In reply to BKO5 :
Thanks. Good info.
In reply to BKO5 :
Thanks. Good info.
FWIW You can get the majority of the " Bits" for your car used from Tim Weiss at Lakeside Race Parts in Mooresville NC
Tim is a Straight shooter and he has almost everything you might need.Gyve hin a sgout
Good luck
In reply to RacingComputers :
Thanks for the contact. 
Tim has shelves and shelves of GOOD STUFF
Transmission update:
I'll have a rebuilt Jerico 4-speed completed and ready for me to pick up this Saturday. It will come with a new Long shifter. Expecting a 6.5 hour drive each way but, with shipping costs, I think it will save me a little money. Plus, I get to meet the builder and pick his brain a bit.
This morning, I finally removed the bell housing so I can inspect the clutch and clean everything up. I haven't had a chance to do the measurements yet but I'm using a Quartermaster video for reference.
The reason I was so hesitant to remove it is because the bell housing is sandwiched between the rear motor mounts and the engine. I was concerned about supporting the engine and then getting everything lined up where it needs to be to go back together. But I finally sucked it up and put a jack with a 2 x 4 under the oil pan.
The bell housing needs a good cleaning. Lots of oil residue and clutch material. Here you can see how the throw out bearing is mounted inside it. Some might not be familiar with this configuration (I sure wasn't). This is a Quarter master Tri-Lite hydraulic throw out. One hose comes from the clutch master and the other hose is a bleeder.
I'm assuming this is the "flywheel". I'm leaving this on the engine. I'll check it for flatness and depth per the video instructions. The outer bolts are what hold the clutch stack together. They are loose but there's no room to take the upper 4 out without rotating the engine or removing the flywheel. I figured it was easier to keep track of them if I leave them in place.
For once, I managed to remove something that's stacked and ordered without dropping it all over the floor and having to research how the hell it goes back together. This is the clutch stack that all needs to be cleaned and measured, engine side is up in this pic.
The friction discs must be no less than .094 thick. The floater discs (steel plates between the friction discs) can be no less than .177 thick. The pressure plate has a minimum thickness of .534. The flywheel has a step at the edge and that depth must be no less than .100. Warp is measured by putting a straight edge across the surface and trying to put a feeler gauge between that and the surface. None of the parts can be more than .006 warped.
EDIT: I measured all the parts and everything is within spec.
On another forum, someone noticed what looks like a crack in my bell housing. I didn't even notice it. Looking at the pic above, there's a irregular line going from the middle of the housing, right near the upper right leg of the throw out bearing, and extends up and to the left. I have since cleaned the unit and I can no longer see anything there.
Here's a pic zoomed into the area just to the right of that leg of the throwout bearing. So I think that part is okay. However...
After looking at the rest of the bell housing, I saw this.
Here's the back side of that location
And here's zoomed in on that back side location. So that can't be good.
I have looked at Quartermaster's current bell housings and I just don't get it. They are of this design, which looks weaker to me with all the cutouts. In my car, the transmission is only supported by the bell housing. It does not have any provision for a cross member. But I don't see how this is going to be as strong as my old one. I have searched around for some used ones but nothing came up that is pre-drilled for the Tri-Lite throwout bearing. I have see a few used ones of this design (below) but I have reservations about using it without a cross member. Are my reservations unfounded?
I can see that the stress points where the trans is mounted to the bell housing are beefed up so maybe it's fine. But should I consider fabbing a cross member? Is there any reason, other than weight that a cross member would be bad?
eBay has this one, which might be okay except it has extra "ears" on the flange. I don't know if that would work in my application without modifications somewhere.
I made an executive decision and will continue on with my current bell housing. The crack isn't in a critical spot. So I installed it, which was a bit of an adventure trying to get the mounts lined up with one hand while hold the bell housing in place with the other. Later today, I'll reconnect the clutch line and vacuum bleed it. I left the motor mount bolts loose on the frame in case the trans needs aligning. I'm waiting on oil for the trans before I install it. I also need to remove the shifter before I install it.
Picked up the new Jerico 4-speed last weekend. Came with a new Long shifter. I should have had it installed by now but I didn't have a few things I needed. I decided to replace the bell housing and transmission mounting bolts with ones that have a proper length unthreaded shank (or as close as I could get). I also needed trans oil.
I got trans oil this week and filled it while it was sitting level on my bench. The drain plug was drilled for safety wire. The fill plug was not. So I had the bright idea to drill that so I could safety wire both plugs together. So I took it out and drilled it. Installed it. Wired the two. Then I picked up the trans and put it onto the jack so I could wheel it under the car. As soon as the oil started sloshing around, I could see oil seeping out of my drilled hole in the fill plug. <face palm>
Should have looked more carefully at the plug before I commenced drilling operations. Hollow all the way up into the head. So I have some more ordered from McMaster that will be here Tuesday.
