Random Thoughts - Part Deux [NO POLITICS]

[Nevermore]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Just not a whole lot of love for anything with a live axle. I know it's kind of snooty but a girl's gotta have her standards.

I suppose that's fair. But what if I told you it would be getting a different axle? I try to specify as often as possible that any car, 240Z, Sunny truck, RX-2/3/4, Maverick, I get will be restomodded to modern specs. Any complaints about the stock example become irrelevant and it's more a question of how it looks. I suppose more importantly (and probably my greatest weakness in all this) is knowing whether or not old, bad driving vehicles can be setup to be handle well, and not just "okay". Ostensibly the Maverick, though small, is probably still more likely to go the muscle car route (at least from what I've seen), but I'm more concerned about it taking a corner than being fast.


So it's not the live axle that's the issue, it's what could I possibly replace that live axle with? Way outside my field of knowledge, which is another reason I've always said I'd farm out a lot of the work, expensive as it would be.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by Nevermore

So it's not the live axle that's the issue, it's what could I possibly replace that live axle with? Way outside my field of knowledge, which is another reason I've always said I'd farm out a lot of the work, expensive as it would be.

It would be a ton of work to get an IRS setup in there. You would have to build a subframe to house the pumpkin and serve as attachment points for suspension components. Not to mention sourcing the rear knuckles that could work with whatever axle/diff combo you chose to run. I know guys have converted Fox bodies to IRS(Matt Farah's car comes to mind) but that is a lot easier for them since the fox body cobra had IRS. Would be easier to just leave the live axle in there and add a nice multilink setup to it.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by soundman98

No, you ask the cab driver to take you somewhere with good cheap food.

Chinatown or Devon? Both kinda need a guide, but the cabby may oblige. As long as its not burnt cheese on carbon as prepared by Pequods...

[bcj]

Way back in the day ... I recall a lot of chromed Jaguar IRS being jammed under t-buckets in Hot Rod magazine.
The inboard disk brakes were innovative and saved on unsprung rotating weight.

The major downside was that the Jag rear was designed to vector power from a straight six mid size motor.
They'd go pop trying to move a v8 with a blower despite the custom chassis that only had a body shell dropped on top.

[Clutch Dog]

IRS conversions to Live rear end cars are sorta... extreme. like. you could spend the budget for the car injust the conversion whereas you could hav swapped in a 302/t5 combo with decent paint and interior for the price of it.

you can make a live rear end handle. its just gonna be a TINY bit inferior to the independant rear in terms of streetability. That said alotta the CAM guys like racing around in live rears cause its nostalgic and it sorta forces you to become a better driver with it.


I wouldnt mess with an IRS conversion unless I had like a Tbird sitting in my yard or something similar.. lincoln mk8 i think had em too?

Hell my crown vic had a live rear with watts link and i feel it did just fine.
my Saav SUV has a live rear. they are tough!

independant rears are really limited by the "pumpkin" sizing.

our FRS uses something close to what the rx8 and s2000 use. i think its a 7.5 ring gear. which is tiny in comparison to alot of the v8 cars ( they typically used 7.5 for v6/i6's)

Ford makes the 8.8 which is basically anything youd want for normal power levels. which is a 8.8 inch ring gear
Mopar makes two 8 inch gears. 8 3/4 and 8 1/4
again beefy ( the 8.25 no so much but its better than the chevy 10 bolt)

Chevy makes the 10 bolt which is an 8.2 inch
12 bolt = 8.875

and if yall want something bigger pretty much you are going to a Dana or fords 9 inch


whew..

For independant i think Ford is using their 8.8 pumpkin with a designed under member that everyone wants cause its beefy

Chevy/GM has one for their new caddies but i dunno what size the pumpkin is

but i know guys swap out to a "9 inch" rear end but thats like 7 grand alone and thats not even installation.


