FORD 9 REAR END INSTALLATION

Transcription

1 by Randy Irwin FORD 9 REAR END INSTALLATION Randy Irwin - Technical Writer Randy has been involved in the Chevy parts business for over 30 years. He is a wizard at creating, making and modifying custom parts for Chevys. In the September 2009 Chevy Classic magazine we introduced a complete bolt in Ford 9" rear end for passenger cars from the people at The 9 Factory. When that issue of the magazine hit we began receiving calls from the crowd looking for a bolt in Ford 9 for there Late Great Chevys. We got on the phone with the people at The 9 Factory and we now have complete bolt in Ford 9 rear ends for the Late Great Chevy owner as well. Unless you have an elaborate jig; removing the original rear control brackets from a stock rear end and then installing them on a 9" rear end in the correct location is nearly impossible. The brackets have to be aligned perfectly so that the control arms are not in a bind and the pinion angle is set properly. The 9 Factory has tooled up to build this rear end so that it is truly a bolt in unit. Just fill it up with gear lube, bleed the brakes and you're ready to roll. Parts (cont.): Catalog price Member price Complete 9" Rear End 11-7/8" SOV Disc Brakes, Stainless Brake Lines Powder Coated 3, , ea Rear Control Arm Bushings - Rubber set Rear Control Arm Bushings - Rubber set Rear Panhard Bushings - Rubber ea To order parts call or visit ClassicChevy.com Tools Needed: Floor Jack Jack Stands Ratchets Time Frame: 8 Hours #1a 1/2 Socket Plastic Mallet Torque Wrench Parts Used In This Tech Article: Catalog price Member price Complete 9" Rear End 11" Drums Stainless Brake Lines 3, , ea Rear Control Arm Bushing Kit, Polyurethane set Panhard Bushing Kit, Polyurethane pr U-Joint ea Rear Brake Hose ea. Optional 9'' Rear Ends For This Conversion: Complete 9" Rear End 11" Drums Stainless Brake Lines 3, , ea Complete 9" Rear End 11" Drums Stainless Brake Lines, Powder Coated 3, , ea Complete 9" Rear End 11" Drums Stainless Brake Lines, Powder Coated 3, , ea Complete 9" Rear End 11-7/8" SOV Disc Brakes, Stainless Brake Lines 3, , ea Complete 9" Rear End 11-7/8" SOV Disc Brakes, Stainless Brake Lines Powder Coated 3, , ea Complete 9" Rear End 11-7/8" SOV Disc Brakes, Stainless Brake Lines 3, , ea. #1b Photo #1a & 1b: The Chevys have rear coil springs and not leaf springs. The rear end is held in place with one upper control arm, two lower control arms and a panhard bar. The control arms and panhard bar have rubber bushings. The bushings on our project car are worn out so we will replace them while the rear end is out of the car. Photo #3: The center emergency cable yoke attaches to the emergency lever with a cotter pin. Remove the cotter pin and disconnect the yoke from the lever, this will allow the rear cable to become loose. Photo #2: To remove the rear end, first jack up the car and place a pair stands under the frame. This will allow the rear end to hang free.

2 Photo #4: With the center cable loose disconnect the left and right rear cables at the couplers just in front of the lower control arms. #8c bearing in place. With the center support loose the driveshaft can be pushed forward and removed from the companion flange. #5a #5b #9a #9b Photo #5a & 5b: The rear emergency cables are held to the frame with a C-clip. Remove the C-clip and the cable can be removed from the frame. #9c Photo #6: The rear emergency cable is also bolted to the lower control arm with a 5/16 bolt. Remove the bolt and the cables can now be removed with the rear end. Photo #9a & 9b & 9c: The panhard bar is the bar that runs diagonal in the frame behind the rear end. This bar attaches to the frame on the drivers side and to the rear end on the passenger side. The bar keeps the rear end from shifting from side to side. Remove the nut and bolt at the frame and the nut and washer at the rear end and remove the panhard bar. This panhard bar has a bushing at each end, we will also be replacing these bushings. Photo #7: The brake line from the front of the car is run down the right hand side of the frame. Disconnect the brake hose from the brake line on the frame. We will be replacing the old brake hose. #8a #8b #10a #10b Photo #10a & 10b: Using a jack, slightly raise up the rear end to take the load off the shock absorbers. Next remove the lower shock nuts. Now lower the rear end slowly, taking the load off the coil spring. With the rear end hanging loose the coil springs can be removed. Photo #8a & 8b & 8c: The rear universal joint is held to the rear end companion flange by two U-bolts, nuts and lock washers. Remove the four nuts, lock washers and U-bolts. The drive shaft has a center support bearing, remove the two bolts on the bottom of the X-frame that hold the center support Photo #11: Next we will remove the complete rear end. With the rear housing sitting on the ground or jack stands, remove the upper rear control arm bolt, nut and lock washer.

