68 GT convertible project
The rear axle, engine and trans are installed.
I assembled the rear axle in the basement last fall since I thought that was the safest place to store it. Not my best idea looking back since I had to get it back OUT of the basement as a complete unit. I enlisted the help of my wife and we loaded it onto a hand truck and slowly...step by step...hauled it upstairs. I pulled it up the stairs while she made sure it didn't fall off the cart. Once it was at the top of the stairs I collapsed on the couch for a half hour before taking it out to the garage. Once it was in, I was able to get some old 15" wheels to fit over the 11.7" Mustang rear brakes. I added 4 flat washers between the wheel and rotor and it just clears. This is just to be able to move the car around in the garage so it's not stuck on jack stands.
https://postimg.cc/qg9zRbdy]
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I spent Saturday cleaning up the engine, trans, k-member and suspension. It has been sitting in the garage for years and had accumulated a lot of caked on dust. I had some friends over on Sunday and we got the engine/trans in. Before it could go in the car though, we pulled the trans and replaced the torque converter. A 3500 stall torque converter was a little higher than what I wanted for the street. Then I filled the engine with oil and primed it unit there was oil up at the rockers. Finally, I put the distributor back in and timed it so it should fire right off when the time comes.
https://postimg.cc/2br7Pk0j]
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https://postimg.cc/3yMBFCpv]
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Before calling it a day, on Sunday, I wanted to check the pinion angle. The pinion looked really high up in the air and I was worried that the perches had been welded in the wrong spot. We jacked up the back of the car while I watched an angle gauge attached to the trans output shaft. Once the gauge read 0, I put the gauge on the pinion yoke. It read 0 as well so that's a pinion angle of 0. It looks like the perches were welded on correctly for an A-body...the flat oval track springs I'm using just threw the angle off a little. I already have some Belltech 2* axle shims and I've read that on a street car you want from -1 to -3* so that should be just right for what I need.
Last night I measured for a driveshaft. I need a shaft 52-1/2" long.(center to center of U-joint) I called up a big driveline shop that I've used in the past. They quoted me $200 plus new solid joints to shorten and balance a driveshaft. That's brand new driveshaft territory! I found a couple shops online that advertise brand new shafts for $270 plus shipping. They wouldn't have a tapered end on the shaft though but I don't know if that's necessary for clearance.
The rear axle, engine and trans are installed.
I assembled the rear axle in the basement last fall since I thought that was the safest place to store it. Not my best idea looking back since I had to get it back OUT of the basement as a complete unit. I enlisted the help of my wife and we loaded it onto a hand truck and slowly...step by step...hauled it upstairs. I pulled it up the stairs while she made sure it didn't fall off the cart. Once it was at the top of the stairs I collapsed on the couch for a half hour before taking it out to the garage. Once it was in, I was able to get some old 15" wheels to fit over the 11.7" Mustang rear brakes. I added 4 flat washers between the wheel and rotor and it just clears. This is just to be able to move the car around in the garage so it's not stuck on jack stands.
https://postimg.cc/qg9zRbdy]
I spent Saturday cleaning up the engine, trans, k-member and suspension. It has been sitting in the garage for years and had accumulated a lot of caked on dust. I had some friends over on Sunday and we got the engine/trans in. Before it could go in the car though, we pulled the trans and replaced the torque converter. A 3500 stall torque converter was a little higher than what I wanted for the street. Then I filled the engine with oil and primed it unit there was oil up at the rockers. Finally, I put the distributor back in and timed it so it should fire right off when the time comes.
https://postimg.cc/2br7Pk0j]
https://postimg.cc/3yMBFCpv]
Before calling it a day, on Sunday, I wanted to check the pinion angle. The pinion looked really high up in the air and I was worried that the perches had been welded in the wrong spot. We jacked up the back of the car while I watched an angle gauge attached to the trans output shaft. Once the gauge read 0, I put the gauge on the pinion yoke. It read 0 as well so that's a pinion angle of 0. It looks like the perches were welded on correctly for an A-body...the flat oval track springs I'm using just threw the angle off a little. I already have some Belltech 2* axle shims and I've read that on a street car you want from -1 to -3* so that should be just right for what I need.
Last night I measured for a driveshaft. I need a shaft 52-1/2" long.(center to center of U-joint) I called up a big driveline shop that I've used in the past. They quoted me $200 plus new solid joints to shorten and balance a driveshaft. That's brand new driveshaft territory! I found a couple shops online that advertise brand new shafts for $270 plus shipping. They wouldn't have a tapered end on the shaft though but I don't know if that's necessary for clearance.