Unobtainium

Boat Cars

I figured it was for sneaking drugs and illegals across the sand.

My VW actually floated once too when I crossed an old flooded iron river bridge and dropped down on the lower side. Same happened to my 1949 Dodge but it didn't exactly float. When water runs in the doors it's time to back up!
None of this is good for drum brakes and shoes.

 

I've been downright lucky to find all the Brake and Suspension parts. The Fairmont wagons have 10" rear drums, sedans have 9" drums, so even the rear brake cylinders are different, and the hardware. Rear springs are special to the wagons, although sedans will fit, they're a lot softer, and front and rear OE grade coil spring insulators are almost dried up, unless you get the Mustang polyurethane insulators (and a harder ride on the unibody subframes.

New and NOS parts are drying up for these sweet wagons, so next winter, I'll do what I can to restore and rebuild the stuff I'm installing new parts for. The springs will last longer than I will, as will the new suspension and steering bushings. I've got a new set of drums from when I bought the wagon in Mexico, and 2 fairly new sets of front calipers. Shoes and hardware kits are the same on newer TBirds and Cougars to 1988, and the disc pads are the same on Mustangs up to 1993.

Also lucked out with getting the last new OE front pipe to the catalytic converter from Rock Auto with the stock 2" diameter. Usually the muffler shops have to make a custom one, for a lot more dollars.

And OE AMP switches, even an NOS one.

The wagon is gonna have a solid suspension and brake system and a new paint job. Gonna be fun to get that new car ride again, especially with a hotter six setup.

I've a decent clear windshield for it, but I'll get a new tinted one over the summer. They take 3 months to get up here. I think they come from Mexico.

 

Nailed down my DANA Track-Lok!

Well, I got me the right DANA 44 Trac-Lok from RockAuto, no less, at one heck of a price, and delivered in Canada, duty and taxes, and freight included for under $470 CDN$

Spicer/DANA number is 707115X, but a DANA 707132X is also good for these Mexican Fox chassis V8 cars. The DANA 44 was standard on V8 Foxes in Mexico. The 4 and 6 cylinder cars got either of the 6.75 or 7.5 axles.

I called DANA's Tech support, and got "Joe" the first time, who asked me to get the Casting number of the axle. located on the Driver's side top casting web, on the front end of it. C38587. On the passenger side web "443, which is DANA 44-3 model. His colleague, Mike (sits in the cubicle, next to Joe) was the guy that I got when I called back with the info. Both of them Laughed Out Loud. Mike asked if I was calling, AFTER I bought one. Nope! "Good, because we get these calls to help them with sorting out WHY they can't get it in!", he said.

So I gave him my Ring and Pinion numbers: Ring is 30060, Pinion is 31492. I gave him the other numbers too, but those 2 solved the issue.

The 707132X was his first choice, because the older AVANTI II, used the same Ring and Pinion, but he said that the 707115X is found more often in the US market, and would do it just as well. Comes with gasket, sealant, and the clutches all installed, as well as the carrier bearings, and the carrier shims. Nice kit.

The Pinion Seal isn't necessarily the same as the one on the model I used to find the Trac-Lok - 1982 JEEP WAGONEER 5.9L 360cid V8. So I used my seal number (39118), and found that DANA had updated it to 35723, the I used Timken's cross-reference site to find their equivalent - http://www.showmetheparts.com/timken/

Timken and SKF, both offer 2 grades of seals. One is the Viton rubber, the other is Nitrile. The Viton seal is much better in our cold weather 5778V or 5778 (nitrile) hardly any difference in price (+/- $1.00). Inner Axle seals (mine are DANA 35239) Timken number is 9912S.

And then! there are the outer axle end gaskets. Fel-Pro make one that looks a lot like the right shape - part number is Fel-Pro 4978 - I think:

http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/f ... /overview/

I'm making my own out of thin closed cell foam sheet - one on each side of the wheel flange retainer.

It goes into the axle housing this weekend!

 

I got it all cleaned up, primed and painted, got my Trac-Lok carrier, and debated whether I'd challenge myself to reassemble it. Then I was reminded of what Clint Eastwood said in Dirty Harry, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Andy (HandyAndy) and I went to a local Transmission/ Driveline shop a few years ago to get our torque converters rebuilt, including ring gears. The did a great job then, and reasonably priced. Well since then, they grew like gangbusters, and had their top differential guy do it. We're a central shipping hub, smack dab in the middle of the continent East/West and North/South, so a lot of transport companies come through here, and need big shops to do it.

http://www.transtechca.com/

Outstanding workmanship. I had them replace my inner/outer axle seals, bearings, press on the new carrier bearings and shims. do the ring gear/pinion pattern work, and they even left the pattern grease on so I could check myself. I'm ticked, ecstatic! The end of an 8 year search!

They had since late last Thursday, and called me at 8:00 this morning (Tuesday). And that's with finding and receiving new inner seals, new bearings and bearing retainers on the axles. Done right! Cost me $500 for all they did, and $448 for the carrier. The local DANA/Spicer dealer told me to use an Auburn unit, which cost $800 all by itself. If I was racing it, I might have considered it, but not for what we need. Just solid, and good for normal daily driving on snow and icy roads.

Thanks Andy for helping bring her out there and back.

Now I have to find my restored brake backing plates, somewhere in a very safe place in my own basement!

 

This is no longer Unobtainium!

Its in!



I used VHT on the drums after I cleaned them off:


I bought new bars from NAPA, before looking at mine. Are they ever thick. The ones I got from NAPA come from China, but mine looked stronger, and they're Mexican! (bragging rights)


I got these Lower Control Arms from a good used parts yard in Nebraska, and dusted them off - no rust! Then after I cleaned my own Upper Arms off, I realized that mine were pretty crusty, even after a thorough cleaning, so I got them to send me the uppers from the same 1979 Capri. Too hard to find good ones, but I'm set for the next Fox-body.


I've added gear oil in many kinds of Mopar/GM axles, but never a DANA 44, so I read the manual (RTFM).

Since my new Trac-Lok is used in a 1982 Jeep, I followed the lubricant recommendations.

Found here: http://spicerparts.com/literature/library

Type or copy/paste X5001-CVSP in the Keyword... box. Then download it as X5001-CVSP.PDF

Page 34 says to fill to the bottom of the oil "Fill" hole.

I used 80 W 90 and a 76 oz. bottle of Friction Inhibitor from Spicer.

You'll see in the Jeep manual above,, that the Jeep cover's FILL hole is higher than mine - meaning more gear oil. Mine took almost 4 pints with that little bottle of stuff for the DANA Trak-Lok clutches.

Also reinstalled the new brake lines, and new flex line. The drums and shoes were bought and installed 2 months before I had my little fender bender in November 2010. But everything for brakes is new *cylinders, springs, hardware, except for those "FRENOMEX" bars and adjusters.

I'm happy with the results. It was fun putting on the wheels, and spinning them to see them both roll in the same direction. Haven't had a POSI for decades.

I wire-brushed the old undercoat off, and any rusty areas, then primed with cold-galvanized spray, then paintable undercoat, then the actual top car colour. A light colour under there sure makes it easy to see what I'm doing, lying on the ground with mosquitoes wanting to kiss me..

 

Sweet!

 

Obtained Yum !

That's really lookin good! Are you doing anything in your spare time?

 

Thanks guys. Nice to work under it, without dust falling into my eyes!

In my spare time? I actually cut my lawn grass for the first time last evening. Then I had my neighbourhood barber use her weed-whacker on my hair.

Not much spare time. I want to finish the car before my end of July Birthday.