Rear Suspension Setup |
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OK, grille me again
for not having the camera ready. We put a 2x2 steel
tube on top of the frame, with tie down straps used
to hold the rear end at the height we wanted it.
This height was determined when we had the rear
wheels mocked up in the wheel wells. The other (and
most important) thing to consider when you’re
setting up the rear end is the coilover (or ShockWave
in this case) designed ride height. If you don’t,
you could be bottoming out or topping out your shocks.
That’s bad.
Parts shown:
Rear end: Currie Enterprises
Shockwaves: SKW7001, Air Ride Technologies
Rear Crossmember: 16900, Horton |
The New Generation |
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| This is Air Ride Technologies'
ShockWave. It is an airbag with a shock running
up the center. At 4" diameter, it's not much
bigger than a coilover, and we can adjust the spring
rate from the driver's seat. That's a lot easier
than trading springs. Adjustable shock valve dampening,
13"
ride height with 4.1" stroke, set it up the
same as a coilover but have a lot more adjustability.
We put a Schrader valve in so we can inflate it
to ride height without installing the tank and compressor
right away. |
Rear Brakes |
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You can see the Nine-Plus 11" drums on the
rear in this picture.
Parts shown:
Drums: Currie Enterprises
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Another Rear End Picture |
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| Need
I say more? |
12 Studs |
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I had to title this picture
that way.... Here we're mildly straightening out
the studs in the housing. It doesn't take much misalignment
and the diff. won't slide smoothly over the studs.
We threaded the front panhard bar (it has 3/8-24 threads) over the studs
in question, and using a square tweaked them all so they were perpendicular. |
Installing the Differential
(11 studs this time) |
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I'll let my dad hold
the engine in place, and I'll worry about the diff.
We got the whole shebang; 3.89:1 gears, axles, carrier,
differential,
plus the 9" housing kit from Currie Enterprises.
Notice how nicely the carrier is sliding over the
studs? Installing the 4-bar rear axle brackets
was easy - just measure the distance between the
frame brackets, measure flange-to-flange on the
rear end, subtract the four-bar frame dimension
from that, and divide by two. |
Rear 4-bar Frame Brackets |
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The pieces for these brackets
come with the Welder Series WS2220 rear
four-bar kit. It's designed for a '32 Ford but is really easy to use in
a lot of frames.
Parts shown:
Rear four bar kit: WS2220, Welder Series
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Yes, these are the wheels
we're using |
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Mr Billet Boy (you know who you are!):
aluminum axle, aluminum hubs, aluminum caliper brackets,
aluminum calipers, aluminum heads & intake- if
we used aluminum wheels, we wouldn't be able to keep
the front end down at a launch! It's strategic. Now
I hope the baby moons will fit over those hubs!
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The Frame |
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Rollin', rollin',
rollin'... Now we can move to the body for a while. |
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