Projects Need an opinion on my rear end

All those parts will be fine, just clean them up and use 'em! Remember "time is money" and gas ain't cheap. Wire wheel 'em or, for a real nice job, bead blast 'em, blast a little paint on 'em and they'll be like new.

 

Throw them in some mild acid/vinegar for a bit, rinse, wipe and paint. They'll last a while.

 

4:25 P.M. in North Texas, and I'm enjoying my first beer of the day....
Here's the deal, boys and girls. We are going to go back with the GM metric discs on the 9", and use a pinion E-brake. The only thing worthy of reusing is the center section.
had to cut the p***enger side brake drum in two with a cut off wheel.
The ring and pinion have a smidgen of surface rust on them, but I'm sure there are worse out there going down the road even as we speak. I'll change the rear lube a few times after I get it running, and all will be good.
By the time I buy drums, shoes, hardware, etc, etc, and jump through hoops making everything fit everything else, I've spent more than a new set of metric pads, and the pinion E-brake! Not to mention that the backing plates have a different bolt pattern than the rear in the car. As do the axles.
The original issue of bad pedal pressure was probably caused by the fork lift !?! master cylinder that was in the car when I got it. If I'm going to run GM metrics on the front, and GM metrics on the rear, and use the typical t-bucket in the floor double M/C set up that uses a GM twin cylinder, the system should feel a lot like a mid-year Vette without power brakes. I can live with that.
With an automatic transmission, the only time the E-brake will be used will be to p*** inspection.
I got a good 3:00 center section out of the $ 100 I spent for both rear ends, and in the meantime learned a lot.
I have a left over empty 9" housing, with backing plates, and axles, and a complete 73-79 f 100 28 spline rear, 3:25 ratio, one legger, complete that is all but brakes.
If someone in the DFW area wants them, come get them. PM me first.
You know.... cold beer really does taste better after you've been workin' your **** off....
Thanks, Mike

 

With any luck you guy's can help me with my 3 rears...................

 

Traditions, I should let that be the last word ****...............................

Back to the original question:

Just so happens I have been experimenting with the Quick Change in my Crew Cab, stock 454, turbo 400. I switched from 4.11 to 3.65 to 3.08 to 2.42. In a 5000+ lb. truck the 454 will pull away nicely from a stoplight even with a 2.42 final gear and 30" tires . Now I haven't checked the milage on all these different sets but I was curious as to how much gear this thing could actually pull. If I was towing my car trailer or the like, I would definetley change the gear but I was surprised at how docile the thing is. I guess the point is, you probably can't over gear a street rod with a reasonably cammed Big Block.

I asked one of my oval track customers once how much of a gear change he could feel. He said about a quarter ratio was noticeable, anything less was all in the driver's head. "Tell him you changed the gear the direction he wanted, he'll go out and run a faster lap and say, "See, I told ya!"

By the way, I changed the gear to the 2.42 today in the Auto Shop cl*** I was subs***uting in. I told the kids that I wanted to see how that ratio worked and that tomorrow we will flip the change gears (making it 6.99) and roast the tires. If anyone is interested, I will post the results here.

 

Thanks, gearheads! good information. It just reinforces my ***umption that I will spend all my time idling around, spending more time on the brake than on the throttle!
My engine builder told me that even with the 280 something cam, the big fella is still only making somewhere around 300 H.P., but with 500 FP of torque!
He said I could "balloon foot" it everywhere I go, on pump gas, 81/2 to 1 compression, and get better mileage than a small block. Don't know if that's true, but it's kind of neat to have such an enormous engine that at the same time is as docile as a 305.
Thanks, Mike

 

I talked to Currie.
After some time on the phone, the nice people at Currie identified my 9" as a '57 car.
Since the offset on my axles is 2", I'm to look for 1957 p***enger car rear brakes, which are apparently 11x2".
Anybody got any ideas? I could still use the GM metric discs that were on it, but in order to run a pinion e-brake I have to change the yoke on my pinion. Is that some thing I can change at home without disturbing the lash?
I'm determined to make all this work together. Thanks, Mike

 

Mike,
I'm no 9" expert but you can change the yoke without having to reset the lash. Just be sure that you don't overtighten the pinion retaining nut and crush the sleeve more than it already is. It has to be tight, but not too tight. I would Loc***e the threads on the pinion nut, too.

I've always thought that if a guy wanted a true 'Emergency Brake' on rear disc set up, he should add a second set of calipers, with their own master cylinder. this could be operated with a hand brake lever on the transmission tunnel. I'd use a single master cylinder like Wilwood mounted below the flooboard.

Just my $.02.

