sweet N/A build, hope you don’t hit too many bumps in the road
I’m about 1/2 finished now. She’ll be running this summer.
I think we might have gone in on the same group buy, but I know I didn’t order 3.73’s. As a matter of fact, I wanted to stay with the factory 3.42 ratio, but as close as I could get with the Dana 60 TrueTrac, was 3.55.
With the power (I hope) I’ll be making, I didn’t see the need for anything higher than 3.42, which, in my humble opinion, is probably the best all-around street/strip ratio there is, as long as your engine makes decent power.
All bets are off if you’re running a 4L60e, though. I had an Eaton posi, Richmond Gear 3.73 slapped in a '95 Trans Am I used to own. For sure, it woke the car up from a standing start, but it was way too much gear coupled with the 4L60e 1st through 3rd ratios…just driving around town, it started “asking” for O.D. at a little over 45MPH.
I do have a well-paying job, but this project evolved from a simple heads & cam job, to re-building just about the entire caah. And I’ve been at it for going on 3 years, so I didn’t drop all that cash in one, single wad. If I had, I wouldn’t be typing this right now…my wife for sure would have killed me in my sleep.
I’m not worried about the engine, or drive train, at all. One problem staring me in the face right now, is installing the Spohn adjustable torque arm. When I dropped my lift just enough to put weight on the suspension, the corner of the top, upper mounting bracket hit the floor pan. I have to cut the upper bracket enough to allow me to move it towards the passenger side of the caah, so I can use the other set of bolt holes in the bracket.
This torque arm (Spohn part #405) is the type that comes with an integral, front cross member, and drive shaft loop. The passenger side of the front cross member is designed so that you route the header/Y-pipe over the top of the integral, front cross member. Great idea, but passenger side front cross member hangs down so low, anything in the road taller than a beer bottle cap might as well be a speed bump. It looks like I’m going to have to hack that side of the cross member off, fab up something straight, and weld it on. I’ll probably have to do a cut/shorten/re-weld job on the drive shaft loop, too. Although it’s just mocked up right now, I can already see that if I don’t shorten the integral drive shaft loop, it will definitely hit the drive shaft tunnel.
The pics might not show this clearly enough if you don’t know exactly where to look, but I can see where the mounting bracket took off the paint, and put a dimple in the floor pan.
the tq arm bracket will go through the floor. kinda sucks but it is what it is.
ill take some pics of mine without the carpet that will give you a clearer idea whats going on in there
Through the floor!!! Even if I cut away the passenger side set of bolt holes on top of the bracket, and move it over? No way am I cutting a hole in the floor pan just so I can mount my torque arm, or doesn’t it matter what brand you use; i.e., say I switched from Spohn, to BMR or UMI…
I’m not worried about the engine, or drive train, at all. One problem staring me in the face right now, is installing the Spohn adjustable torque arm. When I dropped my lift just enough to put weight on the suspension, the corner of the top, upper mounting bracket hit the floor pan. I have to cut the upper bracket enough to allow me to move it towards the passenger side of the caah, so I can use the other set of bolt holes in the bracket.
This torque arm (Spohn part #405) is the type that comes with an integral, front cross member, and drive shaft loop. The passenger side of the front cross member is designed so that you route the header/Y-pipe over the top of the integral, front cross member. Great idea, but passenger side front cross member hangs down so low, anything in the road taller than a beer bottle cap might as well be a speed bump. It looks like I’m going to have to hack that side of the cross member off, fab up something straight, and weld it on. I’ll probably have to do a cut/shorten/re-weld job on the drive shaft loop, too. Although it’s just mocked up right now, I can already see that if I don’t shorten the integral drive shaft loop, it will definitely hit the drive shaft tunnel.
The pics might not show this clearly enough if you don’t know exactly where to look, but I can see where the mounting bracket took off the paint, and put a dimple in the floor pan.
on firehawk853’s car, it didn’t go through i dont think, but his car sits like a 4x4, so that would explain it. mine is slightly lowered and tends to squat under power… mine definitely went through, and i know a lot of other people’s did too. i supposed you could try to avoid it if you cut part of the bracket. the damage was done on mine before i could do anything, so…it is what it is. i might cut it out and make a nice “tunnel” pan for it, either way im not too worried about it.
very nice build 
should move extremely well!
and i hope you are from boston with all that cahh talk lol
Actually, I learned the “caah” thing from a Firehawk owner who stole a supercharger from a WWII P-51 Mustang, and stuffed it in his engine bay.
Good to hear you out and about Angelo! Let’s hope this thing doesn’t smoke like the crop duster motor that was in it!
That’s…Bichin.
dump that TA, before you start cutting it. And just get a better one. It fits really bad, not that adjustable, rides like a dump truck with no slider style front mount. Plus is its realllly heavy, but not that strong with a weak point. The rear on the arm is to narrow mounting to the rear end braket, to spread the load out well.That TA always bends in the same stop, right in front of the lower pinion adjustment bends up. And bends into the drive shaft bending it up, ($$$) sometimes even breaking the tail shaft on the trans ($$$$) if your going fast enough. Its looks like a good time to just get something better. beofre you cut it. Trust me your just be messing with that thing, and hacking it up and the rest of the car for a while (sledge hammer the floor, or weld in some more room for it) once you start driving it. And its still not that great of a TA.
1/2 finished? Bolt the heads and rockers on and drop it in. Call if you need a hand, it be nice to see the place again.
Yeah too bad the Total seal gapless top rings took longer than normal to seat. The engine was running fine when it was taken out.
I don’t know much about these cars, but it does look like a quality build.
nice looking car :tup:
Bill is right, the flange on those aftermarket torque arms are large and when you lower your car the top corner of the flange beats thru the underside of your car. My buddys 87 iroc had one and it just about pounded right thru the floor but his car is also lowered 2". If you do no lower is you will be fine. Does your car have lowering springs? I didnt read the whole thread, just skimmed and looked at pix.
That problem isn’t all the TA some times, a lot of people don’t realize after market rear ends have TA placments all over. The s60 is pretty close to stock, so is the DTS 12bolts and 9inchs. Next is stange 12bolts and 9inch. The worst in the Moser 9inch next is there 12bolt, if you look into it they place the TA over almost 1inch from stock the the DS tunnel.
See about running it with the other TA bolt holes to move the bracket into the rearend more. That gains some room. I try to do it before the reared in on the car if I have the chance. I have older random Tech TA on my car with a s60 and it fits the inside holes. Then I cut off the outside hole pattern. Done it with the BMR TA on a s60, the moser 12bolt with the 4 blind hole TA bolts sucks, and casting is right there with no room.
Heres some pics of the top of the s60 to help you if you try to move it over. Its gona be harder to see up there now. Its a S&W TA, but they don’t even have the outside pattern. The on the car in my car. Same s60 with the RT TA (I added a arm brace, and some on the rear mount, Like a madman TA) I cut the outer holes off, my car is lowered a little with the rear spring isolators removed. But I haven’t tried it with a spohn TA, I still say you should get something better before you cut it.