Okay so when they say big bertha...

[Oakley]

these mother flippers are some BIG bertha. i got tired of waiting on ford to fix the torn diff bushing so i'm installing half of this big bertha kit with these inserts. i may get some more NVH but these suckers ain't going anywhere. UPDATE: the only additional noise is when putting the car into gear since the diff is now very solidly mounted.

I did NOT do the front bushings as they were unnecessary to achieve my goals of merely limiting the diff rotation side to side.

was able to drill the threads out with the IRS in the car BTW.
I couldn't find that info anywhere so i thought i'd share.

here's the kit

https://www.kelltrac.com/S550-Big-Bertha-Diff-Upgrade-Kit-Poly-Lockout-Kit_p_181.html


LONG TERM UPDATE

Its now over two years since i did this and I've put thousands and thousands of miles on the car with zero issues. I have been checking the front diff bushings anytime the car is in the air and there has been zero wear. I've done nothing to them, only added the rear inserts.

All the upsides of diff bushings with none of the pinion gear whine at cruising.

For any haters that haven't actually built cars by fabricating their own parts and just bolt on stuff using instructions this may appear to be unorthodox but real hotrodders do this sort of thing all the time. you try things, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

this works.

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[Oakley]

so you can install the back ones in the car for sure. it sucks but its doable. I'm not doing the fronts for 2 reasons.

1. the rear drivers side was the torn thing that needed to be helped out
2. the fronts carry the snout of the pumpkin which houses the pinion gear which is where a lot of nvh comes from.

I'm hoping that by fixing the rears the pumpkin will no longer twist laterally, thus preserving the rest of the bushings, but it can pivot vertically a little with the stock front bushings absorbing as much nvh as possible.

anyhow this is what they look like installed. I couldn't find any pics of how much you have to hog out to make the nuts fit so I thought i'd share.

also, i did only what is necessary so this is the minimum you'd need to remove from the front side of the diff cover ears.

driver's side before loctite and torquing down.

 

[80FoxCoupe]

so you can install the back ones in the car for sure. it sucks but its doable. I'm not doing the fronts for 2 reasons.

1. the rear drivers side was the torn thing that needed to be helped out
2. the fronts carry the snout of the pumpkin which houses the pinion gear which is where a lot of nvh comes from.

I'm hoping that by fixing the rears the pumpkin will no longer twist laterally, thus preserving the rest of the bushings, but it can pivot vertically a little with the stock front bushings absorbing as much nvh as possible.

anyhow this is what they look like installed. I couldn't find any pics of how much you have to hog out to make the nuts fit so I thought i'd share.

also, i did only what is necessary so this is the minimum you'd need to remove from the front side of the diff cover ears.

driver's side before loctite and torquing down.

Locking out the rear but not the front will just beat the shit out of the front bushings.

 

[Oakley]

Locking out the rear but not the front will just beat the shit out of the front bushings.

A. more than what was already happening? LOL Lateral twisting is completely eliminated which is the primary issue in these cars. i.e. the reason the driver's side bushing was already torn.

B. you wouldn't say that if you saw these suckers clamp those rears in place.

C. I'm going to inject window weld into the front crevices to mitigate front movement somewhat.

 

[Paul McWhiskey]

I have 66k on my car and only installed the sleeves and upgraded bolts in the diff. I recently inspected the bushings and have no tearing? I regularly drive the car quite sportingly, but I don’t do a lot of really hard digs. Some, but not like every time I drive the car. Perhaps the upgraded bolts and sleeves that were installed soon after I got the car have saved the bushings? I can see where regular burnouts and hard launches would be rough on the soft factory mounts.

 

[80FoxCoupe]

A. more than what was already happening? LOL Lateral twisting is completely eliminated which is the primary issue in these cars. i.e. the reason the driver's side bushing was already torn.

B. you wouldn't say that if you saw these suckers clamp those rears in place.

C. I'm going to inject window weld into the front crevices to mitigate front movement somewhat.

A. If the rear is locked down, the front will see more movement than without the lock outs in the rear. No manufacturer of these these lockouts will recommend just rear. Driving the rear tires in a forward motion causes the pinion to rise. That amount of energy is much higher than the twisting you are worried about.

B. I'm not new to this. Ive used several brands of these lockout kits. Stock bolts, big bolts, thru bolts etc. Drag race application, 1300whp. I use these products, and hard.

C. Window weld? This isn't 1996 and you don't drive a Civic. Just drop the cradle and install the fronts as intended.

But then again, it's your car do whatever you want.

 

[Oakley]

A. If the rear is locked down, the front will see more movement than without the lock outs in the rear. No manufacturer of these these lockouts will recommend just rear. Driving the rear tires in a forward motion causes the pinion to rise. That amount of energy is much higher than the twisting you are worried about.

