Update: So last week I was getting the car ready for Cruisin the Coast. I hadn't adjusted the rear suspension back to where it needed to be since I put the solid motor mounts on. I just had to put the lower control arms bck to stock length and set my pinion angle. All of that stuff was all out of wach from having to extend it out just to be able to get the d/s in and out. I figured since the motor mounts have the engine sitting where its supposed to that I wouldn't have the fitment issues with the d/s anymore.....WRONG!!!
The Saturday before I started the adjustments and discovered that one of the lca bolts was bent. And it refused to go back in. So I ordered some from UPR. They arrived Wednesday evening...just in time for me to finish putting everything back together so the car would be ready for CTC. So Thursday afternoon after I reinstalled the LCAs it was time to set the pinion angle. I got the pinion angle and it was time to get the d/s angle to see how much I had to adjust the UCAs to get the desired -4° of pinion angle. I tried to install the d/s but it said
Well I was completely deflated, unmotivated and highly p!ssed. I was already on a short fuse due to the other extreme stress I've been under lately so this just put me over the edge and I had thrown in the towel. I called 2 of my buddies and my dad(I was gonna use his trailer) and told them the car won't be going to CTC because I was back to square #1 with the d/s fitment. They both said WTF. Well one of those buddies still had my stock d/s. Actually he hd mine and another one. He said he'd measure them and told me to measure the custom one I have.
Sidenote: The custom d/s was part of the transmission conversion kit I purchased from American Powertrain when I bought my TKO600. It included their signature crossmember, tranny mount, d/s, and speedo cable with appropriate gear for the rear gear in the rearend.
Well when I was building the car the crossmember didn't fit. I went back and forth with them about that...they never took responsibility for it aven tho they said they hd a bad batch some months before but they claimed they retrieved them all. The tranny mount was wrong...well maybe not wrong but it was eant to fit on their crossmember. So I used my stock crossmember. I just grinded off the spot welds so I could adjust it rearward to fit the TKO600. Now a couple years later I discover the d/s is too long. So basically nothing in the conversion kit that I paid a few hundred dollars for fit except the speedo cable and gear.
So my buddy measured the 2 stock d/s's. Measuring from end to end of the d/s not including the yokes on each end, they measured 46 3/4". The custom d/s measured 47 3/16". That was more than enough difference in length that I needed to get the rear yoke past the pinion and nut to get it in. So my buddy asked if I was coming to get it. I said yeah I'll just need to switch slip yoke from the custom d/s to the stock one when I get there. That took almost 2 hrs to do....that's whole other story that I don't even typing.
So Friday after running a few errands I got to work installing the d/s and setting the pinion angle. Test drove the car. It drive better than it ever had because I had NO MORE vibration at any speed. During the test drive I got it over 120mph with no vibration. I was beyond happy at that point. Actually if my dad hadn't already brought me his trailer I would have told him nevermind I'll drive the car to CTC. I originally didn't want to drive it there because of the slight vibration due to the pinion ngle being way off AND I don't have a/c. But I could have survived the no a/c part. The MS gulf coast is only an hour or less away from me.
The weekend was great AND as many of you know I was able to meet @CarMichael Angelo and The Monster and we almost went to jail together!
Next on the agenda....change valve springs, change pushrods, rebuild rearend with new 3.55 gear and install my Stinger PiMP and harness....and start tuning.
The Saturday before I started the adjustments and discovered that one of the lca bolts was bent. And it refused to go back in. So I ordered some from UPR. They arrived Wednesday evening...just in time for me to finish putting everything back together so the car would be ready for CTC. So Thursday afternoon after I reinstalled the LCAs it was time to set the pinion angle. I got the pinion angle and it was time to get the d/s angle to see how much I had to adjust the UCAs to get the desired -4° of pinion angle. I tried to install the d/s but it said
Well I was completely deflated, unmotivated and highly p!ssed. I was already on a short fuse due to the other extreme stress I've been under lately so this just put me over the edge and I had thrown in the towel. I called 2 of my buddies and my dad(I was gonna use his trailer) and told them the car won't be going to CTC because I was back to square #1 with the d/s fitment. They both said WTF. Well one of those buddies still had my stock d/s. Actually he hd mine and another one. He said he'd measure them and told me to measure the custom one I have.
Sidenote: The custom d/s was part of the transmission conversion kit I purchased from American Powertrain when I bought my TKO600. It included their signature crossmember, tranny mount, d/s, and speedo cable with appropriate gear for the rear gear in the rearend.
Well when I was building the car the crossmember didn't fit. I went back and forth with them about that...they never took responsibility for it aven tho they said they hd a bad batch some months before but they claimed they retrieved them all. The tranny mount was wrong...well maybe not wrong but it was eant to fit on their crossmember. So I used my stock crossmember. I just grinded off the spot welds so I could adjust it rearward to fit the TKO600. Now a couple years later I discover the d/s is too long. So basically nothing in the conversion kit that I paid a few hundred dollars for fit except the speedo cable and gear.
So my buddy measured the 2 stock d/s's. Measuring from end to end of the d/s not including the yokes on each end, they measured 46 3/4". The custom d/s measured 47 3/16". That was more than enough difference in length that I needed to get the rear yoke past the pinion and nut to get it in. So my buddy asked if I was coming to get it. I said yeah I'll just need to switch slip yoke from the custom d/s to the stock one when I get there. That took almost 2 hrs to do....that's whole other story that I don't even typing.
So Friday after running a few errands I got to work installing the d/s and setting the pinion angle. Test drove the car. It drive better than it ever had because I had NO MORE vibration at any speed. During the test drive I got it over 120mph with no vibration. I was beyond happy at that point. Actually if my dad hadn't already brought me his trailer I would have told him nevermind I'll drive the car to CTC. I originally didn't want to drive it there because of the slight vibration due to the pinion ngle being way off AND I don't have a/c. But I could have survived the no a/c part. The MS gulf coast is only an hour or less away from me.
The weekend was great AND as many of you know I was able to meet @CarMichael Angelo and The Monster and we almost went to jail together!
Next on the agenda....change valve springs, change pushrods, rebuild rearend with new 3.55 gear and install my Stinger PiMP and harness....and start tuning.