C-Clip eliminators

[Keith]

I'm ordering all the rear end stuff I need right now and since i'm going with rear discs, is c-clip eliminators something that would be benificial in my application? It's a 10 blt. with 2.73's and I'm probably leaning towards the Eaton posi unit for it.....thanks. Also, I've done a little searching but is there a comprehensive website where I can get all the details of rebuilding the rear?

[Keith]

Ok...so I found a good tech site here and I'm pretty sure I don't want to get c-clip eliminators since the car will autocross a few times with light street use and I'm reading that they are prone to leaks. Does anyone have an opinion on this either way? Thanks again...

[XcYZ]

Several of my friends use them, and yes, they do tend to leak.

Since you're going to run disk brakes, you have a poor man's (yeah right, lol) C-clip eliminator setup. Unless the axle breaks at the hub, the rotor should keep it contained in the housing. All the axles that I've seen break, have failed at the splines.

Anyone else?

[harshman]

bah!!!

You don't need them as they would be redundant. Spend the money on more shiny parts!!!

[Blown353]

Personally, I would not spend any money/time upgrading the 10 bolt; step up to a 12 bolt or 9 inch especially if you plan on running a lot of power through it and ever plan on running slicks. The 10 bolt is sort of a "dead end" in my opinion.

That being said, the BEST way to do the c-clip eliminator conversion (regardless of 10 or 12 bolt) is not to use the bolt on eliminators, but to have the factory ends chopped off the axle tubes and have Ford style press-on bearing ends welded onto the factory axle tubes. Much stronger and no leaks. It may be hard to find a shop that can do this properly, as they will need a jig to keep everything nice and square when they weld it. If you find a shop that hasn't done it before but "think they can" I would turn tail and run. Find an experienced shop to do this job! If they don't get the ends on nice and square you are looking at rapid bearing/axle wear plus driveability issues as the tires won't be pointed properly (toe and camber issues.)

Aftermarket 12-bolt housings are available with Ford style ends already welded on for you; Moser and KTRE come to mind.

My personal favorite is a 9" housing with a 12-bolt carrier; you get press on axles, an easily removeable carrier, and the decreased frictional losses of the 12-bolt gearset. Basically a Ford 9" housing with 12-bolt gears/carrier in it. A little odd sounding, but a very good setup!

Troy

[Keith]

Cool, thanks guys!! As weird at it sounds, my rear is a 8.5" 10blt vs. the "supposed-to-be" 8.2" in the car. For the application, I think doing a beefy 12 or 9 will be unneccesary as a strong 8.5 has proven itself well for the 10 sec budget racers. I'm running an auto with freeway gears and the car will only see the 1320 and autocross track a few time for numbers and dialing-in. Other than that, it's just going to be cruised and enjoyed on road trips and shows.
Troy- I definitely appreciate your input on this and the 9" w/ the 12 blt carrier seems ideal for the next project I'm designing right now! Thanks for the advice.