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Major Spohn Torque Arm Problems

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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 09:11 PM
  #1  
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From: Fayetteville, NC
Car: 84 Z28 Convertible 2 Seater
Engine: Dart Little-M SBC 400
Transmission: Pro-built Automatics 700R4
Axle/Gears: Strange Engineering 3:73
Major Spohn Torque Arm Problems

Here is what I have done:
I install my Strange Engineering 12 Bolt rearend, then went to install the Spohn Torque Arm and the Strange Pumpkin has a lip instead of flat surface like the 10 bolt. The fix this problem I just cut a portion of the bracket that would not strike lip.
Now all was well for that, but after reinstalling the TA the nut on the inside is hitting the pinion Yoke and the TA Bar. This is where I have their is nothing that I can see that will fix this problem. Has anyone else had this problem or found a solution?????
here is a few pictures:
Attached Thumbnails Major Spohn Torque Arm Problems-pc250568.jpg  
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 09:11 PM
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From: Fayetteville, NC
Car: 84 Z28 Convertible 2 Seater
Engine: Dart Little-M SBC 400
Transmission: Pro-built Automatics 700R4
Axle/Gears: Strange Engineering 3:73
Here is another:
Attached Thumbnails Major Spohn Torque Arm Problems-pc250570.jpg  
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 09:12 PM
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From: Fayetteville, NC
Car: 84 Z28 Convertible 2 Seater
Engine: Dart Little-M SBC 400
Transmission: Pro-built Automatics 700R4
Axle/Gears: Strange Engineering 3:73
111
Attached Thumbnails Major Spohn Torque Arm Problems-pc250572.jpg  
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 09:13 PM
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From: Fayetteville, NC
Car: 84 Z28 Convertible 2 Seater
Engine: Dart Little-M SBC 400
Transmission: Pro-built Automatics 700R4
Axle/Gears: Strange Engineering 3:73
222
Attached Thumbnails Major Spohn Torque Arm Problems-pc250574.jpg  
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 09:14 PM
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From: Fayetteville, NC
Car: 84 Z28 Convertible 2 Seater
Engine: Dart Little-M SBC 400
Transmission: Pro-built Automatics 700R4
Axle/Gears: Strange Engineering 3:73
333
Attached Thumbnails Major Spohn Torque Arm Problems-pc250575.jpg  
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 10:16 PM
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From: Nicholasville,KY
Car: 1992 Camaro RS
Engine: 415ci LS3
Transmission: T56
Axle/Gears: 3.89
Man. I hope i dont have to do all that to get it to work. I will be putting my Strange 12 Bolt in this week and also have the spohn torque arm. I havent heard of this problem in any other threads though so wondering if it was something not right when they cast your rearend center section? Just a thought...........jt
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 10:40 PM
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From: Fayetteville, NC
Car: 84 Z28 Convertible 2 Seater
Engine: Dart Little-M SBC 400
Transmission: Pro-built Automatics 700R4
Axle/Gears: Strange Engineering 3:73
I talked to Steve at Spohn and he said I F**k up, there is no need to cut that end. I have to buy another one for $40.00. Maybe it was something that I was not seeing and she was binding somewhere....
Lesson learned email Spohn Tech before doing any modification. He say he has used them on Strange rearend without a problem and other did not have a problem.
Maybe it just me....
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Old Dec 26, 2005 | 11:04 AM
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Looks like you did mess up. Are you trying to use the inner bolt holes? Those are for a 9-inch.
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Old Dec 26, 2005 | 02:02 PM
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From: AR
Car: 1991 Camaro RS Vert
Engine: 350 S-TPI
Transmission: T5
Axle/Gears: GU5/G80/J65
Installed mine on the outter set of bolts. Nuts are close, but clear. I spun the axle to very this before I put everything back up.
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Old Dec 26, 2005 | 02:58 PM
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From: "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -RIPHST
Car: 1991 RS
Engine: 383TBI Fastburns and 2"TB
Transmission: T56 held up by Spohnstuff
Yeowch.

I cannot tell for sure from your photos, but might you obtain more clearance by putting the bolts through the other way. Instead of having the nuts on the inside, hitting the pumpin, can they be towards the outside? Maybe the bolt heads are thinner than the lock nuts?

