hello there oi am just wondering which is better a Dana 60 or a GM 14 bolt full floater? I have done alot of research and haven't been able to come up with anything. I know that the housings are different and also the ring gear size. The main reason i want to know is i myself am currently building a off-road truck. A 1983 Chevy Scottsdale. feedback on which is better would be great thanks.  

I am comparing full float, 8 lug applications!!

It all depends on where you want to take your build. Both axles have their own stong points and weak points. You can get the Dana 60 full float axle from old Fords, Chevy, and Jeeps. But most are only 30 spline 1.31 inch diameter shafts. But I've been told they can handle alot of abuse, you can get chromoly shafts for them, locker and gears selection is abundant. To find the larger 1.5 inch 35 spline shafts, look into the ford applications. Late 70's ford trucks to be exact. The axle assemblies are getting rare though.
14 bolts are just enormous and heavy. There are so many out there, like looking for a small block 350. They are cheap to come by. Locker selection is a little less limited. Gear selection I don't know. They are super strong. But like I said, they are huge and heavy.
Both axle have the ability to convert to disc brakes and run 15 inch wheels. there are venders out there.

The 14 bolt aftermarket parts seem to be not as expensive. Building a 14 bolt is cheaper then building a 60.

If you are going to run big power with tires bigger the 40's get the 14 bolt. If you are running moderate power and tires less then 40's and mild wheeling, a dana 60 should be fine. I am assuming you are building a Rig that might weigh in about 6000 lbs fully loaded for the trails(minus extreme loads).

Like I said, it all depends on where you want to take your build. get axles to support what you will end up with say 2 years down the road. Good luck  

dana 60's have more options and aftermarket support from the major builders (ex. dynatrac). but the 14 bolt is already a beast, just a heavy pig of one. if you go with the 14, i would shave the 1/2'' lip off the bottom of the pumpkin for more clearance. or you could go with a ford 9'' to battle weight concerns  

I would place a 10.5 14 bolt closer to a D70 than a D60. A closer match for a D60 is a GM 9.5 14 bolt SF axle. It comes with 1.39 diameter axles default. It also can be had a 5, 6 and 8 lug patterns simply by swapping axles which makes it great for 1/2 ton upgrades and pretty solid up to 38's or so too. Many overlook this rear axle though and it is either 10 bolt or 10.5 14 bolt with no middle of the road here. ALso when you compare it to a 9 inch, all 9.5's are in 3 ton capacity housings while 9 inch is not. 9.5 weighs about 75 to 85 lbs less than 10.5 too (mostly from lack of heavy FF hubs)