rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[PugetDude]

Well ya Cam, what can I say? I'm as normal as you are bud!

Justin you really need to set the bar a bit higher.

 

[Sifan]

All in time!

 

[rattle_snake]

Justin you really need to set the bar a bit higher.

Ya, well we're starting at the bottom here

All in time!

On the way just not sure which direction....

 

[rattle_snake]

Made time to dig into the clunk noise my cobra started making a while back. Went WOT in 1st and started a clunk-clunk-cluck noise 2 miles from house. Sat for a month or more, wiped out battery so replaced to move it to shop. Got 4 yrs, good for AZ. Ford 100 month bat, so decent prorate.

Put RCAs up on blocks and ran the drive train at ride height. same noise. Crawled under while spinning down in N, definitely in IRS someplace. Pulled driveshaft and eliminated it and trans as culprit. Clunk is each pinion rotation, in same spot. Not likely a half shaft.
Rotating drive flange by hand, there is not excessive backlash in either direction. Can't feel any broken teeth or any change in rotation resistance. If rotated carefully, it has a 'dead spot' where pinion can be moved slightly more but axles don't anymore (with backlash preloaded). Once in this condition, can rock flange back and forth in dead spot. The rotational position of finding this dead spot is NOT consistent. Diff cover cannot be moved unless you pull the IRS apart and remove diff from vehicle. So...


And.... all appears well inside. No chipped teeth. No broken clutch fingers. There is some clutch goo so I probably should replace clutch packs, but it still performs like new. Going to pull the guts out and take a look.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

It amazes me how much abuse those IRS center sections survive. Especially behind a boosted and gassed 4v.

 

[Monza Harry]

The circles in the middle of each foot pedal look like the Audi emblem.

Around these parts that driver description better fits the BMW stereotype than Audi stereotype, although the Audi stereotype is one of frustrated wannaB BMW owners in training.

Around here Audi, BMW, Mercedes are pretty much an @$$hole with daddy's credit. I haven't encountered many Tesla drivers, they stay away from my rust bucket it scares them! LOL! Harry

 

[rattle_snake]

Back to Cobra project. Measured backlash at 0.015". Spec is 8 to 12. Was like this when I bought it and went though diff for reseal. So nothing changed in 30k. There is one shim on each side.
Broke the diff and carrier down, don't see anything concerning. Clutches have some life left but plan to replace while apart. Pinion looks good and has rotational resistance I would expect, bearings still preloaded. Carrier bearings good. Half shaft bearings good.

Not much else to do but put it back together, check, and go from there. Ordered new carbon clutches and fluids.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I've still got that 8.8 Lube Locker gasket if you want it (I can't remember if you said it would work on that diff or not?).

 

[rattle_snake]

Thanks but not sure it is needed. has a sealing groove machined in the cast cover. Appreciate the offer though.

 

[rattle_snake]

Did some maintenance on neighbor's tractor in trade for use. Oil change and fuel filter. Was able to fit it in behind the car on the lift as it was drizzling a bit.

Any ideas in how to bend the bucket lip back flat? I didn't damage, but would like to fix.


Old oil filter had date of 2012 and 100 hour previous. So it was due. A list of other minor issues I may fix. Hydrostat fwd/rev pedal linkage is getting stiffer and is very slow to disengage drive after lifting foot. Have to bump the opposite pedal. Apply brake bogs engine down. Still Creeps forward. Right front tire leaks around bead badly. Have to air up every day. I should pull it off and fix while work area is under water.

 

[zmotorsports]

That's sure nice of your neighbor Justin.

As for the hickey in the bucket. I can think of two ways, one being less physical. If you can find a solid anchor point to attach a chain to and use the hydraulics to put upward pressure on it may pull back into place. Otherwise maybe a couple solid steel supports under each side and then use a sledge to pound it back down flush. Although the latter may be a bit caveman~ish, I've bent many a steel structure back into place using the same method, sometimes even a little heat will help.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I was going to suggest Mike's second method, something underneath of the bend and a rosebud to heat it up, "persuade" it back in place.