B. I'm not new to this. Ive used several brands of these lockout kits. Stock bolts, big bolts, thru bolts etc. Drag race application, 1300whp. I use these products, and hard.

C. Window weld? This isn't 1996 and you don't drive a Civic. Just drop the cradle and install the fronts as intended.

But then again, it's your car do whatever you want.

first off, i'm only making stock power and don't plan on making more than that. i could see your point if i was running DR's and a blower.

second, the main reason why these components move around so much is because of the voids.

so, if you fill those voids with like literally anything more than air they suddenly become a lot less compliant.

third, windoweld is just Urethane in a tube. easy to inject, cures fast, and it works like a charm. you're better off doing just that with proper bolts instead of most of these lockout kits on the market today.

finally, the stock bolts are setup that way for assembling these things easily. you can install the rear bolts without dropping the SF much but the fronts are a whole other story.

oh and here's a manufacturer talking about doing exactly this for the reasons i mentioned.. which is where i got the idea from.

 

[80FoxCoupe]

first off, i'm only making stock power and don't plan on making more than that. i could see your point if i was running DR's and a blower.

second, the main reason why these components move around so much is because of the voids.

so, if you fill those voids with like literally anything more than air they suddenly become a lot less compliant.

third, windoweld is just Urethane in a tube. easy to inject, cures fast, and it works like a charm. you're better off doing just that with proper bolts instead of most of these lockout kits on the market today.

finally, the stock bolts are setup that way for assembling these things easily. you can install the rear bolts without dropping the SF much but the fronts are a whole other story.

Just say you are cutting corners cause you don't want to drop the cradle. It's clear to see you are looking for some form of justification. Install the rears, squirt some crap in the front. It's your car do what you want.

 

[Oakley]

Just say you are cutting corners cause you don't want to drop the cradle. It's clear to see you are looking for some form of justification. Install the rears, squirt some crap in the front. It's your car do what you want.

I'm not looking for shit, I'm explaining the rationale to a guy who wants to pretend like he's the only guy experienced with building four digit horsepower cars.

why make life harder than it needs to be?

i've done this for a very long time, too, dude and seeing as how i got the idea from the same guy who invented the kit i'm installing you might wanna rethink your approach.

 

[80FoxCoupe]

I'm not looking for shit, I'm explaining the rationale to a guy who wants to pretend like he's the only guy experienced with building four digit horsepower cars.

why make life harder than it needs to be?

i've done this for a very long time, too, dude and seeing as how i got the idea from the same guy who invented the kit i'm installing you might wanna rethink your approach.

Dropping the cradle to properly install the kit is not an issue. But you know that cause you have been doing this along time. Don't get upset. Just do what you do.

 

[Oakley]

Dropping the cradle to properly install the kit is not an issue. But you know that cause you have been doing this along time. Don't get upset. Just do what you do.

of course it isn't an issue but why do unnecessary stuff that only carries downsides with it?

look, random guy on the internet, i'm going to go with what Kelly Aiken of Kelltrac Innovations said because it makes more sense than your self refuting uninformed nonsense.

 

[80FoxCoupe]

of course it isn't an issue but why do unnecessary stuff that only carries downsides with it?

look, random guy on the internet, i'm going to go with what Kelly Aiken of Kelltrac Innovations said because it makes more sense than your self refuting uninformed nonsense.

Ah yes. Installing the kit as the manufacturer intended is nonsense. This outlook is the new way of the world. Like I said, do what you do.

 

[Oakley]

Ah yes. Installing the kit as the manufacturer intended is nonsense. This outlook is the new way of the world. Like I said, do what you do.

i see instead of listening to the manufacturer of this kit describe exactly why i did what i did you've elected to spew more bullshit. yay.

 

[80FoxCoupe]

i see instead of listening to the manufacturer of this kit describe exactly why i did what i did you've elected to spew more bullshit. yay.

Whoa on the attack cause you ran out of facts. Easy there pal control your emotions. You can shortcut anything you want on your car! We all do things our own way. This is your way.

 

[Oakley]

Whoa on the attack cause you ran out of facts. Easy there pal control your emotions. You can shortcut anything you want on your car! We all do things our own way. This is your way.

any emotion here must be coming from you because it sure as shit ain't me. go take a midol.

lets recap this shitshow, shall we?

me "here's why I'm doing this idea, the manufacturer said it was a good idea."

you "that idea is bad and you should listen to the manufacturer"

video of the manufacturer "this is an idea i'm trying out for these good reasons"

also you "NO NO ONLY listen to the manufacturer when it supports my uneducated viewpoints"

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