Finished the exhaust exit block-off panel. Finally got to use some Dzus fasteners for a project. I know, I berked up the two next to the hole. Sue me. But as an added bonus, I put silicone rubber edging around the hole to keep it from cutting into my heat wrap.
If it fits, it ships.
McMaster FTW. Transmission is ready to be installed. 
Everything was going so well...
Got the transmission in. I had to completely remove the shifter in order to install the transmission. I kept it attached to the mounting plate and also to the shift levers so that I wouldn't have to re-adjust anything. Once the transmission was in I got the shifter installed. It took some finagling but it seemed to fit fine.
Until I tried to shift into 3rd gear.
The shift rail slides back and hits the back of the tunnel. I can't tell if it's actually fully in gear at this point but it doesn't matter. I can't have this kind of interference. I thought about just bashing a dent in that little panel but, it's a little panel. It is barely tack welded in place and it might tear loose. So I'm going to cut a hole in it and overlay a new panel with a pocket that goes through the hole. That way it's still enclosed but provides plenty of room for the rails to slide back. The reverse rail (farthest left in the pic) is fine. In its neutral position it starts further forward and slides back about even with the other two in their neutral position.
Now, why not just move the shifter forward? There are extra holes in transmission and the mounting plate could be moved forward one hole, which would be about an inch and a quarter. That should be plenty of room.
Well, the shifter is already near the front of the hole in the top of the tunnel. So this would require re-cutting the hole in the tunnel with whatever patching that will require, cutting the three connecting rods shorter, re-tapping them and re-adjusting the shifter. All this is best done with the transmission out. So I would have to remove the shifter again, wrestle the transmission out, install the shifter and adjust it, remove the shifter, wrestle the transmission back in and finally install the shifter again. That's a lot of work.
So here's the overlay panel with the pocket partially completed. I whipped that up this morning out of the leftover sheet that used to be the block-off for the muffler. Before I weld the pocket to the panel, I'll put this in place without the pocket and trace the hole onto the existing panel so I know where to cut. Hopefully, I can get a Dremel in there to cut it. Then I'll weld the pocket to the panel, put a back on it and rivet it in place.
Boy that sucks but you have a good solution. Keep up the good work!
Above was version 1. That was a bust. I tried to do a filet weld on that .024 sheet metal and made a mess of it. My welder just can't deal with it.
Below is version two.
For the pocket, I used Visio to design it though I abandoned having the bottom attached as in the design. Instead, I made it a separate piece. The folds required more precision than I could muster. So I just cut the tall left side of the design, folded that into a square and then folded the petals outward. So that slides into the main body (see above).
Then I "spot" welded each of the petals in place. I tried to add another weld to on petal and my welder started acting up again. So I had to grind that off and left a scar.
The bottom got tabs on each side. I spot welded two of them.
I temporarily placed the overlay into place so I could trace out the square hole for the pocket to go through. I drilled the corners of the square as big as I could then used tin snips to cut out as much as I could. Due to the tight space, this was more of a chewing operation than snipping. I used a die grinder bit in my drill to finish it up.
Here it is in place after painting it.
Riveted in place. Shifter installed. No interference. I put it in 3rd and the slider doesn't really even go into the hole. It was just about even with the opening. So I think, at best, this was one of those better safe than sorry fixes.
Tomorrow, I'll put the exhaust back on and if I have enough time I might take it for spin.
Done today:
Clutch bled
Exhaust installed
Driveshaft installed.
That's all I have time for. Gotta mow the grass. After that, I'll start putting away tools and cleaning up.
Got the car out for a quick test drive this morning and got to test the two major changes; new muffler and new transmission.
The muffler is definitely quieter. At idle, I'm going to guess in the neighborhood of 40 db less than the old one. So I could comfortably let the car idle while warming it up and go around checking and adjusting tire pressures with out ear protection, though I think I'd rather have it. When the throttle is cracked open, it's still ridiculously loud. So I'm not sure that if I go someplace where they're checking noise if it will pass. But I still have my cone that I can insert into the exhaust that will tame it a tiny bit more.
I only ran down the road at around 2000 rpm. I was not wearing ear protection so I could hear a lot of clunking and rattling that I don't remember being there before. But the transmission was shifting just fine while moving. It's a brutal process clutchless shifting a dog box. It went into all four gears, up and down. Getting into 1st and reverse at a standstill using the clutch, it did take a couple of tries. I think the technique was to push against the shifter with the clutch out and then push the clutch in while still pushing and it would thunk into gear.
