more work done

[MRHP]

I have the 4.30 put back in the car. I found the right upper control arm crossmember for the rear is torn loose from the frame 1.5 inches. Ouch. Will have to weld that back together at the shop. The new t10 with 2.88 first is in along with the puck clutch. I will be measuring for an Inland Empire rear shaft with the billet carrier bearing, and 1350 joints front to rear. I talked with a salesman and he said the rear shaft could be dropped down to 2.75 and leave the front shaft 3.0 without sacrificing a lot of strength. I am thinking since I have a 9 inch in the rear and the pinion is lower than the stock rear, if I went with a little smaller rear shaft it would give a little more room where the x frame comes close to the driveshaft. I don't have a real high ride height in the rear so that will also help. I also installed a permanent magnet starter from a late 90's 454 along with the G.M. bolts. I had to use 1 washer under each bolt so the bolts would not bottom out. They were probably .030 too long in stock form. It is tiny, and works fantastic. Finally making progress! Is there any thing else I should watch out for?

 

[region rat]

Did you get the shaft with the bigger center support? That is the way to go. I,ve twisted a couple of the splines right at the center support while using the stock size. I got 3 passes out of Inlands chrome moly stub before it twisted big time..

 

[region rat]

Did you check to see if the mounting bracket for the upper link broke on the topside of the frame? That's a fun fix, welding blind!

 

[MRHP]

I was told the shaft I was inquiring about was in some 1200 horse cars. Will make sure it has all the good stuff in it. Hope the frame fix is easy. I will certainly check it out well.

 

[region rat]

I'd look into adding a brace or gusset in front of that upper mount. You launch hard enough, it will pull off again.

 

[61belairbubbletop]

Brian,
Have you driven a car on the street with a puck clutch ?

 

[MRHP]

I have not driven this car yet with this clutch. I have driven Centerforce dual friction, and a Kevlar clutch, but never this ceramic/metallic clutch. It was to be the most aggressive streetable clutch Phoenix would recommend for this application. As I was told it is a fairly linear release and not an on/off style clutch. Time will tell . If it sucks, I 'll pull it out and find something else. The car had a Centerforce dual friction and it lasted 500 miles. I just pulled another Centerforce df clutch out of it with a few hundred miles on it and it is fair. Hope this one will last a little longer. I think the steeper first gear in the trans will help this as well.

 

[61belairbubbletop]

Well, you've certainly got my interest peaked on this issue.
I was under the impression that it would be too aggressive
for street use. I have a Centerforce ready to go into my car,
and this issue may save me from double work/cost!
I don't know what level you are in your build/re-build, but
I hope you post results after some use in traffic/abuse.
Randy

 

[yellow wagon]

No issues with my center force dual friction and I drive mine hard

 

[MRHP]

Jason, you better start driving it harder. As soon as Inland Empire can get me the shaft, I will be driving the car. As long as nothing else pops up. Starting to get excited about it now.

 

[1961BelAir427]

Sounds like it is coming together well. If you decide to try a different clutch in the future........there is a small company here in GA that is growing in reputation. I've never been to their place and don't know any of the people there so I'm not just trying to promote them for any personal reasons....I've just heard a lot of good things about them and they have excellent prices. Competition Clutches is the name.

 

[Fathead Racing]

I'm running with the 502 empire driveshaft with no issues.

 

[MRHP]

Hey Fathead, are you running the billet carrier bearing? Did you have any problems getting the driveshaft angles right? I seem to remember some people shortening the carrier mount 3/8 of an inch or so to correct angles.

 

[MRHP]

Just got off the phone with Inland Empire. Shaft is ordered. Made sure it had all the good stuff. Should have it the first part of next week.

 

[Fathead Racing]

Hey Fathead, are you running the billet carrier bearing? Did you have any problems getting the driveshaft angles right? I seem to remember some people shortening the carrier mount 3/8 of an inch or so to correct angles.

I'll probably never have the angles just right! I did the math on mine and the numbers were acceptable without doing anything to the carrier.

 

[MRHP]

Glad to hear that! Thanks.

 

[MRHP]

Got the shaft in. Went in without any modifications. I installed the trans with no shims, carrier bearing without shims, and drove it. No vibrations at all.We ran it up to 125-130. I never checked the angles. They must be good! Boy, the 2.88 first is a huge difference. Gear splits are good. The puck clutch engages smooth. Only a slight chatter in reverse occasionally. Otherwise fantastic. I would recommend one for an aggressive driven car. Clutch bites hard enough for second gear burn outs. The hotter it gets, the more aggressive it becomes. Gear reduction starter works as designed. Only about 30 miles or so, but I can tell I am going to like it. My mechanic has a gopro video set up. I will bring it for a run and video it if I can. Boy this b!tch snarls. And I welded the crossmember back in too.

 

[1961BelAir427]

And I welded the crossmember back in too.

Sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. Did you add any bracing for the crossmember?

 

[MRHP]

No, I have the second control arm and bracket that I will add this weekend at the shop. Unless I am changing the trans on a super duty, or working on a offroad Samurai, or anything else that gets towed through the door.

 

[1961BelAir427]

Did you look at the pictures of my bolt in coil-over crossmember posted on here? Not shown, but it also has a bolt-in support for the UCA crossmember that is much easier to install than any of the other bracing options I've seen. I think it would work just as well, but it's untested so far.
That 2.88 first geared 4 speed and 4.30's on a spool will find any and all weak links....especially once you have some sticky tires on the back.