Build Thread Mustang5L5's Build Thread -

[AeroCoupe]

When I ran the PHB without the TA the car only had one UCA as per the recommendation of several guys running the PHB on the street. Never had an issue for a little over a year then installed the TA and ditched the other one.

Did you really mean to say "I had to get to the backside to hold the nuts."?

 

[Mustang5L5]

Tried to work that bolt out out for the seatbelt again. After trying to dremel it (which was working but slow) I gave up, pulled out the back seat and rear carpet, layed down my welding blanket and carefully used the grinder and cutoff wheel. The foam sound deadener didn’t like sparks, so some of that melted into a smelly mess (which is why i didn't want to use the grinder initially). Had to air out the car after.

Then it was a matter of drilling out the spot welds from the underside. Easy with the LCA out of the way.

But….it’s out! No more lap belts!

Just need to grind down the area a bit under the car and weld this in. Then I can’t finally bolt this sides 3-point belt in and I am done!

And yes, i am ditching the torx style bolts for some beefy standard hardware. Grade 8 7/16-20 x 1" for those who want to do the same.

Wanted to work on the exhaust, but this needed to be done and this was the best time. Took me a few hours to strip the interior away a bit and prep

 

[bird_dog0347]

Good choice, do it now while it's accessible.

 

[2000xp8]

I ran the phb with both control arms, I didn't really notice any bind. The rear did feel really solid cornering. Could it have been binding? I guess, not sure i would know what it felt like, but it sure didn't feel like snap oversteer which i have experienced.
I'd just do it all now including the torque arm then finish the exhaust. The torque arm nearly installs itself if the panhard bar is already on and setup correctly. I read the directions like 20 times, but most of it can be done with just common sense.
Sometimes i feel like MM directions make things like the PHB and torque arm seem daunting, but they really aren't.
Only thing is that i didn't weld mine, had a friend come over and do it.
Which was nice because now i know why i sucked at welding. Because i only looked at one gauge after i turned on the tank. Probably one of my dumbest mistakes ever. So i had the tank on, but not the valve to the welder!. Freaken amateurs...

I also used the heavier set of Torque springs as per their recommendation to match my front springs. Couple odds and ends to finish up before i see how it all works on the street.

I have trouble believing one arm keeps the rear straight under load. If both tires hook i can't see how the rear isn't rolling on one side.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Seat belt anchor plate welded in. Other seat belt bolted up. My 3-point belt conversion is done…except I have red buckles. Need to track down a set of 79-84 black rear buckles…


Started marking up my exhaust for cuts, ran out of time. Hope is to get one side done by the weekend.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Here’s a visual before I start cutting.

The tailpipes need to be my start point. I have very little wiggle room on where they sit, so I need to work backwards from tip to X-pipe.

Since I have a flowmaster catback on the ground, I can use it as a template. Matching up the exhaust exits, the Borlas have a narrower offset. So here lies my problem. The flow tube doesn’t really angle the same way as the flow does. It need a kick.

Unfortunately I do not have a bender, so I gotta make some cuts and reweld.

The narrower offset.

How far off I am where it meets the X-pipe. Need to cut and kick this over a tad.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I'd just do it all now including the torque arm then finish the exhaust. The torque arm nearly installs itself if the panhard bar is already on and setup correctly.

I know. It seems like an easy install. Really it's just welding the tabs to the subframes. After that, I think i could bolt the rest of it together in an hour. Seems fun and i am committed to going this route now.

But, I want to hold off on buying it and the Torque Arm springs for now. Got the DD fixed and that was a $3200 bill. I then dropped another $400-500 on needed parts for it since I was now going to keep it a little while longer (i was deferring maintenance since it was going to get traded in soon). New battery, brakes, some small stuff. Fortunately, now that i've fixed all this stuff and cleaned it up, i actually like the car again.

