8.5 in rearend

[bracketchev1221]

Rebuilding control arms was easier than putting new u-joints in the driveshaft. Plan is to install housing w/pinion and control arms (loose bolts) as a unit. That should be pretty low weight without the axles and carrier, and easy enough to locate with the control arms installed. Waiting on a BMR LCA reinforcement brace; I'll get the car jacked up this weekend.

I cannot figure how the UCA suffered so much more corrosion than the LCA (parts from donor car). There was barely any paint on the donor car UCAs. They've lost mass for sure. I may wind up rebuilding the UCA that come out with the 7.5 if they look a lot better. I de-greased, then sprayed down with phosphoric acid, then rinsed, dried, and applied several coats of flat black rustoleum.

View attachment 235866

Weld plates to the bottoms of the lower bars to stiffen them

 

[doood]

I just wanted to get it bolted up and lubed, so I'll have a friend help me get it on the furniture caster/dolly. Install on next nice day people aren't pestering me.

 

[doood]

Lots of rain lately. Got 2 or 3 hours last couple days to get the '84 Monte jacked up. Just need to take the parking brake cable off and it's 'out with the old and in with the new[ly rebuilt].'

I simply cannot trust my life to jackstands, note the backup blocks and wood.

 

[doood]

I'm glad I went ahead and installed the wheel cylinders tonight, because the flange of the 30-spline QP axels is thicker than the OEM wheel flange and it isn't possible to install the wheel cylinder with the axels and the spring anchor pin/bolt present. Either the axel has to be out, or the anchor pin has to be loose to get that wheel cylinder in. I really hate installing the wheel cylinders, particularly that blasted snap ring. Took me forever. I love taking sh*t apart just to put it together /s.

 

[doood]

The ebrake cable didn't come off the passenger drum brake lever easily. I think it will be very difficult to put back on the new rear, although it isn't damaged. Do you know any tricks to compressing the ebrake cable spring to expose enough cable to slot into the shoe actuator? Is there a way to get some slack into the passenger cable?


Edit: I need ANOTHER tool. Lol

 

[doood]

Got the old rear out and half the control arms installed. Honestly, I would have finished the whole install if I didn't waste 90 minutes trying to get some blasted BMR brace installed with them. I call it the fallacy of bolt-in parts... sometimes they don't. I value my parking brake more than some bracing I don't actually need with the > 300 WHP 5.3/4L60e. It won't be any worse than a Grand National and they can do 12 second quarter mile on stock suspension.

69hurstolds could I bother you to help me find the factory torque spec for the rear UCA and LCA? I found a UMI reference that says 110 ft-lb on a bolt and 80 ft-lb on a nut with the car on its wheels, but those are for aftermarket parts. I'm reinstalling factory UCA and LCA. I guess I should use some red locktight too.

 

[Sweet_Johnny]

Got the old rear out and half the control arms installed. Honestly, I would have finished the whole install if I didn't waste 90 minutes trying to get some blasted BMR brace installed with them. I call it the fallacy of bolt-in parts... sometimes they don't. I value my parking brake more than some bracing I don't actually need with the > 300 WHP 5.3/4L60e. It won't be any worse than a Grand National and they can do 12 second quarter mile on stock suspension.

69hurstolds could I bother you to help me find the factory torque spec for the rear UCA and LCA? I found a UMI reference that says 110 ft-lb on a bolt and 80 ft-lb on a nut with the car on its wheels, but those are for aftermarket parts. I'm reinstalling factory UCA and LCA. I guess I should use some red locktight too.


View attachment 236422View attachment 236423

Not to get too personal, but what's your tailpipe situation? You have 3? And it appears that you keep a pretty neat and clean workspace as well as making safety a top priority.

 

[spidereyes455]

I would advise against using red loctite on the control arm bolts. Especially if you ever want to get them apart again. The factory hardware uses lock nuts and in all my years I have never seen them come loose on their own.

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

Not to get too personal, but what's your tailpipe situation?

Buy him dinner first see where it goes.. 😉

You have 3? And it appears that you keep a pretty neat and clean workspace as well as making safety a top priority.

See the loose clamp and the Muffler rotated? The pipe is unbolted.

 

[doood]

Not to get too personal, but what's your tailpipe situation? You have 3? And it appears that you keep a pretty neat and clean workspace as well as making safety a top priority.

This is a bolt-on hooker kit that came with the Holly LS swap kit for g-body. It has been nothing but trouble. Parts were made wrong, slip fits weren't round, terrible drone at 70mph, won't hold its alignment under its own weight when clamped. If I had known better, I would have a local shop build the exhaust. The one good thing is I can take it apart. I wasted about 30 minutes trying to fish a bolt out of a UCA before I finally relented and moved the muffler out of the way to poke the bolt out with a screwdriver. That muffler is not what came with the kit. That's a thrush muffler that's quite subdued for a 'turbo style'.

spidereyes455 10-4 on the locktight.

I'll likely get the rear installed tomorrow and then I'll be measuring the drive shaft running length. If I recall correctly the way to do this is to put the yoke all the way jammed up into the trans, and measure the distance between the center of the front u-joint and the center of the differential yoke u-joint center.... minus 1 inch.