Panhard Bar Bracket Woes

[CaptB]

So I bought a Forte's Moser Axle setup and went to attach the FFR panhard bar bracket. The Bracket has a 2.75" OD size but the Forte axle is 3". Forte's axle is a Moser set up and the axles or more beefy.

I did some research on prior threads and found that the most common solution is to just weld the bracket on. Has anyone had experience welding the bracket on after you get your axle?

The biggest worry I have is to make sure the bracket is in the right spot, at the correct angle to make sure everything works out.

I sent a note to FFR to see if they had different bracket sizes (they do not), and Forte has not answered my e-mail.

At this point, wish I had not bought the Forte set up but adapt and overcome is what you have to do when you build these cars.

[phileas_fogg]

E-mail is not Forte's forte. Whenever I email him pictures I always call to let him know they are on the way. Give him a call & he'll pick up, no matter what he's doing. He'll get you on the right path.


John

[egchewy79]

I got my Moser from Forte and mailed him my banana bracket. He welded it on for me before shipping the rear end. Sorry, but file this under information you could have used a few months ago. And yes, call Mike. He'll answer at most hours of the day.

[rich grsc]

Just to clarify, that is the 3 link bracket, or banana bracket. The pan hard bar is the one that goes across the rear of the axle, with one end attached to the frame the other to the axle.

[CaptB]

Just to clarify, that is the 3 link bracket, or banana bracket. The pan hard bar is the one that goes across the rear of the axle, with one end attached to the frame the other to the axle.

Correct, not the panhard bar bracket, the 3 link bracket.

[boat737]

Interesting. Mine came with the bracket already welded on. (It's a Ford 9 inch).

[RoadRacer]

Interesting. Mine came with the bracket already welded on. (It's a Ford 9 inch).

Dang, that's nice.

[R. Button]

Also agree call Mike and he will answer the phone!
I also got my 8.8 Moser Axle setup from Mike. In my case I sent him the bracket and he had it welded to the housing
158699
If it will help I can make some measurements for where Mike had the bracket placed.

[Blitzboy54]

Interesting. Mine came with the bracket already welded on. (It's a Ford 9 inch).

That is soooo sexy

[Blitzboy54]

Not to pile on but call Mike. He’s great, this pulse like a miscommunication. Hopefully you don’t have to ship it back.

[NAZ]

CaptB, are you thinking of welding the UCA bracket on yourself?

[CaptB]

CaptB, are you thinking of welding the UCA bracket on yourself?

Well not myself, but a professional welder in my area.

[CraigS]

You could have it welded on locally. Just slide it as close to the center cast gear housing as you can. But getting it clocked correctly may take some work and it is critical. There is usually only about 1/2 inch clearance from the rear surface of the bracket to the diagonal panhard mount tube. So you need it to clear that tube and also end up w/ the correct pinion angle.

[NAZ]

The Moser M88 axles use 3" tubes so your bracket has to be enlarged to fit the 3" axle tubes. As Craig mentioned, the bracket should be clocked so that the pinion angle is what your car needs when the UCA adjusters are set at mid adjustment. And the bracket offset should be aligned with the UCA chassis mount when the axle is centered in the car. You don't want that UCA pulling on the chassis at an angle. All this is very simply measurements and calculations in order to layout the bracket on the axle tube in the proper position.

Now the welding. Also, not rocket science BUT if you don't proceed correctly, the axle can be ruined. I use a fixture when welding brackets on an axle. The axle tubes are very thick but there is enough heat generated by the welding to warp the axle tubes. Welding brackets closer to the cast housing means any warping will be magnified by the length of the axle tube so that even a small amount of shrink at the weld will create much more pull at the end of the axle. Clamped in a fixture and stress relieved will minimize that pull. If the bracket is so close to the housing that it makes sense to weld it to the housing, that housing is cast steel and there is a procedure for welding cast steel that is very different than welding mild steel. Most pro welders don't know that cuz they don't teach this specialized work in welding schools. Guys that choose to take short cuts sometimes get away with it, but it gets expensive when they don't get lucky. Welding cast steel involves using the correct nickel filler, making short beads to control the HAZ, along with stress relieving after every bead to prevent that dreaded "tink" indicating the casting just fractured. And wanna-be welders that don't know better can ruin an axle by just not knowing where to place the ground clamp.

Everyone's a welder until the welding test. So choose your welder wisely.

158794

[J R Jones]

The Moser M88 axles use 3" tubes so your bracket has to be enlarged to fit the 3" axle tubes. As Craig mentioned, the bracket should be clocked so that the pinion angle is what your car needs when the UCA adjusters are set at mid adjustment. And the bracket offset should be aligned with the UCA chassis mount when the axle is centered in the car. You don't want that UCA pulling on the chassis at an angle. All this is very simply measurements and calculations in order to layout the bracket on the axle tube in the proper position.

Now the welding. Also, not rocket science BUT if you don't proceed correctly, the axle can be ruined. I use a fixture when welding brackets on an axle. The axle tubes are very thick but there is enough heat generated by the welding to warp the axle tubes. Welding brackets closer to the cast housing means any warping will be magnified by the length of the axle tube so that even a small amount of shrink at the weld will create much more pull at the end of the axle. Clamped in a fixture and stress relieved will minimize that pull. If the bracket is so close to the housing that it makes sense to weld it to the housing, that housing is cast steel and there is a procedure for welding cast steel that is very different than welding mild steel. Most pro welders don't know that cuz they don't teach this specialized work in welding schools. Guys that choose to take short cuts sometimes get away with it, but it gets expensive when they don't get lucky. Welding cast steel involves using the correct nickel filler, making short beads to control the HAZ, along with stress relieving after every bead to prevent that dreaded "tink" indicating the casting just fractured. And wanna-be welders that don't know better can ruin an axle by just not knowing where to place the ground clamp.

Everyone's a welder until the welding test. So choose your welder wisely.

158794

NAZ, The dreaded "tink"?? I think I just heard heads exploding all over the Forum.
jim

[Jeff Kleiner]

naz, the dreaded "tink"?? I think i just heard heads exploding all over the forum.


Jim

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=158804&d=1639845518



158804