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workin on the subframe connectors
i'm not sure what shop came up with this way of doing it first, maybe Team Z? It's pretty slick though. essentially you drop 2x2 square tube into the channel created by hollowing out the existing subframe
notch the floor in a couple spots, and it tees into the rear lower control arm bulkhead in the back.
both ends will get 6x6 plates to spread the load over a larger area.
yep the paint is just gonna get a bit of a clean up and preserve whats there. I simply can't paint another car. The mess, the hard-*** work (so much sanding) and the expense. I just buy cars the color i can live with now haha.
tell me more about the torino ends and what brakes are out there please!
I think the spindles i got ahold of are the 94-95 ones.
Sorry I missed this, @truckdoug .
Yep. You scored on the spindles. I've got a set of rebuilt 2004 PBR calipers if you're interested for the front- I won't use them at this point (done with build).
Don't be fooled as I was that the Explorer housing ends are almostidentical to the "Big Ford, new style (Torino) ends- they won't fit squat.
Once you get the Torino ends on, as long as your axles are the standard disc offset (axle manufacturers know this standard dim....I forget..3.150?) just about anyone's rear disc kit works; I used p.n. 555-630605 for mine and it was a slam dunk (it doesn't matter that it's for a 9 inch, obviously).
It looks like you know exactly what you are doing Nice work.
Forgot: I used QP for my 9", but they are super helpful with my considerations (technical and economic) when going from the cost of making a 8.8 (that I already had) race-safe to a 9". They'll help you with the axle / bearing / brake packages.
thank you for the info on the torino ends, I have some on the way so I can finish my worksheet and order the axles. I'll PM you on the brake calipers, I will definately use the them!
if I may ask what axles did you go with from QP? I have heard really good things about their $200 house brand axles.
thank you for the info on the torino ends, I have some on the way so I can finish my worksheet and order the axles. I'll PM you on the brake calipers, I will definately use the them!
if I may ask what axles did you go with from QP? I have heard really good things about their $200 house brand axles.
House brand 35 spline- so I could use a Wavetrac- my wife is going to drive it occasionally. Ross was fabulous to deal with.
I wanted so badly to use the Explorer housing I narrowed (not only for the HP loss using a 9), but it just didn't make sense to dump another $1800 in it when I could build a reasonably-trick 9 for another 400 and not have to sweat the gear setups. I can easily set up a 9", but have never done a 8.8, and every r/p I've bought for one over the last 20 years has been a pia, regardless of who set it up. At some point in my aging process, convenience and not changing valvesprings every year trumped getting every last tenth out of it, lol.
yeah being able to pull the chunk and put it up on a bench is really nice! I wish I had gone to a QP 9" right off the bat when I built my last car...there was so much cobbling to be done to make the 8.8 work that it was a break even by the time I got a decent set up in it (also went to a helical gear type locker.) I had tried several times to make the clutch type limited slip work but no matter what parts I put in it ,it would make 3-4 passes and burn up.
Hopefully this will be much more straight forward, dedicated track car with a spool. I will have to give them a call and see if they can set me up with axles.
bolted up the k member and slapped the spindles in just for some motivation.
whacked off the motor mounts, gonna do plates on this car. never had them before. I figure a dedicated drag car is my chance, even if it's only an 8.50 car
also fiddled around with the rear axle some more, trying to get my welding chops back before I zap the cage in
Nice work with the build so far, I'm also thinking of going to a 9'' instead of an 8.8. I will be using the strange S-Trac in my build when the time comes.
nice! I would definately do a helical gear locker. the clutch type posi's just dont last under real power.
and doing the rough math in my head I think I'm saving maybe $500 over a QP 9" just counting axle tube and axles. the real money can be spent on that 9" center chunk, gears, diff, brakes etc.
that reminds me I need to hustle up a large diameter pinion flange before I get to setting it up.
made a bit of progress this last week. @n2xlr8n66 hooked me up with some front calipers so I buttoned up the front sus.
magically I had the correct hardware in my bolt bin
spent about 4 hours fighting the oil and grease and zinc body plating to stitch the front subframe together a little better-remember to wear your respirator! metal fever is no joke!
I have the cage in from Team Z and I'm fitting it now. the carry-out 4L80e business has been really busy for some reason, so parts are stacking up!
the floor pan on the other size where it meets the rear bulkhead i have those plates on is way too rusty to weld to, so I'll have to wait for the re-pop pan to progress any further back there.
so I think I've been at this exact point before, and I should have listened to wiser folks then. I will do so this time around.
The are basically no grade 8 coupler nuts made for the 9/16-18 threaded ends of the stock manual rack. I'd love to put heim rod ends with LH threads to make alignment stupid easy, but Im not on board with machining them from scratch like last time.
Instead of reinventing the wheel I'll just reuse the stock rod ends.
nice! I would definately do a helical gear locker. the clutch type posi's just dont last under real power.
and doing the rough math in my head I think I'm saving maybe $500 over a QP 9" just counting axle tube and axles. the real money can be spent on that 9" center chunk, gears, diff, brakes etc.
that reminds me I need to hustle up a large diameter pinion flange before I get to setting it up.
made a bit of progress this last week. @n2xlr8n66 hooked me up with some front calipers so I buttoned up the front sus.
Nice looking calipers, heh.
Before you buy a pinion flange- let me check the garage stock. I probably have a stock 1350 9" variant. Let me know if you want it.
welded up the LCA's tonight. had some moly left over from the G body and ordered the heims to fit
gosh i need some practice on moly. seems like i cant ever find the right travel speed to really get a rhythm going. unless i get much better in the next few week i'm considering getting a hired gun to weld my cage out. you just need to be welding every day to be really good. these days I weld maybe a couple zaps a month lol
milling some flats to make trackside adjustment easier
ordered the baseline suspensions UCA relocation kit with his weld-in ARB and some "battle box" type reinforcements. thats gonna be fun...its really greasy around all that area. need to buy a case of brakleen lol
$200 for the core axle with the 3.27 gears
$718 for 1541h axles, axle bearings, spool and "rebuild kit" (new bearings, shims, marking paint etc) quick performance
$90 for the big torino ends (also QP)
$329 for the d52 type brake kit from inline tube
now that $1300 and change for a complete axle looks appealing, but dont forget I have hundreds into the axle jig tools and many hours into the careful measuring. the actual fab and welding is maybe 2 hours and something i find pleasurable.
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Nice work. 