3 #12b #16a #16b Photo #12a & 12b: Next remove the left and right lower #12a rear control arm bolts. These bolts also serve as the lower shock mounts. #13b Photo #16a & 16b: The replacement upper and lower rear urethane bushings use the original rubber bushing housing/shell. The best way to remove just the rubber from the original housing/shell is to burn the bushing out. It doesn t take much heat to melt the rubber. With the rubber removed, we used a wire brush to clean the inside of the housings/shells. #13a Photo #13a & 13b: With the control arm bolts unbolted the complete rear end can be removed from the car. #17a #17b #14a #14b Photo #17a & 17b: The complete lower forward bushings are replaced so the original bushing housing will be removed. With the rubber removed the housing was much easier to remove from the control arm. Photo #14a & 14b: With the rear end out of the way, we can now remove the upper and lower control arms. The lower control arms are held to the frame with a bolt, nut and lock washer. The upper control arm is held to the frame with a bolt, nut and lock washer but this bolt has been installed backwards so we will have to remove the upper control mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is held to the frame with three bolts, nuts and lock washer. #15a #15b Photo #15a & 15b: With all the control arms removed we can see the control arm bushings in this Late Great Chevy are pretty much shot. Our project car has a 348ci engine with a 4- speed and the young guy that owns it hot rods a little. This Late great needs an upgrade so we will install new replacement urethane control arm bushings # instead of the stock rubber bushings # #18a #18b Photo #18a & 18b: The urethane bushing kit # includes all the bushings for the upper and lower control arms. The lower front bushings are a completely new bushing and will need to be installed using a hydraulic press. We used a couple 3/4 sockets and our hydraulic press in the shop to press in the new bushings. Make sure to lubricate the bushing when you're pressing them in. Also make sure to support the control arm when pressing in the bushings or the control arms will bend. We used a piece of exhaust pipe tubing cut in half and placed on each side of the bushing inside the channel of the control arm.

4 #19a #19b #19c #22c Photo #22a & 22b & 22c: The panhard bar has the same bushing on each end. The original bushing has a steel housing and would need to be pressed in. The replacement urethane bushings # can be installed using the rubber mallet and vice. Photo #19a & 19b & 19c: There is a urethane washer that will install on the small side of the new bushing after the bushing is installed into place. #23b #20a #20c #23a Photo #23a & 23b & 23c: First lubricate the bushings and using the rubber mallet install the two halves of the bushing into the panhard bar. Next lubricate the steel sleeve and using a vise, install the steel sleeve into the new bushing. #23c #20b Photo #20a & 20b & 20c: The urethane bushings for the lower rear and both upper control arms consist of an all urethane bushing, an inner steel sleeve and a urethane washer. Lubricate the outside of the bushing with the supplied grease and using a plastic mallet drive the bushing into the original housing. Make sure the collar on the new bushing is on the same side of the control arm as the original collar from the rubber bushing. The bushings for the upper control arm will install in the same manor. #21a #21b #21b #22a #22b Photo #21a & 21b & 21c: Next lubricate the steel sleeve with the supplied grease and drive it in flush with the bushing. A urethane washer is also installed on the small side of these bushings. #24a #24b Photo #24a & 24b: With all the bushings installed we painted the suspension parts semi gloss chassis black using the Eastwood Chassis Black paint # We also cleaned all the suspension mounting hardware and painted them cadmium sliver using Eastwood Cadmium Silver #

