Destroyed my 3.70 Equi-Loc

[Hoosier Hurricane]

Jim:

As I recall, the Moser axles have plenty of spline length, so I was only thinking the 1/4" difference would not be of any consequence except for clearance at the spider gear shaft in a stock center, but I'm using a spool so even that doesn't matter.

John

[JimNolan]

John,
   Maybe you can answer this. Has all these differentials kept the same diminsions for 50 years. Meaning, is the location for the splined receptical that the axle goes into the same now as it was 54 years ago. You'd think that it would have changed over the years. And, if it did, that would make the 26" axle like I had almost useless with just a 1.4" splined surface length. Jim

[JimNolan]

Guys,
     I changed my mind and boxed up the Yukon axles and will be sending them back. Rick at R Mustangs said if I didn't like them I could send them back. Well, I don't like them. With the Yukon axles I'd have to recut the flange diameter, hub pilot diameter, brake offset, axle length and then put a 1" hole in the flange to be able to tighten the retaining plate nuts. That's too much work for buying a set of axles. They cost $300.00 counting shipping.
    The NHRA approved axles from Moser will be @ $365.00 counting shipping. Keeping the Yukon axles ceased to lend credence even for my weakest Kentucky brain cells.  Jim

[Zapato]

Jim, I'm curious on the cost of the Yukon axles, also would they have worked on anything or where they more of a "blank" ?

Zap-

[JimNolan]

Zap,
   The cost for the 1541H axles were $157.30 each. They were universal axles that fit numerous vehicles with the small bearing 9" housing. The guy I had build the Tru-Trac got me a deal on them and I just paid $300.00 counting shipping. If you had wider brake shoes they would fit your car. The shaft length is up to you to cut to size. They are a great shaft if you need a 2.375" brake offset. But, to make them a perfect fit required all the things I listed previously. No one makes an over the counter axle for a 1957 Ford Fairlane that will fit every application. They quit making them a long time ago. So, you end up having to modify certain aspects of these one size fits all axles. Or, have them custom made. In my case it just so happens that the difference in cost will be about $70.00. Jim
PS:  There is a benifit to running 1.750" brake shoes. The bearing offset is 2.200" on my car. The bearing offset is 2.375" on the Yukon axles. That's .175" more room to get the tires out from under the wheel well when I change tires. Believe me I'll take as much clearance as I can get on my 57. And, when you change bearing offset you have to change axle length to accomidate the extra offset. The 1.75" brake shoes on my car will lock up the rear tires on dry pavement. You couldn't do better than that with 5" wide brake shoes. I had the bias set too high on my rear brakes once and found out.

[Zapato]

Thanks, Jim.

Found this link on 9 inch Fords on the HAMB, lots of good information

                          http://www.kevinstang.com/Ninecase.htm


Zap-

[JPotter57]

My Mosers have something like 3 or 4 inches of spline length.  My Strange axles had almost 4 inches as well, 35 spline.  Sold them, kinda wish I had them back now...

[glen b henderson]

Dito on the Mosers, the Falcon has a stock  57 car housing. I called Moser on John's advice and ordered a set of 33 spline axles and full spool. They fit perfect with the stock rear drums.

[RICH MUISE]

Zap..that's a great reference website..answered all of the confusion I had on rear ends..sizes, terminoligy, ect. that I wasn't able to get answers on. Thanks. I think you ought to post it in the technical links board. Rich

[Zapato]

Zap..that's a great reference website..answered all of the confusion I had on rear ends..sizes, terminology,etc.. that I wasn't able to get answers on. Thanks. I think you ought to post it in the technical links board. Rich

Absolutely right, one of my pet peeves is searching for a bit of info that gets tagged into a related thread and becomes almost impossible to remember the often obscure connection. Done and waiting for future reference.

[JimNolan]