Bruce

 

OK, now let's really muddy the waters!!
The huge Pate swap meet is coming up, and an acquaintance of mine is going to sell a Winters Q/C. Don't know yet what he wants, but aside from width it is st up for street duty with discs that have their own e-brake, and a 9" yoke.
I went to my favorite "salvage yard" yesterday, and found the backing plates I need for a 57 car. they are 10x2, which would be adequate for this light a car. And, I've researched the fact that mid-late 60's Torino, v8 Mustang brakes are, to some degree, a bolt on.
I'm learning more about the 9" than I ever wanted to know. And, I'm beginning to appreciate it for the versatile, do it all rear that it is. Thanks, Mike

 

My vote is for the Quick Change. Yes, 9" Fords are great rear ends but the QC is way better for it's coolness factor. But then again, I'm prejudiced.

Bruce

 

I know! It would mean new bells, and axles, and brackets, and .....but geeez, look at that thing hanging out under there!.......A lot depends on what this guy is going to want for it, 'cuz I'd still have to spend a ton making it 54" wide.
Wow, talk about tailoring your final drive......

 

.I have 3.00s in my modified with a pontiac 400/400 combo & it works great. Puts around under idle & flys down the highway @ 70 allday too.

 

As long as it has a 31 spline differential in it, here's what you can do:

Cut the race car axle snouts off the tubes and weld on Ford 9" housing ends. Buy some aftermarket axles or find two 26 1/2" Ford units.

I can get the housing ends for you at a good price.

 

After taking up the better part of three weeks, and over a hundred miles of travel back and forth to the vintage tin salvage yard taking measurements, after several calls to Currie, and Mark Williams, I am calling it quits.
I'm going back with the GM metric discs that were on my 9" when I got it.
Enough is enough! I'll find a good pinion E-brake and be done with it.
Actually, GM metrics on the back, and the GM disc setup that Speedway sells for T-buckets will do just fine in an 1800 pound 'gl*** roadster.
When your head hurts from pounding it on the wall, the best thing to do is quit pounding it on the wall....aaarrrrggghhhh!!.....Thanks, Mike

 

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Ok, here's what I have on the rear of my roadster. I know, some of you are going to tell me the caliper is in the wrong place, but these brakes did a pretty good job of hauling my **** down from 130, so they seem to be working OK.
You can see from the photo that the original builder, probably for the sake of simplicity, used the flex lines that are normally found on the front end of the donor car to make everything flex. I would like to modify his idea to have only one flex line, and hard lines to the calipers, but not if it means re-inventing the wheel. This setup seems to work pretty well.

 

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So what do I have here? I got out of the auto parts biz before disc brakes!
Are these early A body fronts? I think I can get a front set from Speedway to match these. I would think that four of these with the typical Speedway T-bucket dual chamber master cylinder brake ***embly would work pretty well on a 1500-1800 pound car. Should feel kind of like a mid-year Vette with non power brakes.
I got a proportioning valve at the swap meet, a Wilwood 260-8419, and I'll plumb residuals into the system when I build it. Add a pinion brake for a parking brake, and I'm good, right? Waddya think? Any OMG'S!! Am I over thinking this? Thanks guys, Mike

 

"My biggest question I have is WHY do you feel the need to remove the spool?"

I can't even get the thing to turn to get it in the garage! The last thing I want is to be driving this thing to car shows and tooling the neighborhood bouncing the tires around corners all the time. I don't even want to think about getting it in a parking space.
Add to that 4:88's and the spool would be much less than pleasant.
Both chunks are one leggers, which is fine, I'll hardly ever get above idle as it is.
I was ***uming the 3:00's would be fine, but my experience is with heavy,stock bodied cars. I just needed to hear it from someone with more experience here than mine.
Thanks, Mike
If both are one legers, pull the pins and roll the spiders out, and put the 31 spline spiders in the pumpkin you want. Its about four minutes work if you dont count clean up after its done.
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Don, I'm OK with the 3.00 being the pumkin with the 31 splines. With 500 someodd pounds of torque, the difference between 3.00 and 3.25 will be negligible.

 

I try to steer clear of other guy's rear ends.

 

Yeah, I know! I'm having to deal with some other guy's rear end, and look where it's getting me.....

 

btt

 

I just put 85 camaro on my Henry J and they look similar, see what the bolt spacing is ?

 

that caliper moves, you will need the flex lines.

 

Your weak link is going to be that turbo 350. I cracked a heavy duty sprag in a turbo 350 with a stock 454 on the way home from the transmission shop. I also took apart a furnace brazed torque convertor with the same turbo 350. I ignore folks who say a turbo 350 will stand up to a big block. This hasn't worked in my experience.

I am from the school of overkill. Strange axles are a good value, and they deliver quickly. Please consider these in 31 spline. Go with 35 spline if you plan to hammer it hard.

3.25 to 1 or 3.50 to 1 would be great in town. If you plan long trips, you will prefer 3.00 or even steeper.

Another consideration may be a turbo 400 with a gear vendors overdrive and some 3.89 or 4.00 to 1 ratio.

 

bump

 

Bump...I'm beginning to think you guys don't love me anymore.....