ECORS Class A race rig build

[rtj731]

Looks great,
Can you run two lockers in A class or are you heading towards B?
You bringing the racer to URE next month?

[broncosbybart]

Nope, I can only run 1 locker in A class. They don't call a limited slip axle a locker.

If I don't tear it up too bad at the race the previous weekend, I will bring the racer to URE.

[broncosbybart]

Been working on it, but slack on updating. Got the front end done. New gears are 4.88's. Something screwed me up with my gear setup and I had next to no backlash after I pressed the carrier bearings on. Had to carefully pull them back off and change some shims. I made my own setup bearings from an old set and they work well. Not sure what happened, but it was annoying.

Very happy with how the OX turned out. Hopefully it will work as good.

While I was at it, I cleaned and repacked the hubs, beairngs, lockouts, and spindle bearings. Greased the axle shafts and the ball joints as well.

[broncosbybart]

Then, onto the rear axle stuff.

I got a posi unit from a super nice guy on classic. Ordered a rebuild kit and some new carrier bearings for it. While I had it apart, I cleaned it really well. It had been sitting for a while by the looks of it.

Went to the old Home Depot and picked up some #8 washers to act as shims to add more preload to the springs.

I wasn't able to add any clutches to the clutch pack. There wasn't enough room without causing major damage to something. I installed the clutches dry to help them stay grabbed together. My main goal was to make this as close to a locked axle as possible. It isn't something you would want to do on a driver. I put it all back together and tightened the two halves back together using 5 7/16" bolts and nuts. Then I was able to install the 2 small phillips head screws that keep it together and backed the 7/16 bolts back out to set the ring gear in place.

[broncosbybart]

Been doing a lot of work with not much updating... The posi is rebuilt. I got the gears installed. When I was setting the backlash the ring gear would get really tight as it got close to where it was supposed to be. After doing some looking, I found that the ring gear was actually contacting the housing where the pinion support bearing is.

I had to tear it all back down and use a drill and a carbide burr to emove some material from the housing in that spot. Then, clean it all back out, and reinstall everything.

One thing that I did do that helped BIG TIME was to make a bearing preload adjuster spanner tool. That is a long description for a piece of flatstock drilled for two 5/16" bolts to attach to it and to be used for adjusting the carrier bearing preload. That little device worked great! MUCH better than using a hammer and punch. And, it only took me about 15 minutes to make.

[broncosbybart]

Then, I dropped the 3rd member into the axle. Actually, I had to raise it into place and like everything else, a wrestling match was involved... Finally coaxed it into position and bolted her down.

Genius me decides that since it is all apart, why not do a rear disc swap... OH, and I have a neighbor that just so happens to have a used CNC cutting brake for sale. He couldn't get it to work right. Why not try it- the race is only 2 weeks away...

What a project! Just finished up with that this evening. I ended up using Speedway Motors weld on brackets (which didn't fit and needed a bunch of modifying), some GM calipers and pads, and discs from a 91 Suzuki Sidekick 4 door. The 2 door model doesn't have a vented rotor and is too thin to really use.

I did add a plate to the back of the disc brake pad that the caliper piston contacts. The Suzuki rotor was still pretty narrow and I didn't want the caliper piston to be out too far.

Added some flex line, some new hard line and did a good amount of brake bleeding. The left rear still didn't want to work. I had to redo some of my brake routing and now it works much better. Did I say that nothing is ever easy??

[blazinchuck]

i wonder why the gear hit the housing??? never seen that

[broncosbybart]

The big advantage to using the Suzuki rotors is that they fit right over the rear axle flanges. No pressing of studs or grinding of anything! I did have to use the plasma cutter and carbide burr to notch a semi circle in the rotor so that I can get to the axle retaining bolts with the rotors still on.

Got everything welded, painted, and assembled. Shocks are removed to make room for some more better kinda ones

[broncosbybart]

Missed your post Chuck. The housing is aftermarket (Currie 9+) and has a ton of material in that pocket bearing area. The stock housings are weak and always seem to crack there. I guess Currie figured to add a lot of- or too much- metal there to eliminate that problem...

Went from 4.10's to 4.88's. Not a huge jump, but I guess enough of one to have issues.

[blazinchuck]

gotcha