Guys,
   The axles are ordered and Kip at Moser Engineering said I'd have them on my doorstep Thursday. The axles were the A31CST contingency paying axles. I didn't know what Contingency Paying axles were so I found out. If I win at an NHRA or other drag racing sanctioned event and I have a Moser sticker on my car they'll give me money. ( I should have asked him if they'd pay me to beat my buddy's Mustang Bullitt ). LOL
   Anyway, the axles I ordered will only have 5 holes in the flange plus a hole to tighten the retaining nuts ( $25.00 extra ). The flange will be the right diameter and the brake offset will be correct. Plus, for the Tru-Trac differential he said they add a little more shaft to the passenger side to insure full insertion. ( Something I didn't know about that needed to be done with a Tru-Trac.) The cost of the axles counting shipping was $436.00.
   Kip, (the salesman at Moser) knew John and has raced with him. The thing that impressed me most about the salesman at Moser was what he didn't say. I told him I had ordered a Tru-Trac complete differential from Rick Mori at R Mustangs and paid $930.00 counting shipping and it was Rick that ordered the Yukon axles to go with the differential. First off, he said the price was low because a lot of the parts he would be using was used. The Tru-Trac unit would be new but the other parts would be used. He said they were probabley good parts, but used. He said the same differential with everything new from them was @ $1500 not counting shipping. He also said that I couldn't blame the guy for ordering the Yukon axles. He didn't dig another person, that impressed me.
   For anyone with 1.75 brake shoes and a Ford 9" housing (it really isn't a 9" housing, they didn't make them till 1959, but a 9" differential fits in them) here is the PRECISE diminsions on the axles I took out of this housing using an Equa-Loc differential. LH Axle = 26", RH Axle = 30.375", Brake offset = 2.170", Pilot hub diameter = 2.435", Flange diameter = 6.000", Retaining nut hole in flange = 1.187", Axle housing length = 53.000", Bearing surface diameter = 1.378", Brake shoe width = 1.750", Wheel stud diameter = .625" pressed knurl fit, Housing Flange to Flange assembled length @ 57.340". That's it. Jim  PS. Kip asked me if I could get my money back on the Yukon axles, my answer was " I don't give a damn ". I'm just not in the axle making business.

[JimNolan]

Guy's,
    Got the new Moser axles, really nice. Now I'm waiting on the pig to come in. Hopefully, I'll have the car on the road by the weekend. The old tapered axles were @ 1.00" in diameter at the smallest point. The new axles are @ 1.347" in diameter. The guy I got the Yukon axles from said he'd get a Return Authorization Number for me so I can ship the old axles back.
    Just for a FYI piece of information. Don't waste your time putting axles in the refregerator and heating the bearings and expect to put bearings on axles. I did that and it absolutely was a joke. It takes a good hydraulic press to put bearings on axles. At least it did on my application. Jim
PS. I also found out why my axle broke. When I went into the machine shop to have the axle bearing pressed on the new axles I explained that I'd broken an axle. The old man looked at me and said, you were wheel hopping weren't you. That's how axles get broken. I told him no, it was under acceleration. THEN, I remembered how it went down. I jumped on the gas while it was rolling and I let off monentarily because I didn't like the way it was coming out and then I jumped on it again. All this happened in a split second. I let the axle unwind for a split second and then hit it hard after it had unwound. Apparently it just stayed together until I was well into first gear. I've had my car wheel hop on me many times. It possible could have been weaked previously. I'll look at a wheel hop a little differently now. Jim
   

[JPotter57]

Get a set of Cal Tracs , it wont wheelhop like that anymore....At the least get some old Traction Masters, they work well too..

[57AGIN]

Jim:

James has it right.  No more wheel hop with the CalTracs, but unless you slip the clutch a bit your 57 might bog at the line.  Mine did after adding CalTracs.  4000 RPM, dump the clutch, used to spin the tires like crazy off the line on a drag strip.  Now 4500 RPM, dump the clutch, & still trying to find the correct tire pressure, so the car will launch with just a little wheel spin & keep the RPM up.  Love the CalTracs.

Bob
57 AGIN

[JimNolan]

Bob and James,
   You do realize that if my front end got that much air under it with the rear wheels still on the ground it would be going over a cliff somewhere. I did go out and put my traction bars on it though. It's the cheap one's from Summit. Maybe it'll help the spring from wrapping up too much. The only drag strip my car is going to see is Gulfport this fall. I just need to enhance what I got for the every-now-and-then-challenge you face on the street.
   When I was younger I'd drag race every now and then and I didn't break things. You'd wear out your clutch, your tires or drop a U-joint every now and then but to break something big was seldom. The 1966 Fairlane GT I had saw it's share of drag races and I replaced the 11 1/2" clutch once and replaced a U-joint in it once. Rear tires seemed to go fast also. ( I remember when Wide Ovals came out. You couldn't drive your car on the road if it were wet. Well, it seemed like that. They sure looked good though.) The guys that drag raced all the time were at the garage all the time too. My car had to take me on vacation as well as finding a straight stretch of pavement to race on every now and then. That's what I want from my car now. Strong enough to stay together for the every once in awhile abuse. I guess I want everything to give a little without putting too much strain on just one compontent on the car.
  After I get my pig back in I'll take it out and dump the clutch to see how it comes out of the hole. If it wheel hops I'll promise you the Cal-Tracs will be ordered. I'm not going through this ordeal again. The Moser axles and Tru-Trac should stand up to what I've got in my car for power. Jim