Also- as suggested by 91Z28, I think the outer holes are used, but would have to verfiy that.


S-D
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Old Dec 26, 2005 | 09:24 PM
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From: MD
Car: '88 IROC-Z medium orange metallic
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.27
Originally posted by swerve-driver
Yeowch.

I cannot tell for sure from your photos, but might you obtain more clearance by putting the bolts through the other way. Instead of having the nuts on the inside, hitting the pumpin, can they be towards the outside? Maybe the bolt heads are thinner than the lock nuts?

Also- as suggested by 91Z28, I think the outer holes are used, but would have to verfiy that.


S-D
No, b/c then the yoke would hit the bracket when it spins around. I think he verified that the outer bolt holes are right when he talked to Spohn
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Old Dec 26, 2005 | 11:39 PM
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From: "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -RIPHST
Car: 1991 RS
Engine: 383TBI Fastburns and 2"TB
Transmission: T56 held up by Spohnstuff
Ahh- so problem was trying to use the inner bolt hole mounts on a 12-bolt rear.

If the yoke is going to hit mount due to being too close to the housing, flipping the mount-arm bolts won't do any good.

I can learn from that- I will be putting in my 12-bolt soon.

Just one more thing to keep in mind.

S-D
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Old Dec 27, 2005 | 08:56 PM
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From: Freehold, NJ
Car: 1991 Formula
Engine: 434
Transmission: PG
Axle/Gears: 4.33
I have the Strange 12-bolt in the car also and had a Spohn Torque arm. I had to do a little grinding on the top mount plate but not much at all. This was also 5 years ago. Design looks like it changed also.

As for the rear, Strange locates the 2 long bolt holes about 1/2 - 3/4" more towards the rear of the car. This makes getting the bolts in and out a heck of a lot easier, but pulls the recieving end of the torque arm at the trans that much further away. Just though I would add that so anyone who is thinking of getting this rear and the Spohn TA, let Steve know which year you are using.
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Old Dec 27, 2005 | 09:03 PM
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From: Fayetteville, NC
Car: 84 Z28 Convertible 2 Seater
Engine: Dart Little-M SBC 400
Transmission: Pro-built Automatics 700R4
Axle/Gears: Strange Engineering 3:73
Originally posted by Fastbird
I have the Strange 12-bolt in the car also and had a Spohn Torque arm. I had to do a little grinding on the top mount plate but not much at all. This was also 5 years ago. Design looks like it changed also.

What grinding did you have to do? I know it hard to fit it over the rearend and the cause maybe the powdercoating. I will mock it with just the rearend section that I ordered today and get a good grasp on whats happening and what made me think that I had to cut that section..
Now I have to give Spohn praise, to cut that damn steel was very hard on my cut off wheel and compressor... Its thick, So if you have any doubt about the quality of steel Steve use, I can assure you that his mild steel is hard from a lesson I learned.....
I would hate to cut that 4130 Chrome Moly.....

Last edited by DTL504; Dec 27, 2005 at 09:09 PM.
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Old Dec 28, 2005 | 01:48 PM
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FWIW I had to grind the plate down a bit on a stock 10-bolt. I thought it was the powdercoating too, but it wasn't. Not really a big deal, all in all.
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Old Dec 28, 2005 | 06:56 PM
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From: Haslett, MI
Car: 1984 Trans Am WS6
Engine: Minirammed 385, 396 RWHP
Transmission: T56
Axle/Gears: 3.73 Moser 12-bolt
I used mine on a stock 10-bolt but had to encourage it to slip on with a big fat hammer and some gear lube. First I made sure all dirt and rust was cleaned from the differential mountig flange.
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Old Dec 29, 2005 | 02:19 AM
  #17  
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From: Schererville , IN
Car: 91 GTA, 91 Formula, 89 TTA
Engine: all 225+ RWHP
Transmission: all OD
Axle/Gears: Always the good ones
Actually,

for those of u with persuasion(hammer) issues with the torqe arm.

The best solution is to use a DA grinder or the equivelant and a sanding disc to shave down the surface on the rear end.

No mods to the torque arm and you can make it a tight slip fit with a little sanding :-)

later
Jeremy
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