So in short. you have to REALLY want an IRS in the back of a car that wasnt designed for it. elsewise if you where looking at making a maverick handle...

cough https://www.rrs-online.com/


If i loved the maverick a whole bunch ( say over a 190e or dart)

id try to wedge a 400 hp 331 stroker 5.0 under it with modern ignition. coupple it with a tko600 and explorer rear end 8.8.
dump everything i could from QA1 under the suspension. trak lock the rear. and paint it grabber blue with side stripes and some cragers



but for the price of all that involved I feel i could have swapped a nova with a 5.3 and 4l65e update and ford 8.8 rear with disc conversion and a shot of nitrous for the giddity's and have a bit more car for the money

[EAGLE5]

I drove my cousin's restored 60s Camaro. OMFG is that car a turd. Handles like a barge.

My grandpa's early 70s Challenger was OK minus. Scary as hell on the freeway, and that was over 20 years ago.

I'm not a fan of old cars. They're so often shit. It's like getting all excited over using a 1984 Mac to Word process. Sure, it can do the job, but it's a pain in the ass.

[Cole]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

I drove my cousin's restored 60s Camaro. OMFG is that car a turd. Handles like a barge.

My grandpa's early 70s Challenger was OK minus. Scary as hell on the freeway, and that was over 20 years ago.

I'm not a fan of old cars. They're so often shit. It's like getting all excited over using a 1984 Mac to Word process. Sure, it can do the job, but it's a pain in the ass.

Basically my experience in the case of my fiancees’s dad’s Camaro, thing is fast as hell, but that’s about it.

[soundman98]

america overall had no clue on how to make a car turn fast until the 90's when the viper came out, and that they threw on the fattest tires they could in a sort of 'grab a biggah hammah bubba' way.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

I drove my cousin's restored 60s Camaro. OMFG is that car a turd. Handles like a barge.

My grandpa's early 70s Challenger was OK minus. Scary as hell on the freeway, and that was over 20 years ago.

I'm not a fan of old cars. They're so often shit. It's like getting all excited over using a 1984 Mac to Word process. Sure, it can do the job, but it's a pain in the ass.

Originally Posted by Cole

Basically my experience in the case of my fiancees’s dad’s Camaro, thing is fast as hell, but that’s about it.

It is a whole different world when talking 60 and early 70s cars and how they handle. Leaf springs, light shocks, strange steering ratios and no ecu to help level things out in the drive train come together to form a different driving experience. And just think those cars were some of the very BEST handling ones of the era. They got much much worse in the full size sedans and two doors. My 70 Coronet R/T was "track ready" and that was great as long as the "track" was a big oval. Took a long time to make a turn.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

I drove my cousin's restored 60s Camaro. OMFG is that car a turd. Handles like a barge.

Right? And that's why @NoHaveMSG was dead-on calling me out. I do go on and on about my Z but, stink and all, it's the only platform that has ever really spoken to me.

You guys might ask "Why not all those other ones with great chassis?" $$$ and #sasquatchproblems.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

In thought Hatachis were TVs?

got jokes

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

It is a whole different world when talking 60 and early 70s cars and how they handle. Leaf springs, light shocks, strange steering ratios and no ecu to help level things out in the drive train come together to form a different driving experience. And just think those cars were some of the very BEST handling [American] ones of the era. They got much much worse in the full size sedans and two doors. My 70 Coronet R/T was "track ready" and that was great as long as the "track" was a big oval. Took a long time to make a turn.

FIFY

[Nevermore]

Originally Posted by Clutch Dog

...a whole lot...

Again with the massive data dump, I love it. This is good information for a noob like me as it really outlines the differences. I had always figured the only axle I was familiar with would probably be what I would seek out for any build (unless I went full B is for Build and stuffed half of one car into another one), that is to say the Ford 8", which is what I think you mentioned among others. Would make sense for a Maverick too. Then it would just be about getting the right suspension and modern disc brakes. It doesn't need to be monster, just quick and safe.

[EAGLE5]

Well, a Lotus 7 excepted. Those handle perdy well. Then again, I never drove a classic. Just an 80s Caterham with a 12a rotary.