Mopar Muscle Association UK

Thanks Jeff. Sorry mate but i'm one o those smallblock-lovin weirdos

I've refitted the rear window now and the winder mech all lines up and works thank god! I popped the rear screen back in too- dead easy!
It's REALLY nice to put the 1st bits of interior back in, feels like i'm winning .
I sprayed the cage, it looks really cool in silver ( you can see one of the little tubes i welded in to mount shoulder belts)
I've also fitted the neat 3-piece parcel shelf my girlfriends brother made to fit around the cage tubes and to house the speakers.

I've taken the plunge and pulled me axle off
I got all the new stuff out and semi-assembled it and with some expert help i think we got it sussed out....

The secret's out, then! You have a personal mechanic!

Start 'em young and with a bit of luck, they'll carry the Mopar tradition on after we've pegged it.

No reason it shoud'nt run the numbers with your little helper lookin over you.

Nice axle & components

It's great to have a willing apprentice

She seems to understand it better than me

That welding and tin work is just superb.

LOVE the photos of Scarlett.

great stuff!! does she let you help??

I'd got the boxes out, nipped in for a brew and she'd done it all!
If only she was allowed to use the welder...

Thanks Dave

Busy weekend....
Put me best measurin head on and i reckon i have the axle assembly and that GORGEOUS Cragar all lined up
I had to 'clearance' the rear floor a little to make space for the front brackets.
I've also found the frame rails aren't symmetrical- the right one is nearly 1/2" lower than the left I was going to just correct this by making my bracketry uneven but i can't bear to leave it like that. I've sussed out that i can cut it in places that are accessible to weld and jack it straight.

To locate the axle i've plumbed lines down to a sheet of ply pinned to the tarmac from points on the original chassis (such as the torsion bar mounts) and marked a car and an axle centreline.
I partly worked out, partly guessed at a ride height and from the amount of travel in the shocks, tyre height, etc worked out the axle height in relation to the frame rail above it.
With the axle assy raised to the right height and a centre marked on each end, i could the plumb down to my centrelines on the board to position it left/ right and fore/ aft.
Next to set was the pinion angle. (Thanks Dave, Kev & others for the info in earlier threads) As the 4-link axle plates were pre-welded, i measured the carb plate-to-motor angle (bout 3*) and transferred this to the axle front face. If it turns out the motor (which has never been in the car!) has to sit up or down from this, i should have enough adjustment on the 4-link bars or by packing the trans to correct it.
With the axle case now correct in all directions, it was just a matter of raising the front plates until the bottom bar was horizontal and the front plates vertical (this required tweaking the 4-link adjustment bars and applying a lumphammer to the floor) and in line with the axle plates.
TA-DAA!!!
O 'course now i've decided to correct my frame rails, i'll be taking the whole assembly out and starting all over again

More...

Chassis cut- eek!!!

I've straightened out the chassis misalignment, rejigged the axle & 4-link and i now have the 4-link front plates welded in. You can just make out the 'adjustment' to the floorpans

Thanks to Blue etc for encouraging me to get it right, i reckon the plates are within a mm in all directions so i'm dead chuffed Now i have those correct, i just need to brace them and chop the middle out of the cross-piece.
The rest of the installation should be a breeze. Hmm...

Bit disjointed cos the inbetween shots were in another thread but here's the axle all finished & painted