I hope so, especially at our elevation and the crappy DA's we have here.
I have upgraded to 3way adjustable drag shocks on all four corners. I do not have any drag tires for it yet. I think my first passes at the track will just be on street tires. Track opens in March!
I researched methods of narrowing housings and since I am a DIY guy, I decided to do it the old way....with a large pipe cutter I bought at HFtools for $20 and a little bit of muscle. While I do have a chop saw, I was not comfortable with it's ability to make a straight, square cut.
The BBR's axles have enough spline to narrow it 1". Believe it or not, 1" per side will make all the difference in the world. It will allow me to use a 'normal' 15x8 rim with 5.5" of BS with plenty of fenderwell and leaf spring clearance. I *should* have done this before I built the last housing, but I did not anticipate the wheel fitment issues I ended up with. Live and learn I suppose. Anyway I had the B-body housing sitting over in the corner so I decided to cut it down to the correct width.
First I measured and marked the axle tube cuts. 2.75" will be coming out of each side. Then I scribed a horizontal line to use to realign (clock) the tube ends back on after the cuts. Surprisingly, the distance from the axle flange to the centerline of the spring perch is already correct, so I decided to take the 2.75" out on the inside of the spring perches.
Beginning the cut.
Close up.
Finished cut.
This thing leaves a great finish on the cut and it *might* already be beveled enough for welding. All 4 cuts have been made and it is almost read to weld them back on. This housing will be getting a backbrace and shock mounts very similar to the other one. The plan is to get it all ready and just R&R the other housing.
Any progress on the rear end narrowing project? Are you going to use some kind of jig to hold the axle tubes straight while welding? I picked up a 9" Ford housing last summer and I need it narrowed. I have been going back and forth on doing it myself or paying a shop to do it for me.
I'm still waiting for you to post up what she run's. ;D
I'm not really into hotrodding trucks, but I'm always
impressed when someone came make'em hook.
Ends clamped back on with angle iron and 2 C-clamps:
Then I tacked it in 4 places, and took the angle grinder and widened the groove. Then I welded a short bead, rotated 180? or so, welded a short bead, etc until I was finished. I'm not the best welder, but I think I got this stuck pretty good. The back brace will actually span this area as well.
I almost got finished, but ran out of gas with about 5 welds to go on the other end...... :evil:
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