BUILD THREAD The Mullet Maurader, The Epic of the LS swapped Buick

[Northernregal]

Finished the axle mock up, welded up the UMI sway bar mounts and picked up the third member from the driveline shop today. Tomorrow I start the dreaded underbody scrap and clean. Boooooo!!!

My rear brake stainless lines and final AN fittings are scheduled to be here tomorrow. Hopefully they get on, and axle hard lines bent up too. Little victories. 😁👍

 

[Canon_Mutant]

Wow, the pinch clamp standard mount was not sufficient? I've got their 1" protouring bar for out back.

How much power you gonna make?

I know, required background reading . . . Actually read it all, just forgot already.

I'm sure it's here somewhere!

Let's see, Heaven and Earth blah blah, Adam and Eve stuff, begat begot begotten, Moses left never arrived . . . rules, Oooh Leviticus [that's just messed up], Do unto others, stuff yadda, ah here it is, 500-700HP?

Meh, I'm only at 450. But it's torque that kills . . . 🤔

I do have a welder!

 

[Northernregal]

Pinch mount wouldn't work with the back brace on the axle housing. This seemed like the easier option.

 

[Canon_Mutant]

I am putting a back brace on mine but, before I realized my rear end was toast, I did a temp mock up, and it looked like it would all clear.

But mine is just the 442 8.5 now all internally hardened, Moser 30s, 1350 yoke, Eaton Truetrac, Drum to Disc. Yes, I know, this pic is the 7.5.
Hmmh, I probably have yet another surprise coming?

But I do have a welder . . .

 

[1evilregal]

thing is coming along nicely! keep yourself paced, or yours may end up like mine.... (haven't done a thing to the olds in 6 years, regal-5years, GP 3 months...)

 

[Northernregal]

More progress today.

Parts came in early from the FedEx guy so plumbed in the brake lines on the axle housing. Welded tabs on and refreshed the paint that has taken such a beating. Don't paint before final mock up kids, ask me how I know...

It's a 10 foot touch up job but I figured it's not gonna be easy to see so I won't freak out.

Then I got my fill of the underbody suck. Not all done but enough to get the motor in tomorrow for the last time. 😀

 

[Canon_Mutant]

You know, had I just been more observant . . .

I have been around several Ford 9s but have never seen the welded solid triangulated brace you have on yours.

I see now why the clamp on sway mounts won't work . . . duh! Should have just looked closer at your pics.

Puts my piddly little bolt on brace to shame though LPW swears by them . . .

 

[Northernregal]

You know, had I just been more observant . . .

I have been around several Ford 9s but have never seen the welded solid triangulated brace you have on yours.

I see now why the clamp on sway mounts won't work . . . duh! Should have just looked closer at your pics.

Puts my piddly little bolt on brace to shame though LPW swears by them . . .

Any brace is an improvement. Mine just happened to be a cheap option when I ordered the rear end.

 

[Northernregal]

Had a pretty positive evening tonight. Despite having a good headache from the previous nights escapades with the girlfriend at the company Christmas party I not only replaced the condensation pan in her furnace this morning but I got the axle together.

First I discovered that a ford 9 is heavy. After getting the studs in for the third member and getting it bolted in I tried to turn it on my high tech Chinese saw horse stands when one stand quickly folded and shattered. So much for my 10 foot paint job....

With only my pride damaged I continued to fight with it to get the axles in. So it turns out Quick performance sent me inner seals with my tapered bearings. It took about an hour of cursing and fighting with the axles before I got on the Google to discover that inner seals aren't used on tapered roller bearings. 😡

It didn't take long to get it together after that.

Slapped the wheels on an the 15s fit over LS1 rear brakes. Win!

It's REAL close but I'm gonna guess 1/8". Probably gonna space them out 1/4" and that looks a lot better. Either way, check off rear end.

It ended up being a 3.89 geared 31 spline trac-loc. I don't think the trac-loc is gonna last if I really launch it but for now it'll be ok. It's gonna need to be a 35 spline one day I'm thinking.

 

[Rktpwrd]

Glad it resulted in a win after the stand catastrophe. That sucks, I hope nothing else was damaged aside from your pride and the paint job.

Nice work man, looking forward more than ever to seeing it as a roller!
👍🏻

P.S. - shoulda gone 12 bolt, all GM, lighter, and just as strong if they’re built right.
Just sayin’....
😉