Yes, the extra bezel I have is the same one shown in my truck but it has one cutout on the left hand side where a mechanical tach used to be or a vacuum gage.

I'll dig it out and post some pics.

 

Ok, it's that time again for a weekly update.

I've been wondering what to do about the rear suspension and I really don't want to run leaf springs. After some research on one of the best handling and easiest to tune rear setups, I have decided to go with a truck arm suspension.

I've got a lead on a brand new pair of truck arms from a Nascar team that were never used and I'm going to see if I can grab them. They are 51" long and should work perfectly for my application.

With that said, I've stripped the 9" rear of all bracketry and yanked out the 3rd member. The OEM 2.47 gears just aren't going to motorvate the truck the way I want.

After a trip to one of my local (60 miles away) junk yards, I came back with another 3rd member. I thought I would be settle a 3rd member with 3.55's considering they were the most popular gears that came in F150's and Full Size Broncos.

After a brief walk through the yard to the "new arrivals", I spotted a 1977 Bronco with some 35's on it and a set of old Western Turbine wheels. The rear wheels had all of the lug nuts removed except for one wheel lock on each wheel. I cleared a path through the debris under the rig and pulled out my 9/16 wrench so that I could pull the tag off the rear. I managed to get it off no problem and then proceeded to clean the tag off with a small wire brush that I carried in with me (remember I was on a mission).

After a little cleaning, I could not believe my eyes:



Yeah baby! 4.11 gears AND a factory Trac Lok!

I hiked back up the main gate and convinced the guy in the booth to get the yard guy with his torches to come burn off the 2 wheel locks. It cost me $20 just for that service, but I was NOT leaving the yard without that 3rd member.

The guy came down, burned off the locks and in a matter of an hour I had the 3rd member out and in a 5 gallon bucket. Just as I finished pulling the 3rd, the yard bus came around the corner and I grabbed a ride back to the gate. Tipped the driver $2 and was happy to pay it. These things are heavy!

Got the man at the gate, paid him a whopping $30 for the 3rd member and I was on my way back to the shop with the biggest grin ever. You can't beat scouring a complete limited slip 3rd member for $30. Even with the extra $20 I had to pay for them to burn the locks off and the $20 or so in gas, I'm still in it for about $70 total.

 

Once back to the shop, I took a wire brush to the axle housing and 3rd member and shot on two coats of black epoxy paint. I'll have to scuff some off the bottom when the time comes to weld on the truck arm brackets so I wasn't too concerned with complete coverage for now.

Pics of the stripped housing and painted:





Now, I know you are wondering: "What's up with the rotors in the second picture?"

Well, let me tell you. LOL

I scoured the ole' interweb on several different ways of adapting rear discs to a 9" axle and really didn't find what I was looking for. There is a guy that makes some decent brackets for small bearing axles, but has nothing for large bearing axles with 3/8's bolts. There are actually 3 different size outer bearings and bolt patterns on 9" axles.

I did manage to find a guy that goes by "Mustang Steve", that appears to have something that will work with my setup, but for $175 I've decided to make my own.

What I'm going to do is run 1994 - 2004 Mustang Cobra 11.66" rear ventilated rotors and calipers. I already got the rear rotors as you can see and the calipers will be here tomorrow morning.



With that said, it was time for me to start drawing up some brackets to mount the calipers.

In this pic from SolidWorks, you can see what I have in mind. It'll wrap around the axle tube and mount to the inside of the bearing flange using the existing bearing retainer bolts. Once complete, I'll take them to my friend's shop and have him cut them on his 7000 watt Trumpf laser.





Once complete, I'll print out the drawings, cut them out of cardboard for a mockup and once everything is finalized, I'll email him the file in DXF format and he'll send them out to the laser.

 

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4.11'S FRICKIN' COOL! CONGRATS.

 

Yes! Truck arms will be awesome. I can't wait to see that go in.

 

It figures....

After a week of waiting, I went to pick up my calipers and the parts guy fat fingered the part numbers and I ended up with a set of dual piston fronts.

They are schweet, but aren't going to work without an E Brake.

The correct calipers will be here on Monday. I'll be able to finish my rear brackets then.

Just got off the phone with Roush/Yates and my Nascar truck arms are on their way as well. It looks like I'll be able to get my rear axle back under the truck next week. I'll need to fabricate a bracket to mount the Uni ***** on the truck arms and I'm thinking about incorporating them into the transmission cross member.

They are 56" long and I'll have to see how far forward they end up. I ordered the longest they make (51 1/2" center to center) for maximum articulation without binding. It's also the reason I chose the Uni ***** as opposed to bushings. They wear faster and are noisier but they let the axle move better without binding therefore handle better.

Pics when the stuff gets here.

 

sweet !!! 411 s

what number tells you it's a traction lock ? I am hitting PNP tomorrow for some other stuff , but always looking for goodies

 

Area, how thick of rotor will the cobra caliper accept?

 

Since it says 4L11 that means it's a locker. If it were an open rear end it would just say 411.

 

I'm not sure. I ordered 94-04 Mustang Cobra (Supercharged) rear calipers and rotors. As you can see by the pic, the rotors are 11.66 diameter and they are the thick, ventilated type as opposed to solid like the ones that come on Exploders.

I can measure the distance between the pads once they arrive on Monday if you want. If things work out well with my bracket design, I may cut a couple more sets and offer them for sale if there is a demand.

Keep in mind that these will be specific to the 80-83 F100 rear axle, but I can also modify the lower portion to fit other small or large bearing 9" rears.

Btw: 05-11 Cobra brakes are also another option but they are only .100 larger in diameter and the calipers point the E Brake cables straight down making it much harder to adapt the OEM cables. That was one of the main reasons why I chose the 94-04 calipers.

 

Bingo. Look for the "L" between the first and last two digits on the second line of the tag if it's still there. If not, spin one axle and watch the other. If it turns in the same direction, it has a Trac Lok. If it turns the opposite way, it's open.

I got real lucky finding one with 4.11's and the Trac Lok. They are pretty rare around here and when they do turn up, someone grabs them immediately.

 

Het Area, I been meaning to mention. Ford also installed a stabilizing bracket on the Mustang rear brakes. They bolted on the same 2 bolt which mount the caliper surounds to the brackets you are going to Fab. Kicked out a couple inches gradually. And then a "u" bolt mounted them to the rear end housing's tubes. I am assuming this is to stop any flexing when the brakes are applied since the caliper's pistons only apply in one direction. Unlike a 4 piston caliper. Look at the 2k540.

 

Just to clarify for someone who does not understand on reading the tag. The 4L11 is a Trac Loc with 4.11 gears. If you find 353 Then you have 3.53 gears in an open diff. If it is 3L53 that would be a Trac Loc with 3.53 gears. Didn't want people thinking it had to say 4L11 to get a Trac Loc. The numbers are the ratio, no L is open diff & L in the numbers designates Trac Loc

 

I've seen those brackets and u bolts on other Mustangs and Crown Vics. Considering the mounts on both are only stamped steel (1/8" thick) I could see why they are necessary.

Due to the fact that I'll be using 3/8 or 1/2 plate, I don't think flex will be an issue at the caliper.

 

O.K. But I'm just sayin'.