engine 3 times. One new engine failed immediately after installation, however the dealer replaced it with another 360 he had in stock for no charge. Bill replaced the 1972-73 grill with a 1974-77 grill because cattle bent the original grill. Bill fabricated a heavy channel front bumper and used it until he stopped feeding cattle with his truck. The cattle also put dents in the right front fender and passenger door. The truck has been repainted once but he has not had the sheet metal parts repaired. Other than that, Bill's truck is original inside and out. The maintainence problems Bill encountered with the front axle centered around oil leaks from the front steering knuckles. He has never had a problem with the lockout hubs. There were never any problems with the rear axle or dual rear wheel hubs. The larger turning radius was never a problem until Bill hit a rock and bent the tie rod. Bending the tie rod was relatively easy to do because the tie rod hangs below the front axle. He replaced the tie rod with one from salvage, however, the wheel alignment shop wasn't able to adjust the steering. He replaced the power steering gear, but the technician couldn't align the steering wheel with the front wheel steering adjustments. Bill's truck turns one way more than the other. He tried to get the original tie rod straightened, but was not successful. Bill said normal highway cruising speed is 55-60 mph. Bill uses his truck for all sorts of ranch hauling, including livestock feed, wheat, hay, and just about anything else he can get into it. The normal load for the truck is 4,000# up to 6000# of cattle feed or 120 bushels of wheat. The high side boards on the bed made it easy for Bill to dump sack feed from the bed with the truck running in low gear. The tires are LT235/85R16 all terrain Load range E. Bill doesn't drive his truck much anymore, because at age 87 he feels it's dangerous for him to climb in and get out of the truck. Bill's W300 Power Wagon has less than 100K miles on it.

Dana 70 Front Differential

The Dana 70F front differential is a closed knuckle with king pins and drum brakes design with a 10.5 inch ring gear. There were 2 flavors of housings- 1 for 4.10 ratio ring and pinion (1/2" pinion offset) and the other for 4.88 and 5.87 (5/8" pinion offset). These were the most common ratios-other ratios were available from 3.07 to 7.17.

A Dana 70F front differential can be identified by its straight axle tubes, 10 bolt asymmetrical cover and the tie rod being behind the axle. The housing is similar in appearance to a Dana 60F- but LARGER. There is a 70 cast into the lower web on the front of the housing. The Dana 70F used a Tracta Joint constant velocity joint - 1 fork on the inner end of the outer axle shaft P/N 1923424 ( 2 required), 1 fork on the outer end of the inner axle shaft P/N 2953838 (R) and P/N 2953839 (L) with a 2 piece drive joint P/N 1192383. Some later steering knuckles came with 4 machined reliefs in the flat face of the knuckle on the spindle side, so a Spicer U-joint could be used instead of the Tracta joint. The components used were outer axle P/N 3823577 (2 required) , inner axle P/N 3823580 (R) and inner axle P/N 3823581 (L), and the U-joint (P/N 2808276. The Spicer U-joint axle shaft information came from the W600 Dana 70F pages of the 74-77 Dodge truck parts book.

Tracta Joint

The Tracta Joint is one of the earliest constant velocity joint designs, originally developed in the 1920s by French engineer Pierre Fenaille for use in Tracta automobiles. This mechanical joint uses a unique fork and sliding block arrangement to transmit power at a constant velocity through varying angles.

The design consists of two forks, each connected to a shaft, with a pair of sliding blocks between them. As the joint rotates and articulates, the blocks slide in specially shaped grooves in the forks, maintaining a constant velocity relationship. This sliding action ensures that power transmission remains smooth even as the angle between input and output shafts changes.

Though less common in modern vehicles than the ball-type CV joint, Tracta joints are still used in certain specialized applications due to their relative simplicity and durability. They're particularly valued in some heavy-duty and industrial applications where their heavy duty design provides reliability under harsh conditions.

Brakes & Hubs

The early (58-68) Dana 70F 23 spline inner axle was replaced with a 35 spline inner axle from 1969-1978. The 58-68 Dana 70F used 14 1/8" x 1 3/4" brake drums with a 6 lug bolt pattern and a 16 x 6.5 split rim wheel. The 69-71 used a 14 1/8" x 1 3/4" drum on an 8 lug bolt pattern. The 72-78 used a more conventional 8 lug on 6.5" bolt pattern and 12" x 3" brake drums that would fit a 16.5" x 6" or 16.5" x 6.75" wheel. Before 1973, the wheel studs were L hand thread for the driver side and R hand thread for the passenger side, 73-78 both sides were R hand thread. Both 1/2" and 5/8 inch wheel studs were used. Locking and full time hubs were both used, as was an optional Power-Lok limited slip carrier. The GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) of the Dana 70F is 6,000#, although the weight rating is generally listed as 4,500# in the books, which is the same weight rating as the Dana 60F.

