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Eric, I am sure you are one happy camper having removed the rear end providing you w/ plenty of room to clean & refinish the axle housing, differential, etc. So much easier. Not long before you're bolting up the new rear sway bar & dropping it to the ground.
It is absolutely much easier with the rear out of the car. Just sit on the little red stool and work. Got it all cleaned up, painted, the control arms are installed on the body (all slid into place easily), next is to put it all back together and install the sway bar. Thinking Thurs with an extra set of hands.
I noticed the upper rear control arms are not adjust
Have you checked bolt holes on those center center ??
the 1968 on up parts are different and could whack your pinion angle
next is to put it all back together and install the sway bar. Thinking Thurs with an extra set of hands.
I like to attach the lower control arms to the rearend first, then lift the forward ends up into the frame brackets. I find it easier than trying to hold the rear up while attaching the lower control arms.
Regarding the UCA center-to-center length, my center-to-center length was exactly the same center-to-center length as the UCA which I removed. Unlike Eric, I did not remove my rear-end; instead, I simply dropped the rear-end straight down and supported it w/ x2 jack stands on the axle tube and x1 jack stand about half-way up the drive shaft to support the drive shaft and keep the rear-end stable (so as not to change the pitch of the pinion angle while performing the work). During the installation I installed the UCA rear bolts first, raised the rear end w/ a floor jack under the differential & installed the forward UCA bolts. They fit like a glove. I'm looking forward to finishing the rebuild of the front suspension so I can see how well the rear end performs w/ the new UMI Performance products.
I noticed the upper rear control arms are not adjust
Have you checked bolt holes on those center center ??
the 1968 on up parts are different and could whack your pinion angle
They look really close Brian, if not the same exact spread. The old bushings are worn out and not quite centered, measurements are within an 1/8 of an inch old vs new.
Originally Posted by Fun71
I like to attach the lower control arms to the rearend first, then lift the forward ends up into the frame brackets. I find it easier than trying to hold the rear up while attaching the lower control arms.
I was planning on setting the diff on some jack stands and shift them/it into position, but if that does not work I may resort to your way. Before I installed all the arms on the body, I test fit the arms-bushing ends and they slip nicely into the brackets with the diff on the floor.
Originally Posted by Vintage Chief
That looks great.
Regarding the UCA center-to-center length, my center-to-center length was exactly the same center-to-center length as the UCA which I removed. Unlike Eric, I did not remove my rear-end; instead, I simply dropped the rear-end straight down and supported it w/ x2 jack stands on the axle tube and x1 jack stand about half-way up the drive shaft to support the drive shaft and keep the rear-end stable (so as not to change the pitch of the pinion angle while performing the work). During the installation I installed the UCA rear bolts first, raised the rear end w/ a floor jack under the differential & installed the forward UCA bolts. They fit like a glove. I'm looking forward to finishing the rebuild of the front suspension so I can see how well the rear end performs w/ the new UMI Performance products.
I was going to play with it through trial and error to see which goes in the easiest first and move on from there. After the rear, new shocks, sway bar, and reassembly/bleed the brakes, I'm really looking forward to a test drive with the locker. Hopefully by the end of the week. Got a doctors appointment tomorrow, so no work for the car.
I'm pretty impressed with these new control arms so far.
Rear end is back on the car, with special thanks to the wife as the jack operator and providing an extra set of hands. All I lack is to reinstall/bleed brakes, reinstall driveshaft, reconnect the exhaust to the headers, fill the differential, put the body weight on the axle, and tighten it all up. And of course the test drive.
Well after a minor mishap with a pulled muscle or something I needed to take a break for a few days. Today I got it all back together, torqued, brakes reassembled and bled (with the help of my trusty assistant and cup holder), wheels on and back on the ground. All looks good, unfortunately its raining out. Tomorrow is supposed to be dry.
Took it for a short ride, a couple of hole shots, and a bunch of left and right turns. It drove really well with no strange noises or leaks... Life is good! The locker does click when you turn as each axle breaks loose within the locker, it kind of sounds like when as a kid you put a playing card against the spokes of a bicycle going slow. The new control arms are a great improvement over the worn out bushings in the old stock arms and the addition of the sway bar is remarkable. The KYB shocks stiffened the ride over the 11 year old leaky Monroe's. It was a plus to pull the differential out completely to do the locker and change the upper bushings. The arms and sway bar were a snap. No special tools required.
To recap:
UMI ABR401B kit, upper and lower control arms with poly bushings front and back. $315.00
UMI 4034B sway bar. $144.00
Nitro Gear and Axle Lunch Box Locker purchased through monzaz (Jim) on this site. $375.00
2 qts of Valvoline 85w140 gear oil. $13.00
2 KYB 5507 gas adjust rear shocks. $62.00
Grand total = $909.00
Happy to hear you are satisfied w/ the locker. I agree w/ you on the rear sway bar - a great improvement for any vehicle. I'm quite satisfied w/ the UMIPerformance hardware & components.
Got a few hundred miles on the Cutlass with the new parts, everything works flawlessly. The ratcheting of the locker is something I need to get used to and it will smoke both rear tires. It was a good $375 investment. It really does drive like whole different car. I highly recommend the UMI parts.
Just an update. I've put around 1800 miles and a number of hard hole shots on the locker setup and it still operates flawlessly. The cars rear suspension has never handled this good since I bought it and I will highly recommend both mods to anyone.
I'm going to convert my O type open 3:08 to a posi using a powertrax type locker. I also want to upgrade the rear suspension and add a sway bar. Anyone use this kit from UMI or something similar.
January 5th, 2020, 03:20 PM
