C-Clip help?!

[elking]

Not sure I fully understand but can someone explain c-clips to me. I'm building a pro-touring street car & have seen recommendations to NOT eliminate the c-clips due to side load. Can someone explain the pros & cons of eliminating c-clips & rather I should or shouldn't?

Thanks

 

[86 regal]

I would eliminate c clips for sure, i had one come out and it was really close to spitting out an axle, i got really lucky. take a look at my album and you'll see what i mean

 

[FE3X CLONE]

C-clips are just that, C shaped clips that slide into a groove on the end of the axle shafts inside the carrier:

They keep the axle (most of the time) from coming out of the axle housing. The center pin inside the carrier keeps the axle from pushing back inside the carrier and letting the C-clips fall out.

The issue is that this is the ONLY thing holding an axle inside the axle housing. If you snap and axle its free to come flying out of the housing as your driving.

Although I will admit I've never heard anyone say they were bad for a Pro-touring type of car. I guess they're theory would be the constant side to side loads on the C-clips being bad?

The problem with C-clip eliminators is that they are mostly setup for drag cars. On a Pro-touring car where your going to be pushing it through the corners, the C-clip eliminators will start to leak.

This is all why I went to a Ford 9" rear on my car.

 

[86 regal]

I guess i didn't explain them, there is a groove in the end of the axle where the c clip sits in, after you put the c clip in you slide the axle out and put a pin through the middle of the carrier that keeps them from sliding inward, stuff wears out over time mostly from side pressure, c clip eliminators are worth every penny if you want to stick with the 10 bolt.

 

[jrm81bu]

Copy and paste from my other reply.

The reasoning for not using c-clip eliminators for a pro-touring style build is because of the style of bearings used in the eliminators. My understanding is they either won't hold up to the sidel loading or at least will start to leak. IIRC this was with the flat roller bearings. However, Strange, i think, has come out with eliminators that use a tapered roller bearing that is supposed to cure this problem.

 

[axisg]

wouldn't rear disk brakes accomplish the same thing as a C-clip eliminator ??? Even if the axle snaps it would have to break the 2 caliper bolts before the axle would come free.

 

[86 regal]

Theres a possibility, but its not made for a load on the side like that so the caliper mounts would probably break off

 

[pontiacgp]

the only way to stop a broken axle to stay in place is with a ford 9" full floater....c-clip eliminators only replace the problematic c-clips which are prone to rounding off the valley edges in the axle and popping out releasing the axle. The c-clip eliminators do have a problem with leaking but on our circle track car the Bear/Strange set up didn't leak. To install the eliminators you have to do it exactly as the instructions or it will probably leak.

 

[FE3X CLONE]

wouldn't rear disk brakes accomplish the same thing as a C-clip eliminator ??? Even if the axle snaps it would have to break the 2 caliper bolts before the axle would come free.

Yes for the most part they would.

Theres a possibility, but its not made for a load on the side like that so the caliper mounts would probably break off

It would hardly be the bolts that break. Most are grade 10.9 metrics that hold the caliper abutment to the backing plate. At least on the LS1 rear discs anyway. On my LS1 discs they use two M12x1.5 grade 10.9 flange head bolts. That's the same as a wheel stud.

the only way to stop a broken axle to stay in place is with a ford 9" full floater.

I believe the Ford 8.8 would also work as well. I believe that's the rear end in my brother's '02 Mustang GT. After he blew the engine with the new supercharger and then replaced it the following year he decided to bolt on a set of drag radials and see what it would run. He got one 12.1@115mph out of it and the next run it snapped an axle. Axle/wheel never left the housing.

 

[jrm81bu]

I believe the Ford 8.8 would also work as well. I believe that's the rear end in my brother's '02 Mustang GT. After he blew the engine with the new supercharger and then replaced it the following year he decided to bolt on a set of drag radials and see what it would run. He got one 12.1@115mph out of it and the next run it snapped an axle. Axle/wheel never left the housing.

I'm fairly certain that the 8.8 still uses c-clips. Maybe the newer ones are different?