Parts Book Information

Mopar Truck Parts Catalog

PART NAME TAP TO DISPLAY PIC	YEAR	P/N MOPAR	P/N SPICER	P/N HOLLANDER CASTING #	AXLE SHAFT DIMENSIONS	COMMENT	PRICE
Axle 29" R	1974-77	3823 577 3823 580 2808 276	0382591 38258110 -			21 Spline 35 Spline U-Joint	$450.00
Axle 46 1/4" L	1974-77	3823 577 3823 581 2808 276	0382591 - -			21 spline 35 spline U-Joint	$450.00
Axle Shaft 10 5/8" Outer	1972-74	1923 424	31023			21 spline	$150.00
Axle Shaft 17 5/8" R Inner	1972-74	2953 838	350941			35 spline	$150.00
Axle Shaft 35 1/8" L Inner	1972-74	2953 839	350951			35 spline	$150.00
Brake Backing Plate	1972-74	3633 851					$150.00
Brake Caliper						Bendex X6058 2238452R	$30.00
Brake Caliper						Bendex X60697 2238451L	$30.00
Brake Drum	1972-78 SRW 1972-78 DRW	3634 948 5/8 Stud 3634 950		1066 1072		12" x 3"	$75.00
Drive Joint	1972-74	1192 383					$150.00
Drag Link	1972-74	3549 082					$150.00
Drive Flange	1972-74	2909 325 3823 908	35084 Tracta 26049X Spicer				$150.00
Housing Tube Shaft End							$75.00
Housing With Tubes	1972-74	3633 907	27421X			Sold with 4.88 Ring & Pinion	$400.00
Hub-Disk Brake w Locking Hub				1465		210299-C with Warn M148 locking hubs	$900.00 pair
Hub	1972 SRW 1972 DRW	3497 362-3 3497 364-5		1434 1435			$400.00
Hub	1972-74 SRW	3637 053		1120			$400.00
Hub	1973-74	3637 940		1444			$400.00
Knuckle L With Steering Arm	1959-74	1795 577 3633 913	30993 27423X	C30995			$600.00
Knuckle R	1959-74	1795 576	30992	C30994			$500.00
Knuckle Seals			706230X 706207X			Ford D4TZ-3132A Ford D4TZ-3132B	$200.00 each
Locking Hub Warn M172						IH M172	$400.00 pair
Spindle/Steering Knuckle	1959-74	1795 575 IH 868321 R11	21382X	606 F31000			$150.00
Spindle/Steering Knuckle				F3100G			$150.00
Tie Rod	1972-74	3633 916	36097			Sold with tube & clamp 1799 147 & Left tie rod 1795 584	$450.00

There is an 1/8" high ID# with the manufacturing date and complete BOM P/N stamped into either the short or long tube near the housing. Using the BOM number as a starting point for part locating is a good idea. The gear ratio tag is located on the LH side of the cover plate and gives the tooth combination as well as the axle ratio. Limited slip differentials will have a special tag located on the RH side of the cover plate stating the correct lubricant required.

W300 Yearly Production Numbers

YEAR	WHEEL BASE	6 CYLINDER	8 CYLINDER	TOTAL PRODUCTION
1958			194
1959			99
1960
1961	133	239	215	454
1962	133	221	280	501
1963	133	298	335	633
1964	133	289	333	622
1965	133	223	573	796
1966	133	220	625	845
1967	133	214	528	742
1968	133	175	693	868
1969	133	749	901	1650
1970	133			1053
1971	133			783
1972	135
1973-78

1969 Production Numbers for All Dodge D100-W300 Light Duty Trucks

MODEL	WHEEL BASE	6 CYLINDER	8 CYLINDER	TOTAL PRODUCTION
D100 SB	114	10860	4587	15444
D100 LB	128	14146	27140	41286
D200 LB	128	4282	17148	21430
D200 Crew Cab	146	857	1707	2564
D300	133	2390	6136	8526
D300 Crew Cab	159	245	1596	1841
W100 SB	114	766	1007	1773
W100 LB	128	218	878	1096
W200 LB	128	1091	3427	4518
W200 Crew Cab	148	698	438	1136
W300	133	749	901	1650
1969 TOTAL				101264

Maintenance Information

Closed Wheel End Steering Knuckle Lubrication

The closed steering knuckle requires lubrication from a source other than the gear carrier assembly. Inboard tube seals contain the hypoid gear lube in the housing to provide an adequate lubricant level for the gears, bearings, etc. This then requires an adequate lubricant level be maintained outboard in each steering knuckle, which can be checked by removing the fill plugs on each knuckle. Adequate lube level is to the bottom of the fill plug hole, when the vehicle is in a flat and level position.

Recommended lubricant is an S.A.E 140 grade, multipurpose gear lubricant meeting the Mil-L-2105B specification.

Current Uses for the Dana 70F:

1. Restoring 60s or 70s Dodge W300 Power Wagons that came with a Dana 70F front differential

2. Using a Dana 70F as a front differential in a mud truck (used to be popular-now not so much)

3. Using the housing and gears with open knuckle Dana 60 outers and disk brakes to create AWESOME front and rear steer Rock Crawler differentials- 10.5" ring gear

Resources

There is limited aftermarket support for the Dana 70F, and parts are hard to find. Torque King 4X4 in Billings, Montana offers the most support for the Dana 70F of any source we know.

Mopar Truck Parts has a limited supply of used "hard parts" as listed in the catalog section above.

There are 2 Dana 70 specific bulletins/manuals we are aware of:

Spicer Axle Maintenance Manual-70 Bulletin 5312-8
Spicer Front and Rear Axle Kit 1967-1978

Additional resources include:
Dodge truck factory Service manual
Dodge truck factory Parts manual
Hollanders Interchange Manual
Power Wagon Forum
RamchargerCentral.com forum

Article written by Joe Leonard 2026-04-10

Dana 70F Front Differential Used in Dodge W300 1958-1978