BBR's 83GT - 552 BBF version 3.0 (at least)

[Deaf Bob]

Can't you drop the tranny crossmember?

[squirrel]

If it's like most engine swaps, when you drop the trans crossmember, the transmission stays where it is because it's all jammed in there so tight

[Deaf Bob]

Thought crossed my mind that the head might hit the firewall..

[BBR]

Not to mention the headers would still be in the way. I finished up the trans cooler and lines without incident a little while ago. I like this set up 100 times better than the oldm Next issue: I crawled under the back of the car and it appears as if one of the bearings in my arb has failed. This sucks because it is welded in the car. And welded good! Currently considering options to replace the roller bearings with bronze bushings.

[Beagle]

Acetal and aluminum?

[BBR]

I think I found some bushing on McMaster Carr that will work. Current thought is to use a cutoff wheel and just cut one side of the arb out, then replace the bearings with bushings and then weld it back in.

[squirrel]

The old "serviceability" thing bites you hard this week, eh? bummer

[CDMBill]

This aspect of the commercial ARB's has bothered me since I started looking at them. I've been working out a set up with circle track stuff which is reasonably priced and modular so that the tube is adjustable for size=stiffness and and the arms splined with replaceable bushings and bearings.

[BBR]

That circle track stuff sounds nice.

I ordered some bronze flanged bushings and a 2 piece shaft collar today from McMaster-Carr.

At lunch today, I fiddled with it a little. The bar has some side-to-side play (3/4" or so) when installed in the car. The reason for the play is the fact the frame rails converge and I think I did not position it quite far enough forward in the chassis before I welded it. Of course there were no instructions, so I just had to go with what I read and saw on the internet. Live and learn. When the bar is slid over to the driver's side, everything is good and tight. When it is biased to the passenger side, it is a bit loose.

First off, I am going to try using the shaft collar to eliminate the side-to-side play in the bar and see if that does not fix it. If that does not work, I will cut it out and replace the bearings with the bronze ones.

[BBR]

Just got a call from Scorpion Racing. They said they would warranty the rockers no problem, but they did not have any on the shelf at the moment. They have a production run in progress and he said they should ship the middle of next week. Made in the effin' USA! Great company to deal with and he chatted with me for a bit about what can cause the bearings to work out of the rocker body.

1. Poor press fit from the factory
2. Valve bounce caused by weak valve springs, or flexing push rods.

Overall a GREAT customer service experience and I would have said the same even if they refused to warranty them. I had my doubts due to the fact they are over 5 years old and as we all know, race car parts do have a finite service life.

Whoo hoo!

[squirrel]

sounds good. How many miles on them?

[TheSilverBuick]

That's cool! The delay sucks, but with customer support like that coupled with made in USA, I too would be pretty happy.

[BBR]

sounds good. How many miles on them?

I have no idea really since the odometer does not work. They did time in the Ranger engine and this one. So they have survived 2 engine failures, many drag strip passes, trips to the track, Drag Week, driving around town, etc.

[squirrel]

probably several thousand miles, then.

[milner351]

Glad to hear Scorpion took care of you - that's great to hear, I will have to look at them next time I'm in the market for rockers.