5 #25a #25b #28a Photo #25a & 25b & 25c: The upper control arm bracket is held to the frame with three 7/16 bolts, nuts, lock washers and a backing plate. Shims are placed between the bracket and frame to set the pinion angle. We have installed the four shims that were there when we took the car apart. Torque the three bolts to lbs. We will check the pinion angle once the car is completely back together. #26a #26b #25c Photo #26a & 26b: The upper control arm is held to the bracket with a bolt, nut and lock washer. Install the bolt, nut and lock washer in this manor. Leave the bolt loose at this time. Leaving the control arm bolts loose will allow the control arms to move freely while installing the rear end. Photo #28a & 28b: The next step requires the help from a couple of your buddies. Slide #28b the BRAND NEW FORD 9 rear end up under the car and first install the lower control arms to the rear end housing. The lower control arm bolts are also the lower shock mounts. One of the bolts has a larger lower shock mount, the larger one is for the drivers side. Install the two bolts and tighten the bolts until the splines on the lower shock mount cut into the new rear end housing brackets and become flush. Make sure the shaft on the shock mounts are facing directly to the rear of the car. Once the splines are flush with the rear end housing bracket loosen the two nuts. Photo #29: The upper control arm is held to the rear end with a bolt, nut and lock washer. Leave the bolt loose at this time. #30b #30a #27a #27b Photo #30a & 30b & 30c: The only part you will have to use #30c from the old rear end will be the stud that anchors the panhard bar to the rear end. Remove the stud and install it on the new rear end. Photo #27a & 27b: Next install the lower control arms. The lower control arms are held to the frame with a bolt, nut and lock washer like the upper control arm. Also leave these bolts loose at this time. #31a #31b Photo #31a & 31b: The panhard bar is held to the frame with a bolt, nut and lock washer and to the rear end with a flat washer, lock washer and nut. Torque the panhard bolt and the nut on the rear end to lbs.

6 #32a #32b Photo #32a & 32b: Next install the coil springs, jack up the rear end and install the shock absorbers. Photo #35a & 35b & 35c: The rear emergency cables are reproduced but ours are in perfect shape so we will reuse them. The cable is hooked to the arm on the rear brake shoe and is clipped into backing plate with three spring steel fingers on the emergency brake cable housing. To remove the cable assembly from the backing plate, first disconnect the cable from the brake shoe arm. Than using a pair of needle nose pliers, depress the three fingers on the cable housing and pull the cable from the backing plate. #36a #36b #33a #33b Photo #33a & 33b: With all the banging and bumping around done, we next installed the pre-bent brake lines and brake hose tee. They were removed when we painted the rear end. The rear end looks great in the '59. Photo #34: We will replace the old rear brake hose with a new one. The rear brake hose # will connect to the new brake tee on the rear end and to the original steel brake line on the frame. The brake hose is held to the frame with the original C-clip. #36c Photo #37: Next attach the cable to the lower control arm using the original 5/16 self tapping bolt. Photo #36a & 36b & 36c: The original rear emergency brake cable will connect to the lever on the Ford 9 rear shoe and clip into the backing plate. We have removed the self adjuster and hardware to make it easier to connect the cable to the brake shoe lever. #35b #38a #38b #35a #35c Photo #38a & 38b: Next attach the left and right cables to the frame with the original clips and connect the rear cables to the center cable using the original connectors. With the cables connected reconnect the front yoke to the emergency brake lever and adjust the emergency brakes.

7 #39a #39b Photo #39a & 39b: A new universal U-joint # allows the stock Chevy driveshaft to connect to the Ford 9 rear end without any cutting or welding the original driveshaft. With the u-joint bolted in place the center support bearing can be bolted back into place. Photo #40: There is a fill plug on the driver s side of the center section. Fill the rear end will 85w90 positraction gear lube until gear lube runs out the filler plug. The rear end will hold just over 2 quarts of gear lube. Photo #41: You will need to bleed the rear brakes; this can be done by pumping the brake pedal or using a pressure bleeder. Next, mount the wheels and set the car on the ground. Now bounce the car several times allowing the control arm bushing to seat in place. With the car in the ride height position torque the upper and lower forward and rear bushing bolts to lbs. With your new Ford 9 installed you no longer have any worries about that weak original rear end. Good Luck.