I'll probably get it up in the air again to check for evidence of contact anywhere around the driveshaft and shifter.
I have a one-day HPDE track event at Summit Point on the 31st just to get some low pressure seat time. Beyond that, I don't know. For the remainder of the season I think I'd rather just do some autocrosses but it looks like there are only a couple within a reasonable distance. I want parking lot venues so I can push it harder.
Glad you got the car back together! I appreciate all the time you've taken to explain your journey and add pictures! I just sold my corvette and bought a GTA Impala less than 2 weeks ago and have my first track day with NASA at Rockingham in October. Using your thread as a wealth of information to hopefully ease some learning pains.
In reply to Jhartline :
Congrats! Start a thread. I want to read all about it.
I found an autocross this coming Sunday. It's about an hour and a half drive. Should be an adventure.
There was an attempt...
I thought it would be a good idea to run an autocross so I sort of did that yesterday. I say sort of because, well, I suck at autocross. We got 5 runs and I was completely lost on runs 1 - 3, I thought I was lost on 4 but managed to run clean, albeit slowly. On the final run there was a moment through the middle where I actually relaxed and was able to feel the car. It felt great!
And, yes, I walked the course. Twice. It seemed fairly straightforward on foot. But behind the wheel everything looked different. I think if I had it to do over again, I'd want to work the course first then run it. I can't be sure that would have helped because, again, there's a difference between being on foot and looking through a windshield that takes a bigger brain than mine.
On the plus side, I had no issues with the car. The transmission felt fine, temps stayed well within limits and it didn't set off the sound level penalty. If I had to find a fault, it would only be that when I turned off the ignition switch, the engine continued to run for about 4 or 5 seconds. It's like there was some capacitance in the system or something.
There were over 140 competitors and they split us into 4 run groups. I think my group took a little over an hour to complete all 5 runs. I was able to stay in the car the entire time. It wasn't until I was gridded for the final run, when everything was thoroughly heat-soaked that I actually felt hot.
For the record, I was 9 seconds slower than the only other car in my class. This is on a course where most cars were running between 33 and 45 seconds. So my best was a 43.6. My first run was a very lost 68!! 
Oh, and there was an OH $HIT moment when I was getting the car out of the trailer. I was parked in grass with the ramp a couple feet from the pavement. I turned the winch lock to neutral so I could spool out some line but forgot to switch it back to locked. I pushed the car backwards thinking it would stop when the winch line tightened but it unspooled and rolled itself right off the trailer onto the pavement, which was a thoroughfare along the parking lot. By some miracle, no one was passing by at that moment. And it went off just straight enough not to hang up on the ramp cables. 
Hello Jim,
I've been offline for while so I just sore this one.
I thought there was usually a alum. rear engine mounting plate w/ that style install? That keeps the rotational forces from the motor traveling back and the BH and tranny hung on that?
And there is only one crack that leads to a happy ending, (LOL) just ask that titanic submarine guy...
In reply to GM > MG :
Nope. No mounting plate, per se. Each side has an individual mount as pictured above. Plus the engine is also mounted in the traditional location from what I tell, so 4 individual mounts.
As for the crack, I'll probably have to replace the clutch plates at some point next season. I'll take another look at it then. Given it's location, I don't think it's much of a risk.
Well, I tried to do a track day. Have a huge vibration in the driveline at higher speeds; feels like it's gonna shake the car apart. I guess at the autocross a couple weeks ago, I never got up to the speed necessary to feel it. I'm guessing my pinion angles are messed up so I'll have to research how to do all that. I know I'll need to build some stands so I can have it sitting on the suspension while I do all this. 
On top of that, I have a wheel bearing going bad and probably a couple of stuck calipers in my tow vehicle. That's what I get for letting it sit for too long. 
The Pinion angle should be the exact same angle the engine/trans is on. Such as 6 degrees engine/trans and 6 degrees pinion angle. Drive line can be less or more then 6 degrees and there should be no vibration.
Second point of concern is while your rear end travels up and down in relation to the chassis the pinion angle should ether not change, or, change minimally.
Normally on a race car there can be pinion angle change under acceleration and deceleration but also, on a race car there suspension travel should be well controlled due to the type of mounting, such as heim joints that don't allow for unnecessary movement other then what is designed into the suspension.
So check the number one thing, the engine/trans angle and the pinion angle. If it is not the same make it the same via adjustment. If you can't then you might need to figure out how to modify things to allow that. After checking and adjusting these angles try it out.
