Welding the third link bracket?

[Svtfreak]

Anybody weld on the third link bracket for three link? Pros or cons? I will already cut off all unused brackets and mounts on rear end and chassis. I'm thinking about welding the clamp on third link bracket and grinding the bolt holes smooth so it just looks cleaner.

[GoDadGo]

SVT,

My upper bracket came welded from Moser (TSD-500 Rear End) and I had some issues with Pinion Angle, which I was able to compensate for by shortening my lower control arms by 5/8 of an inch. (17 5/8" down to 17" Even)
With that said, make sure that your dangle on your pinion angle is within the desired specs so that don't get out of phase with your driveline.

Steve

https://youtu.be/gmV4qwLfOMY

[NAZ]

Even if you weld the bracket on it's still not a very robust design and if you have more than a moderate amount of torque at the axle you should consider bracing it. If you've never calculated the load on the axle before you may be surprised how much actual force is being applied to this bracket.

[Svtfreak]

Godadgo, I'll have everything set up and positioned before I do that. Won't do that until I take it apart to finish the car. I had a 8.8 from a mustang laying around so I went that route. It's a 96, so I'll swap to fox length axles and do a little cut/weld/reposition the end tube flange brackets like I did on my 91 mustang to put the 96 brakes on fox length axles.

Naz, while I agree it's not a robust design, my car won't be a racer. It's target to be a cruiser. I have a 850 hp mustang if I wanna go fast lol. This is simply about a cleaner, more finished look. Instead of looking like a bolted on afterthought. I was just asking in case there was a downside I didn't see (like godads issue) before I did it. So was asking while it was in my mine.

[RoadRacer]

In case you haven't seen this yet: http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/8164-3-link-missing-link.html

[Svtfreak]

In case you haven't seen this yet: http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/8164-3-link-missing-link.html

That is an interesting solution to prevent the banana bracket from slipping. But, again, that isn't my primary goal. That is aesthetics more than anything for me (with the side effect of the bracket won't slip). That solution is actually bulkier looking when added versus trying to clean up and remove unneeded bulk and brackets is my goal. Thanks for the link, though. Learned a thing or two. And that extra brace def will cure the weak link, but I also think I would approach that differently if I was building a super high Hp race car.

[erlihemi]

SVT,
I know you don't like the ugly bolts and want to remove the extra unused 4 link brackets...but... consider this. You could set it up to swap back and forth from 4 link to 3 link. I am trying it and the only down side is my rear exit exhaust is a little asymmetrical to clear all the bracket combinations. The F5 banana could use additional bracing which shows up in several formats. One is to just weld the small side of the bracket to the axle, still use the bolts and add a top bracket to the closest bushing ear and box the banana brace. This lets you install adjustable upper links and the remove the banana and track bar when you want to go straight on sticky tires. There is potential to get better weight transfer for acceleration with the hotrod than the MKIV, so I want to keep the 4 link open. Still a goldilocks/transformer build. Not sure what power levels and tire combos the banana is failing at??