So needless to say I have to take a bit of a time out with my hobby budget to repay myself for what I just spent. SO likely going to just buy the axles I need and call it a wrap and get the car driveable again.

I may install the bar for the PHB, or i may wait and just leave it out for now. We will try it out and see.

 

[2000xp8]

While the rear is easily accessible out of the car, open up the old dogbone holes. It's almost certain the torque arm bolts won't go through. You will most likely need a good drill bit.
It's not an enjoyable task facing upwards.
Not sure what size i used, but it fit in the torque arm like a sleeve.

Edit: I forgot you don't have the arm yet, i'll see if i can find the size bit i used.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Final group of parts


Moser 28-spline fox-lenght axles w/sn95 flange
Moser studs
Classic tube SS brake lines for disk brake

Gotta paint the rear and then time to put it back together.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Rear painted.

 

[Noobz347]

I think you would have liked [wrinkle paint]. That finish would look uniform all the way across.

 

[Mustang5L5]

It's more or less topcoat over the existing POR15. The POR 15 was done over some rust, so there's not much i can do about that now. One thing about POR is that when it's painted over rust, it doesn't come off. I did that 10+ years ago and it held up remarkable well. SO i just did a light topcoat.

Yeah, if i was doing it today i'd wire-wheel it down smooth and get a nice finish. But it's going under the car. It's good enough for me.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Axle mostly assembled. Waiting on my gear oil and Lubelok gasket to show up to close up the diff cover.

Mocked up the brakes, or at least started to just to see if shims would be needed. I don’t need them.

Still need to press in the studs. My tool won’t be here til Sunday. Hopefully that can be done with the axles installed.

What’s the consensus on reusing the diff center pin bolt? I’ve had mine out 3-4 times now and reused it each time. Should I retire it? Or ok to reuse?

 

[AeroCoupe]

I’ve heard that Ford says to use a new one every time. I have not seen it documented that it is a torque to yield bolt so I just torque it to spec (26 ft/lb) and move on.

 

[OldManRiver]

Whatcha got for axle end play?
With my modified clutch stack I ended up facing a few thousands off the axle button.

 

[rednotch]

I've reused them but I also bought a bag or two, there cheap, really cheap for a specialty bolt. D8BZ-4241-B or C should be a pack of 3, see how bad your dealer marks em up or tries to sell ya a single lol.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Ended up getting a bolt. $7 for one. Not bad i guess.

Figure after 4 removal and installs, we can retire the original one for peace of mind.

Whatcha got for axle end play?
With my modified clutch stack I ended up facing a few thousands off the axle button.

I didn't change my clutches, so i'm still on the originals which still put down 2 black stipes. But there is definitely less axle endplay than the OE axles had. I know i've read about the Moser axles not allowing the cross-pin in, but I didn't have that problem. BUT, it's definitely close enough that I worry when i do rebuilt my t-lok in the future and it might be a bit on the tight side. Guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it. But they slid in fine and the cross-pin went in with no issue.

I'll get my gauge and actually measure the end play one of these nights.

 

[AeroCoupe]

I had to take a hand file and to remove just shy of a 1/16"" off the end of each axle to get the Moser's in the Coupe and the T-Bird. I run the extra clutch setup so it was tight with the stock axles and worn out clutches. If you do it remember to dress the chamfer back up on the end of each axle.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I do have access to a lathe where I can insert the axle through the chuck and turn it down just a tad.

But that's a problem for next winter.

 

[Mustang5L5]

So I ordered 2 sets of axle studs. Both were $20 for the 10

I got Moser, and the LMR house brand, which after receiving in hand looks to be repackaged Dorman studs (or same vendor that makes them for Dorman)

Which ones to run? Does it matter? I don’t want extended lenght, as I want to run stock style acorn close lugs.

I’m not a fan of the Dorman brand; but the con of the Moser ones is that unthreaded shank area which I have read requires the use of a spacer often. I’ll need to check the depth.

Moser or LMr(Dorman?)