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  #881  
Old 04-03-2018, 08:25 PM
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Jack 1957 Jack 1957 is offline
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I got the rest of the useless junk stripped off the back end of the car and scrubbed down the rear suspension assy. I think I'll have to make some type of fixture to hold this while positioning it. Just something temporary that will hold the weight.
(And, yes, that's an electronic parking brake actuator that I'll probably have to relocate)

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Last edited by Jack 1957; 04-03-2018 at 08:27 PM.
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  #882  
Old 04-03-2018, 10:28 PM
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Well that certainly cleaned up nice!
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  #883  
Old 04-06-2018, 10:03 PM
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I borrowed a motorcycle jack from a friend that I can use to get the rear assy up pretty close to where it belongs. It's nice to have because I can let it down easily to trim the floor panels where needed, then reposition quick and easy. It isn't accurate or stable enough for precise location but it works well for quick set up. This would be much easier to do if I had a frame bench... And room to set it up. But it's still possible to get very accurate location without one. It takes a little more time but it can be done right.

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After a few cycles of up, down, cut, trim, and up again I've got the trunk area where I need it. I used some scrap angle iron and some threaded rod to suspend the rear assy from the body. Once I've done the same in front of the axle assy the unit will be hanging in the car and I can remove the jack. It will be a lot easier to get fine adjustment and keep it in place this way while I start building the C notches and mounting perches.

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Locating and checking is a slow process but I'm closing in on it.

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  #884  
Old 04-08-2018, 05:41 AM
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You have cleaned that rear end up like brand new,
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  #885  
Old 04-08-2018, 11:18 PM
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I cut some more of the trunk floor to clear the C notches and got started making those. I had some 2 x 4 x 3/16 around so I used that. It's a little overkill but it will do the job. 1/8" wall would have been plenty.

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  #886  
Old 04-09-2018, 04:19 AM
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Interesting joinery. Looks a lot stronger than a straight miter cut.
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  #887  
Old 04-12-2018, 06:29 PM
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Next I trimmed the floor where the C notches would pass through. I checked level again on the car then put some temporary supports under the rear of the frame rails to keep them from moving. I clamped the C notches on the frame over the axle and welded them on. After welding as much as possible on the C notches, I cut out the sections of the original frame and started boxing in the ends. The left side is done. On to the right side tomorrow.
Note: I think mill scale was invented either by the abrasives manufacturers or by Satan himself.

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  #888  
Old 04-14-2018, 08:57 PM
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I had to change out the angle iron that I had in the rear of the suspension for a heavier tube. The angle was flexing under the weight of the rear axle assy. I was getting varying measurements every time I adjusted or relocated the assy. The heavier tube is much more rigid. This would be so much easier on a frame bench.

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If the C notches looked a little odd to you it's because they were not made to clear the axle. They were made to clear the upper control arm which sits above and forward of the axle half shafts. You can see in the picture below that the axle sits about 3 inches below the control arm and about 3 inches to the rear of it.

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Now the locating process goes to the final stage; exact location so I can fabricate mounting perches. The lowest horizontal bar in front of the axle is a temporary adjustable bar to get the exact wheel base. I can adjust it in length to get the assy square and in the right location lengthwise.

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  #889  
Old 04-20-2018, 07:57 PM
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It took a lot of time to get the rear assy exactly where it belongs. It has to be right. It doesn't matter how long it takes. It has to be right.
When I got it where it belongs I needed to build the pinion angle into the location of the cradle. Since this is an independent rear suspension, the differential is mounted directly to the cradle and is not adjustable. Pinion angle is set by locating the front and rear mounts at the proper angle longitudinally.
I used a scrap piece of tubing to simulate the path of the driveshaft and attached an inclinometer to the tube. The tube rises slightly as it travels aft. The rise is about 3 degrees.

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Next I put the inclinometer on the pinion yoke and adjusted the cradle to 3 degrees downward to match the driveshaft.

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Typically, with a solid axle, you would not do this. With a solid axle you would set the pinion parallel to the ground and let universal joint deal with the 3 degree angle but this is different . The picture below is the CTS driveshaft. It doesn't use a typical universal joint. Since the differential is mounted stationary to the chassis, it doesn't move with suspension travel so it doesn't need a standard universal joint. It has what's more similar to a rag joint you would see on a steering shaft where it attaches to the rack, but it's much stronger and larger. But this also makes matching the driveshaft and pinion angle more critical. The rag joint will take the flexing but it's best to minimize any misalignment. If you look closely, you'll see that there's a pilot bearing inside the end of the driveshaft.

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So now that everything is where it belongs, it's time to start making mounting brackets to tie the cradle to the 49 frame. It's time consuming but there's no time deadline. Below is the third of four cradle mounting brackets. They're made from 3/16" steel plate. I am tacking them in as I get them fabricated, then I'll drop the suspension out and do the welding all at one time.
I still need to make shock mounts and air bag perches when I'm done with these.

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Last edited by Jack 1957; 04-27-2018 at 08:54 PM.
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  #890  
Old 04-21-2018, 06:34 AM
cliffrod cliffrod is offline
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Very cool- Interesting to see how to locate an immobile differential. Thanks for posting, Jack
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