The axle housing looks great. V8TV does some nice work.

The 9" vs. Dana vs. 12 Bolt parasitic loss comparison is more legit for a race car seeking to optimize every system on the car. Car Craft did a Dana 60 (Strange version) vs. 12 bolt vs. 9" and found them all to be very close.

http://image.carcraft.com/f/techarti...ison_chart.jpg


The flexibility of available gear ratios, strength, and housings makes the 9" a good choice for this project.

In my opinion, any power loss by virtue of using a Ford 9" vs. a 12 bolt will not likely be noticed while I am driving the car.

I'm not afraid to admit that I simply do not have the driving skills it would require to actually miss that little bit of difference.

Frankly, I am more interested in minimizing the chance of failure due to extra stresses my less than perfect driving skills can impose on the system.

In addition, the original factory 12 bolt went to a very appreciative new owner who was looking far exactly that piece. It wouldn't have been right modifying that unit.

While we're on the topic, here are some pics taken during assembly of the rear end.

We ordered the 370 ratio, nodular iron, 9+ unit from Currie.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_50.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_48.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_55.JPG


Of course the 3rd member was shipped with the set up grease still in place so we could observe the contact pattern. Kevin and Trevor have set up quite a few of these. The pattern looked good to their experienced eyes.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_47.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.06.12_65.JPG


After carefully preparing his work area to prevent contamination and scratches, Trevor began the assembly process.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.11.12_01.JPG


This shot shows the relocation of the Currie emblem and one of the tow strap attachment points V8TV added for convenience.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.11.12_04.JPG


http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.11.12_10.JPG


Currie axles and Wilwood emergency brakes installed:

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.11.12_24.JPG

Finally, the Wilwood "floating" rear calipers were installed.

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.11.12_41.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s...2.11.12_35.JPG

Can't wait to heat those up a bit...

During the Holidays my son Dan was in town.

We we were able to spend some enjoyable time with Kevin and Kelle at
their V8 Speed & Restoration Shop discussing the next steps for the build.

While there, I took a few pics of the latest metal work.

The rear tailpanel and both quarters are permanently aligned and welded in now.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6de1fb08.jpg

The DSE "Deep Tubs" and the upper shock crossmember for the "QUADRALink" rear suspension are installed.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0a14dd13.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9cf60e15.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps08acba20.jpg

As a customer, I like the piece of mind that comes with seeing how the V8 Speed and Restoration crew puts the same level of care and detail into all their welds, even those few people will ever see ..like these.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3e695725.jpg

The DSE subframe connectors are welded in.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8e8ee2aa.jpg

Work has begun on the roll cage. We are using a Chassisworks unit made specifically for first generation Camaros but it is being modified by V8 to achieve the tightest fit to the body shell possible.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7aa713d3.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...psa4f89bec.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9fe6b34b.jpg

Besides tucking it close to the shell, modifications to the roll cage included bending the uprights so they more closely follow the lines of the door and the seam between the front and rear windows. Doing so will make the cage less conspicuous as viewed from outside the car.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...psf672c298.jpg

As a result of leaning the cross bar back a little, the top side tubes had to then be extended by first sleeving them inside and then recoping the extensions to the rear top cross bar.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6273d0c0.jpg

The front header bar was placed as far forward as possible for maximum head room. Of course this will require a clever mounting strategy for sun visors as the original mounting method will not work with this bar in this location. We have some ideas for that we'll show later, if they work as planned.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...ps74038a08.jpg

That fits nice and tight. It looks good.

x2! Thanks for the write up Lou. I saw the cage at SEMA and for prefab it looks really good. Your mods make it top notch :thumbsup:

That rear setup looks nice.
What's with the Wilwood calipers ? I count six but it is clearly marked 4 piston?

Great build thread. Learned alot.

Good question.

The shape of the rear calipers certainly suggests there would be 6 pistons inside but there are actually only four. Here are some pics of the front and rear calipers before installation that show what is really inside of each.

The front, 6 piston calipers:

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....17.12_073.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....17.12_076.JPG

The rear, 4 piston calipers:

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....17.12_095.JPG

http://v8tvshow.com/1969_Camaro_LC/s....17.12_098.JPG

Glad the thread is helping you just as other threads are helping us!

What is installing the headliner going to be like with the cage tucked up nice and tight?

It's going to be a little tricky, but it's nothing that our interior guy can't handle. We're not putting the cage tubes butted against the roof or anything like that. I think the bigger challenge will be for the painter to get good coverage on the cage.