This bucket would probably benefit from a replaceable cutting edge if this continues to be a problem.

 

[rattle_snake]

Thanks guys, #2 was my thought as well. The hydraulics are not that strong on this machine. It can be easily shimmed for more pressure, but is well matched to bucket capacity now. I assume the bucket got dropped full on top of some object. The FEL is touchy lowering heavy loads.

 

[rattle_snake]

I commented to my wife that I had some 'tractor therapy' doing the dirt work after a long day in the office.

She replied 'a therapy tractor? You need a therapy tractor?

I just said 'yes'.

 

[stockerwithalocker]

An i beam or big rectangular tube spanned from edge to edge of the bucket to give some moment of inertia, coupled with a big c-clamp to draw the bend in?

If you have more scrap, build a self reacting frame around the bucket you could react a high lift or porta power against the top to push the bend down?

 

[Monza Harry]

I'll 3rd Mike's percussion therapy suggestion for the loaders edge. I think it maybe resistant to change though, like getting more work out of a teenager resistant. So with a big piece of steel "tube, C, I or angle iron" and then as @stockrwithalocker suggested a couple of big "C" clamps while beating really helps with the springback! Harry

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Thanks guys, #2 was my thought as well. The hydraulics are not that strong on this machine. It can be easily shimmed for more pressure, but is well matched to bucket capacity now. I assume the bucket got dropped full on top of some object. The FEL is touchy lowering heavy loads.

Yeah, those hydraulics probably wouldn't have enough "**** 'n their britches" to pull up and remove the offending bend.

Based on my experience and the bend, I would bet someone came into contact with something at speed that was able to stop the tractor while carrying the bucket in a curled position.

I commented to my wife that I had some 'tractor therapy' doing the dirt work after a long day in the office.

She replied 'a therapy tractor? You need a therapy tractor?

I just said 'yes'.

Tractor therapy is real...and no one will change my mind otherwise! There is just something about running equipment and forgetting about the rest of the world.

 

[Bob Heine]

Tractor therapy is real...and no one will change my mind otherwise! There is just something about running equipment and forgetting about the rest of the world.

Marc, if you combine tractor therapy with military therapy, it lasts a lot longer. This was me, the tank commander, shortly after the end of the Korean War.

 

[4 FN 27]

Any ideas in how to bend the bucket lip back flat? I didn't damage, but would like to fix.

Wrap a chain around the bucket and place a Bottle Jack on the high point and start pumping. (watch your fingers).

Or weld 2 tubes vertically on the straight areas left and right of the high spot. Weld a cross bar between the 2 and again use the Bottle Jack. Cut the Tubes off. This method is the best as you can work the high spot out.

 

[rattle_snake]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give it a go and report back.

 

[rattle_snake]

Back on cobra diff project. Cleaned the incredibly stinky black goo off of everything and put new carbon fiber clutches in carrier.


Popped carrier in and re-checked backlash, same as before. The one thing I didn't do before disassembly was try to replicate noise on the bench. I popped cover off and did visual instead.


So next step was to spin assembly carefully, pre-loaded to see if I could find the 'spot' before doing pattern check. Well I found it. I could feel that 3 teeth that made contact differently. Popped carrier back out and found cracks at the root of many teeth


Given the damage I can't imagine the one last drive had too much to do with it.


Going through my options to fix. I think it is time I learn and equip myself with the rest of the tooling needed to do gear setup. Any tool purchase opportunity is a positive outcome. Probably fab a case spreader. I've done 9" gears but iterative stack-up shimming is another beast. I could change ratio but 3.55 gears are already a good match to power and use.

 

[LXCam]

She replied 'a therapy tractor? You need a therapy tractor?

I just said 'yes'.

Good damn luck getting that on an airplane with ya


Well that ***** about the pinion Justin. I know you said you felt the preload but did you happen to get an actual rotational torque value? Being cracked at the root I wonder if it was too low and getting on it forced the pinion into the ring.

 

[XJSuperman]

For the bucket: Pat's ideas sound good, I was going to offer a version of Mike's: place 4x4 wood blocks under the bucket on each side of the bent spot, and if it won't hammer into place, try backing a truck or tractor onto it (something heavy).

 

[zmotorsports]

Good catch on the gear cracks Justin. I had a similar situation with a pinion a couple years ago but it actually failed on me during operation. That wouldn't have lasted much longer then you'd be back in there doing it again.

I am impressed with the wide range of projects you are tackling in a relatively short time...... and I thought I shifted gears between projects quickly (pun intended).

 

[WoodsTruck]

I did the front Dana 44 in my Bronco a couple years ago. I bought a case spreader online and it was plenty stout.

 

[zmotorsports]

I did the front Dana 44 in my Bronco a couple years ago. I bought a case spreader online and it was plenty stout.

Agreed. There are several available online nowadays and no reason not to have one if you plan on doing more than even one setup. A friend of mine bought one by Vevor a couple of years ago and if memory serves it was under $100. It looked and felt almost exactly like my old OTC spreader that I paid close to $500 for nearly 30 years ago. That's back when there wasn't much in choices when it came to case spreaders. Now there are many more choices, although they're probably all made by the same company, just painted and labeled differently. Granted, I have had to fabricate/machine a few various adapters over the years for a wide range of housings but that's easy enough to do.

 

[WoodsTruck]

Agreed. There are several available online nowadays and no reason not to have one if you plan on doing more than even one setup. A friend of mine bought one by Vevor a couple of years ago and if memory serves it was under $100.

That's what I bought. Stupid heavy though so I built a plywood box just big enough to hold it all together, screwed the lid on and fastened a strap handle for storage. I was concerned I would need some Mike adapters but it fit the D44 perfectly.

 

[86turbodsl]

Back on cobra diff project. Cleaned the incredibly stinky black goo off of everything and put new carbon fiber clutches in carrier.


Popped carrier in and re-checked backlash, same as before. The one thing I didn't do before disassembly was try to replicate noise on the bench. I popped cover off and did visual instead.


So next step was to spin assembly carefully, pre-loaded to see if I could find the 'spot' before doing pattern check. Well I found it. I could feel that 3 teeth that made contact differently. Popped carrier back out and found cracks at the root of many teeth


Given the damage I can't imagine the one last drive had too much to do with it.


Going through my options to fix. I think it is time I learn and equip myself with the rest of the tooling needed to do gear setup. Any tool purchase opportunity is a positive outcome. Probably fab a case spreader. I've done 9" gears but iterative stack-up shimming is another beast. I could change ratio but 3.55 gears are already a good match to power and use.

Well that gearset is done. Must be a hell of a loading to pop those teeth off.

 

[ntsqd]

Or incredibly bad luck to repeatably launch on those particular teeth.

They make 9310 gearsets for that diff?

 

[rattle_snake]

Good catch on the gear cracks Justin. I had a similar situation with a pinion a couple years ago but it actually failed on me during operation. That wouldn't have lasted much longer then you'd be back in there doing it again.

I am impressed with the wide range of projects you are tackling in a relatively short time...... and I thought I shifted gears between projects quickly (pun intended).

Life has a way of doing that, plenty to do and more coming at me. One home AC/heatpump in down. CEL on daughters car.
Nothing critical so I try not to stress on the the ongoing list. Cobra sat 2 months, in the past this would have driven me crazy (pun intended).

Well that gearset is done. Must be a hell of a loading to pop those teeth off.

Yes it's time has passed. cracks go all the way in. Not far from coming apart.

Or incredibly bad luck to repeatably launch on those particular teeth.

They make 9310 gearsets for that diff?

Perhaps. Not sure, assume that is higher strength material? I am surprised the pinion broke and not a half shaft or damage the carrier. Shock loads from wheel hop are death to half shafts. I run 14-16 psi in the drag radials to mitigate, and if it hops I lift.

