pracy

hey guys, got another couple questions about the XE..

I am getting a 9" made by craft diffs. The housing will be custom for the watts link and I am going MW axles so they are custom too. Therefore if I need to shorten the diff I can do it now for no extra cost.
So far I like Convo Pro's; Front: 15x7's (245/50x15's) Rear: 15x8.5' (265/50x15's)...
Now red at craft says he was going to build the diff to exactly match the original borg in length. Therefore what do I need?

I would like to fill the guards up pretty good. can someone help me with where I need to make measurements, as I was hoping to order the diff tomorrow as the axles are going to take a while to get here from states and this is my drive car. :( not looking good for the wedding!

I use lovell super lows which with my current 14" mags look not low at all.

Should I get the diff shortened? standard borg length?
what offset should I order for the mags? cans someone explain the difference please.

TruBlu351 I am pretty much copying your setup. I was going to do so about 2 months ago, a mate had 2nd hand set which i fell in love with but they were 7.5" all round.
What length is your 9"? what offsets? did you have any dramas?

I intend to use standard XD/XE rotors and calipers on this setup.

Thanks all, I am not sure what questions to ask really. So if I am missing something please jump in!

cheers
pracy

brenx

factory b/w width should be exactly the same as factory 9" width unless an XY is involved.

__________________
XB Fairmont (street car) 11.07@123.02mph.

xrgt

i'd go 1" or shorter(depending on suspension clearance), so that you can run a deeper dish rim

what did red quote ya for the job?

pracy

how to I tell how much clearance I do have? red mentioned there isn't much but he couldn't rem. where do i measure from? rotor to suspension arm?

when you mean deaper dish, do you mean wider rim as well? I have the car insured so i was looking to stay legal, well close too atleast. so i think in nsw -8" is the widest i can go i think. 17x8 would be the biggest.
I am only looking for 8" rim with 265 tyres to make burn outs not to $$.. i gather you go a smaller offset to make a deeper dish?

red quoted me $3450, he has looked after me well considering the parts inclu. I think anyways.
-9" watts link housing, no exchange
-MW masterline 31 spline axles
-31spline true trac
-billit yoke
-arp crown wheel bolts
-new larger F100 style wheel bearings
-arp bolts through out, crown wheel...
-1/2 wheel studs
-strange 3.7 gears

they're the main point, more on the quote..

cheers all

azza

I would shorten the diff and buy the 3/38 th back spacing as 5 inch back spacing looks shite. Mine is 40 mm narrower than stock xy in my xy wagon.
AZZA

pracy

ok so the 3/38 offset wheel giving the big dish. doesn't shortening the diff help the wheel track?
can it only help if i wanted to step up to 10" or if i didn't have clearance for the 8"s?


is there anyway to run a 10" wheel on the back of an XE? legal that is.

ok so I am thinking 8 1/2 on the back with 3 3/8 offset and 7.5 33/8 up front.
would that fit under the XE without shortening the diff?

thanks

shaynet

What car is a Watts link 9" housing from? How wide is it compared to a BW.

In my XD, I ran 8" fairly deep dish Bathurst Globe copies on the rear without scraping the guards on the std BW housing with factory disk brakes.

Then I installed a disk brake 9" from a XB (has the step down in the axle housing which is said to be stronger than the straight skinny housing of the XY type) and it was 3/4" wider overall than the BW (3/8" wider each side) This was enough to make the guards scrape on the outside only with the same wheels when I went over a bump. Later found that soft shocks were the problem and no scraping since new rear shocks. I have plenty of clearance between the wheel/tyre and the leaf spring to run a much wider rim/tyre


So if you can establish how wide an XE BW housing is compared to a XD BW housing and how wide a the 9" Watts link housing is compared to the XB 9" housing this should help you. I have heard of 10" rims under the arse of a XD but I'm guessing there would be some scraping without rolling the guards. 8 1/2" will fit easy but in NSW I think legal is only 1" wider than what came fitted or was available on the car (in my case 7" Globes so that allows me 8")

To minimise stress on the bearings & wheels studs the ideal situation is to have the wheel centered. Although this may not give the "ideal" look. Talk to the wheel people and they will tell you what offsets are available so you don't have to get custom offsets made.

__________________
The cop said "Do you know why I pulled you over". I said " Well, that all depends on how long you have been following me!"

pracy

the housing is custom made. its a new housing cut to BW length then watts link added. so it comes out exactly BW length unless i asked for something else.

with 8 1/2" 3 3/8 offset convo pro 265/50/15 you guys think these will fit easy? it which case there is no need to go shorter on the diff?
they seem to fit under trublu's car good, but he has flares. I have all new shocks and springs so that should help a bit.
how can i make sure those wheels will fit?

also they seel them in ford bolt pattern or multifit/holden.. whats the bad things with the multi fits? cause i would imagine they would be easier to sell later on being for holden and ford. If the 'ford only' ones are stronger, and or better for axles I will get those.

shaynet

Ok so its std BW length. Next step is to speak to the wheel guys who will be able to tell you what offsets are available and if the 8 1/2" rims you want will fit on a std diff without scraping. If there is no problem then stick with std BW length for your 9". Otherwise they will be able to tell you how much narrower you need to go. A good wheel shop will call the supplier who will have the answers to your offset questions and go from there
Have a look at your current setup & see what clearance your wheels/tyres have from the trailing arms and where things mount on the diff housing to see what choices you have (if any) for a narrower diff.

Personally, I hate the look of the multifits & would go the Ford only stud pattern. Obviously this would reduce the number of potential buyers later

__________________
The cop said "Do you know why I pulled you over". I said " Well, that all depends on how long you have been following me!"

davis

Chris Alston's web site has a form that you can easily download that tells all about what you need to measure when ordering a custom differential housing. There are a number of measurements that you need to make and consider, such as whether you want your 9" pinion centered or offset.

I don't know anything about an XE, so all I can say is that you definitely want to measure up very well and with the car at the desired ride height.

My only suggested "trick" is to take some large pieces of cardboard and mock it up. Draw your 2D representation of your tire width (cross sectional) and cut it out on a piece of cardboard. Use the same one to cut out the other side and then work with them underneath the car until you've got a fit that works. Measure your final solution. Have a mate help you and look over your measurements after you've settled on them to ensure that you didn't brainfart something silly.


:davis: