{"id":5049,"date":"2014-04-24T14:30:01","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T21:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=5049"},"modified":"2016-12-05T11:49:44","modified_gmt":"2016-12-05T19:49:44","slug":"star-wars-axle-housings-part-iii-fabricated-ford-housings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/star-wars-axle-housings-part-iii-fabricated-ford-housings\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Wars Axle Housings Part III: Fabricated Ford Housings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Star<\/a>In past segments of our \u201cStar Wars Axle Housing\u201d series, we looked at how and why the fabricated housing first became available. We also looked at the construction techniques used in assembly along with some of the available configurations and options.\u00a0 This time around, we\u2019ll conclude the sheetmetal housing portion of the series with a look at details such as weight and optional equipment.\u00a0 There are plenty of options available. And what is available might surprise you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Options<\/b><\/p>\n

Custom-built rear end housings offer all sorts of options and fabricated housings are no different. The TRZ housing shown in the accompanying photos is equipped with a couple of options, including:<\/p>\n

Tubular Back Brace:<\/em> This brace prevents the ends of the housing from migrating forward and back. This is more common than you might think with a Ford (actually big heavy housings like a Dana 60 can also move around too, but that\u2019s another story).\u00a0 The back brace stops it.<\/p>\n

Lower Control Arm Brace Tube:<\/b><\/em>This brace ties both of the lower control arm mounts together and also ties the works together with the base of the center section case.\u00a0 The idea here is to prevent the housing from bowing (up or down).\u00a0 It also helps to distribute the loads from the lower trailing arms.<\/p>\n

Stock Style Shock Absorber Brackets: <\/b><\/em>In the case of a Fox Mustang, it\u2019s pretty easy to convert to coil over springs, using the stock mounting locations.\u00a0 To accomplish this though, the rear end has to be setup to accept a bracket for the shocks (which is available from TRZ).\u00a0 Basically, it becomes a bolt in with multiple lower shock mounts.<\/p>\n

Fair enough, but there are other options too:<\/p>\n

If you have a GM A or G body, you can specify stock location coil spring perches. You also specify adjustable height spring perches. Typically, you\u2019ll use a common 2.50-inch coil over spring for this application.\u00a0 These coil over are available in a wide range of lengths and rates. The adjustable perch (or \u201cjack) allows you to crank up the ride height as necessary, based upon your spring of choice.<\/p>\n

Another option is a set of inboard coil over shock mounts.\u00a0 These are used when the shocks have been moved inboard. Like the conventional shock mounts, the inboard mounts allow for multiple shock mounting points (up or down).<\/p>\n

Finally, TRZ can brace the assembly diagonally between the housing tubes and the bottom brace.\u00a0 This further fortifies the housing, particularly when you have massive amounts of steam under the hood.<\/p>\n

Weight Watchers<\/b><\/p>\n

What’s the difference in weight between a fabricated sheet metal housing and a braced 9-inch Ford?\u00a0 Something like a typical fabricated chrome moly housing for a narrow Pro Stock application will tip the Toldeos at approximately 41 pounds.\u00a0 Meanwhile, a fully reworked, similar dimension Ford 9-inch housing (with all of the surgery necessary to make it live) will weigh in at 46 or more pounds.\u00a0 When comparing a full width, bolt in housing such as the TRZ piece shown here, expect similar saving (FYI, TRZ offers these housings in both lightweight chrome moly or mild steel).\u00a0 Of course, this weight loss is effectively unsprung, which means the shock absorbers actually have less mass to control.\u00a0 In turn, this can mean more performance gains than just a simple weight loss.\u00a0 As you can see, the sheet metal housing wins from both the strength and weight perspective.<\/p>\n

Construction Time<\/b><\/p>\n

So how long does it take to build a housing?\u00a0 Typically, a fabricated housing from a shop like TRZ requires at least a week of fabrication time.\u00a0 Meanwhile, a conventionally braced Ford housing can absorb a considerable amount of shop time as well.\u00a0 Not counting the search for a decent (non rusted, non-bent) core, then factoring in the time it takes to clean it, a chassis builder can spend anywhere from sixteen to twenty hours (or more) in the rework.\u00a0 Obviously, the difference in shop time is reflected in the price.\u00a0 Typically, shops charge in the range of $1600 to $1800 for a completely braced Ford housing.\u00a0 A fabricated sheetmetal housing from TRZ begins at $1465 (chrome moly) and with options as shown, it tops out at approximately $1800. Basically, the same as a heavily braced, stock Ford.\u00a0 In our books, that\u2019s a bargain.<\/p>\n

Aside from the space age looks and lightweight, a sheet metal housing will invariably feature tubes, which cannot be twisted out of the housing.\u00a0 They’re straighter than even the best modified housing and finally, the housings are significantly stronger than a modified FoMoCo housing. “Star Wars housings”?\u00a0 Maybe not, but if you want the trickest, slickest axle housing available for your racecar, this is the hardware for you!<\/p>\n

But we\u2019re not quite done yet.\u00a0 There is one more (extremely cool) rear end configuration out there, and that\u2019s a \u201cmodular\u201d housing.\u00a0 Next issue, we\u2019ll take a closer look at both the aluminum and aluminum\/steel composite housings available in today\u2019s marketplace.\u00a0 Watch for it!<\/p>\n

\"Upstairs,<\/a>
Upstairs, the TRZ housing for a Mustang (GM A and G bodies are similar) are equipped with a three position upper trailing bracket. In order to use this setup, the original clevis-style bushing bracket is deleted.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"TRZ<\/a>
TRZ offers a conventional upper bar that hooks to the housing by way of a high quality rod end. With this setup, multiple upper bar adjustment becomes possible. And you can lower the car too without getting the instant center messed up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The back of the housing is equipped with a high quality billet filler\/inspection cap. Don\u2019t miss this point. Filling a completed Ford housing without one isn\u2019t easy!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Down<\/a>
Down below, you can see the combination lower trailing arm\/shock mount<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"TRZ<\/a>
TRZ uses Pro Stock style doublers on the lower mount due to the potential for huge prevailing forces.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"On<\/a>
On the topside, TRZ includes a provision for a housing vent. You\u2019ll need one.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Almost<\/a>
Almost any type of housing end is available. For our combination, we\u2019re using symmetrical Mark Williams housing ends. Aside from the considerable bearing beef, they can also be used with M-W\u2019s Pro Street back brakes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Previous: Part I,<\/a> Part II<\/a><\/p>\n

Next: Part IV<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In past segments of our \u201cStar Wars Axle Housing\u201d series, we looked at how and why the fabricated housing first became available. We also looked […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":5079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5011,11,9],"tags":[2,43,704,4800,703,461,706,321],"class_list":["post-5049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chassis-suspension","category-how-tos","category-tech-tips","tag-drag-racing","tag-ford","tag-ford-housings","tag-how-tos","tag-star-wars-housings","tag-tech-tips-2","tag-trz-motorsports","tag-wayne-scraba"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Star-17Feature.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-1jr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5049"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5080,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5049\/revisions\/5080"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}