The Spicer Manufacturing Company was founded by Clarence Spicer in 1904, whom had invented the first practical universal joint for automobile applications. In 1914, Charles Dana acquired a majority stake in the company, and in 1946 the company was renamed the Dana Corporation in honor of the his contributions to the company. The company is now the Dana Holding Corporation, whom operates the Spicer brand as its driveline component business. The Dana Corp's primary business is the development of axles and driveline components for a variety of on and off-highway applications ranging from light to heavy duty. With over 100 years in the axle business and serving every major automaker in the industry at one time or another, Dana is arguably the most influential and most significant supplier of automotive axles in history. The chart below may be used as a guide to identifying various Dana front and rear axles that have been used in Jeep, GM, Dodge, and Ford applications through the years.
Dana Axle Identification
| Model | Diff ID | Type | Ring Gear Dia | Common applications | Notes |
| Dana 23 | N/A | Rear axle, semi and full floating variations produced | 7.12" | 41 - 46 Jeep CJ-2A | Only factory equipped full floating axle for Jeep vehicles. |
| Dana 25 | N/A | Front axle, semi floating | 7.75" | 41 - 65, various Jeep vehicles | --- |
| Dana 27 | N/A | Front axle, semi floating | 7.12" | 66 - 73, various Jeep vehicles | --- |
| Dana 30 |  |
Semi floating, front and rear | 7.12" | 72 - 97, various Jeep vehicles | Up to 2,770 lbs GAWR. |
| Dana 35 |  |
Semi floating, front and rear | 7.50" | Front 97 - 00 Dodge Dakota/Durango 90 - 97 Ford Ranger/Explorer (TTB) 98 - 12 Ford Ranger (IFS) Rear Variety of Jeep applications from 84 - 07 |
Up to 2,900 lbs GAWR. |
| Dana 44 |  |
Semi floating, front and rear | 8.5" or 8.9" | Front 72 - 76 Chevrolet/GMC, 72 - 93 Dodge, 59 - 96 Ford pickups (various) 75 - 80 Scout II Various 67 - 14 Jeep vehicles (various) Rear 86 - 14 Jeep vehicles (various) 71 - 80 Scout II 04 - present Nissan Titan |
Up to 3,500 lbs GAWR. |
| Dana 50 |  |
Semi floating front axle | 9.0" | 80 - 02 Ford F250 98 - 02 Ford F350 00 - 05 Ford Excursion |
1980 - 1999 applications were twin traction beam (TTB), late 1999 - 2005 applications were solid axle. TTB axles had a 4,600 lbs GAWR, solid axle configurations had a 5,000 lbs GAWR. |
| Dana 60 |  |
Full floating, front and rear | 9.75" | Front 75 - 02 Dodge, 74 - 11 Ford, 77 - 91 Chevrolet/GMC pickups (various 3/4 & 1 ton) 67 - 69 Jeep trucks (various) Rear 63 - 02 Dodge, 55 - 85 Ford, 64 - 87 Chevrolet/GMC pickups (various 3/4 & 1 ton) 68 - 88 Jeep trucks (various) |
6,500 lbs GAWR. |
| Dana 70 |  |
Full floating, primarily rear axle (front axle applications are rare) | 10.50" | Various Ford, GM, and Dodge 1 ton applications | Up to 7,500 lbs GAWR. A heavy duty version, the 70HD, had a GAWR of up to 10,000 lbs. |
| Dana 80 |  |
Full floating rear axle | 11.25" | 91 - 02 Chevrolet/GMC 3500 88 - 01 Ford F350, dually 88 - 04 Ford F450 11 - 12 Ford F450 94 - 02 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 |
Up to 11,000 lbs GAWR - may vary by application, often derated for safety purposes. |
| Dana S 110 |  |
Full floating rear axle | 12.25" | 08 - 14 Dodge 4500/5500 05 - 13 Ford F450/F550 05 - 08 Chevrolet/GMC 4500/5500 |
Up to 14,700 lbs GAWR - may vary by application, often derated for safety purposes. Primarily used in commercial trucks (chassis cabs), with the exception of some Ford F-450 pickups. Easily identifiable by its removable third member. |
*Common applications listed only - rare, low production, and/or irrelevant applications have been omitted.