I'll check out options for case spreaders online. Thanks for info.

 

[86turbodsl]

I had wheel hop one time on my 9" in the Fairlane. I broke the pinion shaft in half. That was not a good time.

 

[ntsqd]

9310 is the choice for drag race (& I understand some Trophy Trucks) ring & pinions for it's superior shock loading performance. Comes at a cost, life-span is shorter to considerably shorter.

The algorithm works, these turned up in my email this afternoon: https://www.markwilliams.com/mw-12-modular-rears.html First ad that I can recall getting from MW....

 

[rattle_snake]

I had wheel hop one time on my 9" in the Fairlane. I broke the pinion shaft in half. That was not a good time.

That is one way to put an axle in neutral.

9310 is the choice for drag race (& I understand some Trophy Trucks) ring & pinions for it's superior shock loading performance. Comes at a cost, life-span is shorter to considerably shorter.

The algorithm works, these turned up in my email this afternoon: https://www.markwilliams.com/mw-12-modular-rears.html First ad that I can recall getting from MW....

Yes Big Brother is watching. Someone got paid to send you that. Time for tin foil hats.

 

[rattle_snake]

Debating gear ratio to replace with. 3.55 is already a well match set for the power level I am at on the street. Could use more gear at the strip as I just shift into 4th near big end.
T56 first gear is only 2.66:1 and car is on it's tippy toes of traction. 6500 in 1st is over 50 mph, 79, 107, 134, 175....
3.73 is -5%
3.90 is -10%

 

[Mark_17]

I vote 3.90 or 4.10

 

[ntsqd]

I've long been partial to 3.73's. Just enough ratio to get things moving without being so deep that getting some distance away is an exercise in frustration or winging it halfway to the moon for way too long.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

With the 6th gear you can go pretty deep.

The 4.10s that were in my Z28 were useless without slicks. The 3.92s aren't much better, but I can use some of 2nd gear now. The factory 3.23 gear set was comical with the T56, I could hit 70mph in 1st gear.

Have you run the numbers with your trap speed and the 3.73s to see where you're at in the rev range? With the blower I've got this feeling the 3.90s are going to induce A LOT of wheel spin.

 

[rattle_snake]

Well I ended up ordering 3.73 ratio. Install kit with bearings so I can use the old pinion bearing for setup.

It's really 1st gear traction that is liming factor. The bias ply slicks I have are taller than street tires, but they are old I and I see there are no more 16" slicks. I had to grind brake calipers to fit a 16, 15 is a no go. So plan going forward is to just run the 17" drag radials and see how it goes. 3-4 shift at 6500 yields 5000 in 4th. 120 MPH is 5900 with 3.73. If I can get a 1.6x 60' it should pick up three tenths or better.

 

[rattle_snake]

With my car broke I've been driving the old ford with coolant leaking down the floorboard for some time now. I had to splice two molded hoses together to get the overall shape I needed from core to firewall. The worm clamps on upper hose were inaccessible, but leaking. I was able to pull slack on lower hose enough to get a hook around the upper hose and get it part way out behind A/C box. Rotated clamps for future access and snugged. While topping off coolant I found the oil leak that had been making a mess. The A/C line on the drier had come loose, so refer oil.
Whack-a-mole. Fix heater, A/C broken.
Likely from last time engine came out. I leave A/C connected and fold it out of the way. Went for test drive and found floor wet again. I just said 'that's unfortunate'. Turns out it was just residual fluid. Glad I converted to 134A as A/C service is no issue.

 

[rattle_snake]

All parts in for gear setup job. Ford racing gear set didn't look so new. The 8.8 uses shims differently than a dana style axle. Pinion depth shim is under pinion bearing, so plan to pull the old bearing and clearance ID to make it a setup bearing. Carrier shims go outside of carrier bearing.


This is image on ford website, so I guess we have a match

8.8" 3.73 RING GEAR AND PINION

8.8" 3.73 RING GEAR AND PINION|Ford Performance Parts

performanceparts.ford.com