'09 CVPI rear-end...

[sick88tbird]

So I just plucked a complete rear from an '09 CVPI at the junkyard...all I really wanted was the brakes but someone had broken the cross-shaft retaining bolt in the carrier so I ended up pulling the whole thing. Back at the shop, I drilled the crarrier on either side of the cross-shaft and the shaft came right out. Now I'm at a cross-roads...do I simply take all the brake goodies off and toss them onto my '85 tudor(which I already have 3.73 trac-lock installed) OR do I use the '09 rear end(with my currrent carrier and 31-spline spider gears from the '09). If I used the '09 rear end, I would omit the upper control arms in favor of a torque arm and watts-link...the necessary welding is a non-issue for me and the '09's use a factory watts-link which would just require me to go back to the yard and pull that stuff before the car goes to the crusher and fab up a torque arm and mount. Every car I've driven with a torque arm is wonderful and I think that's part of my modernizing process, I've seen a lot of kits for mustangs that do pretty much exactly what I'm considering doing.

The end goal with this car is to have a super-capable DD that's at home on the dragstrip or the auto-cross.

I will also be upgrading the front brakes to '98-'02 spec, it currently has '95-'97 style front brakes. This summer(or whenever I get all the port work done) it's getting a healthy 351W with a FAST EZ-EFI and T-5.

Let me know what you guys think...regardless progress will be slow.

Thanks,
Don

[Crownvicman289]

i think the watts link is a phenominal idea. You could also cheat and just run a panhard bar too.

[gadget73]

Will the 09 brake bits fit on the old axle? Don't know if anyone has tried that. Would be nice to know if they did. Honestly though if you're up for fabbing the watts link stuff, go for it. Dont know if your 85's rear bushings have been replaced or not but even when fresh, the back end isn't absolutely rock solid stable. At a minimum you really need a panhard or something for really proper lateral location. That stock 4 link rig is just not optimal. There is a reason why kits to do that for Mustangs exist, and if you didn't already realize it, whats under a Vic is just a slightly larger version of whats under a Mustang, complete with the same problems and weaknesses.

[sick88tbird]

Exactly...all my old fox body t-birds and my '85 do strange things over sharp bumps at speed...feels like the back end wants to step out. The more I'm looking at this, the more it looks like a pain...I MAY just use the brake parts for now and see if they fit decent with minimal modification and keep the '09 housing for a torque arm set up next winter. That way I can compare how it hooks up with the 351/T5 in it from stock 4-bar setup to the torque arm set-up. Ideas are still rolling around in my head.

[sick88tbird]

Well, the '09 housing is in the scrap heap...it doesn't have enough webbing on either side of the pinion to do the torque arm idea. If the '85 uses a vibration damper bolted to the rear like the fox mustangs(which i think it does, have to look) then I'll be going through with it probably next spring. I think I'm gonna do like Crownvicman said and end up going with a panhard bar which should leave a little more room for the exhaust too.