When Ford designed the S550 driveline, they chose to use a ‘Guibo’ joint just ahead of the differential. Probably done for Noise/Vibration, it just adds another joint when adapting to our toys. Depending on whether the diff came from a manual or automatic vehicle, the joint was a different size, requiring a different adapter. Created a lot of confusion in the Factory Five world. Ford supplies the cast iron differential to the aftermarket and seems they may have changed the joint (for standardization?) and didn’t tell anyone. There still is a lot of confusion over this. I came across a post on the FFCars forumRead More →

Driveshaft Man, it sure is short ! (how many times have you heard that?) One of the benefits of using an independent rear suspension is you don’t get any third member movement. I can’t imagine the arc one of these driveshaft’s move thru when a live axle moves thru its normal range. I am fortunate to live only a few miles from a very good driveshaft firm. A quick jaunt with my axle flange and transmission yoke and I was in business. One of the beauties of the HMS design is the “X” frame that mounts under the transmission. Easy to drop and remove componentsRead More →

The stock latch leaves a little to be desired. The angle and bolt are functional but not much more can be said for them. I added a bracket to the rear of the frame to accommodate the second leg of a square u-bolt. When the final assembly is done, the rear cross member and this bracket will be drilled to accept the u-bolt. I had cause to put the body onto the frame to check another modification. Gave me a chance to photograph the  bracket and body clearance. My bracket is 2½” front to rear. This provides 1/8″ clearance inside of the body.Read More →

Finish and paint IRS – Fitting IRS to frame. DEGREE YOUR CAM! Return camshaft to CraneCams. Ground incorrectlyRead More →