I used to work for a company out of Germany called Voith turbo. They were in collaboration with Eaton, the makers of drive line equipment for large trucks. Voith makes a secondary braking system called a retarder that fits in the driveline and can slow the large truck while descending a steep hill without needing to apply the brakes.
Some times these would be mounted on the back of the transmission but often we mounted them in the drive line with one short drive line in front and a longer drive line in the rear.
I was responsible for the entire installation from start to finish. I had the drive lines built by driveline specialties, a local company in Sacramento.
We had a lot of drive line vibration issues to deal with on these installations. If I installed one and it did not vibrate I was lucky and happy. Some times I did everything right and they still would vibrate. Not easy changing/adjusting pinion angles on a huge truck.
Not exactly a race car but same principles.
Luckily, on a race car there is one drive line to deal with and not two, plus, pinion angles usually can be adjusted. There are other factors but these angles and adjusting them usually work to help/cure vibration.
In reply to robert777 :
Thanks for the info, Robert.
And an update on the tow vehicle...it wasn't a wheel bearing or brakes. The lug nuts were all loose on the passenger side. Seven were backed off about 3/16" and one stud was snapped off and rattling around in the hub cap. I have never touched the wheels on this truck in the entire 22 years I've owned it so my guess is that the shop that did my state inspection and oil change probably pulled that wheel and didn't torque it. They also replaced all 6 tires (it's an F350 dually) a few months ago. So I'll have a talk with them.
Meantime, I have removed the hubs, pressed out all studs and ordered new steel wheels (my old alloy wheels look like doo doo plus the holes in the one are now ovals), studs and lug nuts. While I was under the truck, I noticed I don't have a spare wheel/tire. It used to be there. It was many moons ago but I recall seeing one. I'm guessing the hanger doodad rusted out and the whole thing fell off. Hope it didn't hurt anyone. So I ordered a new hanger and wheel. Need to order a tire too.
So much is rusty under this truck I need to start addressing it or risk having more sh...stuff break.
Slow progress on the race car. I wanted to take some measurements on the rear while it's at "full droop". Full droop is limited by the PS limiter chain as the DS limiter is, for some reason, longer. When the PS limiter is unhooked, droop is limited by the driveshaft resting on the rear frame loop.
The DS and PS springs are different but I don't know how much. They're both marked with 200 but the PS spring has no brand markings that I can see and is a light blue, as opposed to the dark blue of the DS Hyperco spring.
DS Spring:
PS Spring:
Closest Hyperco spring I could find is this one at 13": https://www.hypercoils.com/shop/18s-200. They currently only have 11", 13" and 15" so I'm guessing my springs are old. The DS spring had a part number on it but that doesn't come up in a search. But at least I know the spring weight now.
Panhard bar:
I'll go back and take some of these measurements again once I have it setting at right height. I need to build some wheel platforms but in the meantime my plan is to get the suspension on jack stands and adjust it so that all the hub centerlines are level.
3-link truck-arm rear suspension. Front pivot point is a few inches behind the transmission u-joint.
Driver side. Ignore the "No weight marking". I found it when I pulled this spring off. There is slack in the limiter chain and I can wiggle the spring. I was able to take it off with a pry bar without too much effort. It's interesting because I can't push this side of the suspension down at all from this point, even with the pry bar. I had to compress the spring slightly in order to get it off but the truck arm did not drop one iota.. It's like it binds up due to the geometry. I'm not concerned about it because this is full droop.
PS. Limiter chain is holding all the weight of the axle. Spring has some preload though I have not measured this one with no tension on the spring. If I disconnect his chain, the axle drops until the driveshaft is resting on the rear safety loop.
I finally got the car supported by the suspension on jack stands and started measuring angles.
Transmission: .8 down
Driveshaft: 5.5 down
Diff/Pinion: .8 down
According to the Spicer calculator, that's an operating angle of 4.7 degrees. There's no guarantee here that the axle is at ride height but it should be pretty close. The question is, is this an acceptable operating angle for running 60+ mph? (it started shaking at somewhere close to that speed)
I also checked the lateral alignment by hanging plumb bobs; each end of the diff, one on the slip yoke at the transmission and one on the crank pulley nut. I thought this looked okay but, after taking this pic and looking more closely, I can see the alignment is a little off.
So next I'll need to throw some string on the ground under the plumb bobs and measure that angle.
I think the only adjustment for this lateral offset is at the motor mounts because the axle is fixed by the truck arms and, as far as I can tell, there is no adjustment for thrust angle.
EDIT: I forgot that I still need to measure whether the axle is centered under the chassis.
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