1967 Shelby GT-500
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8
From: Texas
1967 Shelby GT-500
Thanks for all the input. The Currie housing runs about $1114.00 with new axles. I found some housings on EBAY for about $300. One listed states it's for 1967 to 1970 Mustangs with 9 inch gears and large axle bearings. I am not looking for a Barrett Jackson restoration but would like to put it back on the street looking close to what it originally looked like.
Ron
Ron
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8
From: Texas
Thanks for all the input. A new Currie housing with axles runs about $1114.00. I saw one on EBAY for 1967-1970 Mustangs with 9 inch gears for about $300.00. If a different housing would work without modifications I am not opposed to it. I am not looking for a Barrett Jackson type restoration but would like to get it back to looking like it originally did.
Foghorn Leghorn
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,923
From: I reside in a near constant state of amazment.
to check for a bent housing...
Pull the rear from the car. Suspend it on jack stands/milk crates on the drums/discs so the housing can spin freely. Use another jack stand or chunk of 2x4 under the nose of the pinion to hold it in place. Use 2 pieces of angle iron about 4' long and clamp them to the wheel hubs, centered and horizontal. Measure the distance between the angle pieces at the front and rear, write it down. Now, rotate the housing 180* and block it back so it won't move. Now measure the spread of the angle again. The difference is how much its off. Do the same thing with the pinion faced up and down and record these measurements as well. Now decide which way it needs to be tweaked.
A bit of toe in is alright, IF its equal on both sides. Toed out will pull or act squirrely, toed in all on one side will drive funky, twitch on acceleration.
To straighten it Use the torch to heat up the side you want to pull IN.(they normally bend near the housing, not the axle flanges). Heat up an area about 1" wide and 2" tall, on the axle tube, near the center housing . Once its cherry red, quench it with a wet rag. Keep it wet using more cold water. This will pull the axle in in that direction. Go slow, its easy to pull it back 1/8" at a time using this method. If it doesn't pull in enough, heat up a larger area. Maybe another 1/2" wide and another 1" tall or so.
You just need to figure which way its tweaked and heat it in the right direction to pull it back. Heat it, quench it, remeasure it. If you go the wrong direction, just heat up the other side to bring it back. This isn't hard to do, it just takes some time and careful measurement.
Let me know if you have questions. No need to spend $600 on a housing if you can fix it with $15 in gases and a couple hours time.
Pull the rear from the car. Suspend it on jack stands/milk crates on the drums/discs so the housing can spin freely. Use another jack stand or chunk of 2x4 under the nose of the pinion to hold it in place. Use 2 pieces of angle iron about 4' long and clamp them to the wheel hubs, centered and horizontal. Measure the distance between the angle pieces at the front and rear, write it down. Now, rotate the housing 180* and block it back so it won't move. Now measure the spread of the angle again. The difference is how much its off. Do the same thing with the pinion faced up and down and record these measurements as well. Now decide which way it needs to be tweaked.
A bit of toe in is alright, IF its equal on both sides. Toed out will pull or act squirrely, toed in all on one side will drive funky, twitch on acceleration.
To straighten it Use the torch to heat up the side you want to pull IN.(they normally bend near the housing, not the axle flanges). Heat up an area about 1" wide and 2" tall, on the axle tube, near the center housing . Once its cherry red, quench it with a wet rag. Keep it wet using more cold water. This will pull the axle in in that direction. Go slow, its easy to pull it back 1/8" at a time using this method. If it doesn't pull in enough, heat up a larger area. Maybe another 1/2" wide and another 1" tall or so.
You just need to figure which way its tweaked and heat it in the right direction to pull it back. Heat it, quench it, remeasure it. If you go the wrong direction, just heat up the other side to bring it back. This isn't hard to do, it just takes some time and careful measurement.
Let me know if you have questions. No need to spend $600 on a housing if you can fix it with $15 in gases and a couple hours time.
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8
From: Texas
If it was only the axle flange I could fix it myself. However, what determine the straightness of the housing and the alignment of the wheels is an imaginary line that goes though the center of the splined holes in the differential and the center of the bearings holes at each end of the axle housing. If the axle housing is bent then these components are no longer in line. A bent flange would not cause this alignment to change, but it would make the brake backing plate misaligned.
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 516
From: Michigan
A bent flange will feel like a tire out of balance and can easily be seen by rotating the wheel on the axle. You'll be able to see it wobble. A bent wheel shows up the same way. If its the housing and not the axle, then the wheel will not wobble when spun.
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8
From: Texas
We are talking about two different flanges, the axle flange and the flange the backing plate bolts to. Yes a bent axle flange would cause the wheel to wobble, and a bent backing plate flange would only misalign the brake shoes. However, neither one would cause an out of alignment problem with the housing.
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