escort axles

[runty176]

hi all

gonna kick my mk2 escort into this millinium this winter and either cossie it or 20 valve turbo vag it.

looking at some of the rear axle set ups at ford fair , quite a few looked to be standard english axles with 4 link kits .

i thought i was gonna have to use narrowed atlas .

anyone shed any light onto the matter ?

[Vista]

The common myth is that if you're going for big power you must have an Atlas axle. It's a myth born out of some peoples need to point out where their car is superior to yours, helped along by the occasional "how to uprate your axle" article by various magazines along the way.

 

The truth is that the weak point of the English axle is the halfshafts and you can get uprated half shafts from quaife that'll do the job just fine. Plus, increasing your power alone is unlikely to trouble even the standard english half shafts, to really need an atlas axle and the expense that it entails, you need to tick three boxes

 

1) Uprated power

2) Increased grip (from wider wheels and tyres)

3) Hard use from rallying (or circuit / strip racing combined with the above increased grip)

 

If you don't do / have all of the above, you'd be as well saving yourself the extra expense.

[hotrodholty]

iv just bought a 105e exle for my mk1, being a couple of inchs narrower the half shafts are stronger or less prone to breaking (less torsional stress through the shaft). also you can get wider wheels under the archs. a van axle will go straight on but a saloon will need the spring sadles moving (£10 new from rally design) out to line up with the leafs. however if your gonna 4 link it, i dont think you'll even have this problem. iv got a steel plated lsd for mine and im thinking of going the cossie or duratec route and i think it will be plenty strong. i think the main reason people fit atlas's is because you can get em with an lsd already in (capri).

[sambo]

Yeah, as vista already said, you only need an atlas if you have alot of power and alot of grip.

 

P.s. Vista, you should have been an agony aunt or a writer or something!

[andygfc]

crown wheel and pinions are a problem on an english axle with big power as well, allegedly.

[over_head_cam]

crown wheel and pinions are a problem on an english axle with big power as well, allegedly.

 

True, depening on diff ratio, if you have less teeth, each one will be thicker

[Retromotorsport]

crown wheel and pinions are a problem on an english axle with big power as well, allegedly.

 

True, depening on diff ratio, if you have less teeth, each one will be thicker

 

it may be thicker but you'll have less teeth in mesh .. ...

 

with the higher number pinions you have one tooth fully in mesh and the 2 either side in part mesh .. sharing the load .. 50& on 1 tooth and 25% on the each of the other 2.

 

40 divided by 9 = 4.44 Ford spec

 

31 divided by 7 = 4.43 ... some cheap aftermarket sets

 

A few years ago there was cheap sets come in through china .. they where 4.4 labeled but came out at 4,43 ... the case hardening was crap and had minute ridges in it , when you set the cwp with the right mesh to allow for bedding in they became really loose after a few hundred miles , once the ridges had been flattened, ie knocked off.. after another few miles of competitive driving they broke and on inspection the case hardening had worn through and where loose again as well as loosing some teeth.

One diff builder I know scrapped a load of these cheaper CWP sets.. he wouldnt even trust them in road cars.

[runty176]

thanks for that chaps .

next question .......

what ratio do you think i will need on a t5 box and 15" wheels .

gonna use the old girl mainly for track days coz i dont want to bend my escos .

i think any quicker than 130 would be a bit hairy ! Also want an lsd in it . any idea on prices ?

[Vista]

Can't help there, I don't know much about T5 boxes. But I do know that it's not the wheel size that's most important, it's the tyres you fit them with as it's them that determine the rolling radius and circumference.

[Guest MK1gaz]

thanks for that chaps .

next question .......

what ratio do you think i will need on a t5 box and 15" wheels .

gonna use the old girl mainly for track days coz i dont want to bend my escos .

i think any quicker than 130 would be a bit hairy ! Also want an lsd in it . any idea on prices ?

4:4 or 4:1 with an atmo screamer engine with high rpm power band unless you want a motorway cruiser then fit a 3:7 etc . Don't use a T5 box though as big and heavy and will need major tunnel mods etc (really needed only on a big bhp turbo motor) so use a normal 4 speed/5speed box unless your running 200+ bhp then just get a straight cut gearset for it . Also T5's or any other normal gearbox won't select gears over 8000 revs so you then have to go for a straight cut gearbox anyway

[petrolhead01]

thanks for that chaps .

next question .......

what ratio do you think i will need on a t5 box and 15" wheels .

gonna use the old girl mainly for track days coz i dont want to bend my escos .

i think any quicker than 130 would be a bit hairy ! Also want an lsd in it . any idea on prices ?

4:4 or 4:1 with an atmo screamer engine with high rpm power band unless you want a motorway cruiser then fit a 3:7 etc . Don't use a T5 box though as big and heavy and will need major tunnel mods etc (really needed only on a big bhp turbo motor) so use a normal 4 speed/5speed box unless your running 200+ bhp then just get a straight cut gearset for it . Also T5's or any other normal gearbox won't select gears over 8000 revs so you then have to go for a straight cut gearbox anyway

they will with quaife gears!!

[Guest MK1gaz]

They all will with tran-x gears