Monte Carlo Rearend - Got My Nine

Beyond the blasting procedure, all the portions that will retain bare metal stature are taped off with this high-temperature film that can handle approximately 400 degrees F.

Next, Bob Patrick handles the coating duties by applying a consistent coat of gloss black, which has a baby powder consistency and a magnetic-like charge. A ground strap is attached to the rear to complete the circuit of the charge, which comes from the spray nozzle, aiding in the attraction of the powder to the rear.

Once proper coverage is achieved, the unit is rolled into the oven for a good half hour or so. Johnson's oven is preheated to approximately 400 degrees F throughout the day.

Beyond completion of the cycle, the rear is removed, and voil!, we have our rear. It's gloss black and virtually numb to the elements. To have your rear coated, pricing generally starts at around $185. A special thanks to Chris Johnson and his crew for promptly handling our powdercoating needs.

Meanwhile, back at the bat cave, our '87 Monte Carlo is jacked and ready for the removal of the 10-bolt, which served it well up to this point. But before we begin, we'll outfit our FAB9 with all the bulletproof goodies from Strange Engineering and Chris Alston's Chassisworks.

We opted for Strange's 3.812-inch-bore Aluminum Ultra case assembled with a lightweight 40-spline spool and a billet aluminum pinion support as well as 3.70 Pro Gears. While the nodular iron center section would have worked just fine, we opted for the aluminum version for its weight savings (10 pounds). This creates less rotating mass and puts additional power to the pavement.

We chose Strange's Pro Race (Hy-Tuf) lightweight 40-spline gun-drilled axles. Once again, we wanted bulletproof, and we got it. While this is one tough unit, it is not suggested for daily street driving due to the axleshaft's thickness. Plus, a thinner axle bearing is utilized and is not sufficient for the extreme side loads applied during the vigors of street driving. Since our Monte will see limited street time, we didn't figure this was an issue (remember give and take?).

We had to press the bearings onto the shaft via this hydraulic press, but not before first sliding on the caliper bracket/bearing retainer for the Strange brakes, which will be installed at a later date.

Before we can install the axles into the FAB9 housing, it must be outfitted with the necessary hardware supplied by Chassisworks in its housing hardware kit. First, we installed the spherical bearings for the upper control arms. The bearings installed with ease due to the mounting point's precision machining.

Beyond that, the lock ring and the spacers were installed per the instructions. Next, we installed the 10 3/8-24 12-point flange screws (for the third member)-as always, Loctite was applied to deter loosening of the fasteners. Finally, a liberal amount of Permatex Ultra Grey silicone sealer was applied before installing the third member (silicone sealer or a gasket may be used).

Once the sealer set up, we carefully placed the third member into its new home and tightened all the fasteners. The axles can now be brought into the equation, having been sidelined for a bit.

According to the Strange instructions, axle spline engagement should be at least one inch. In order to check for this, we loaded the splines with grease and slid them into place momentarily. We then removed the axle and measured spline engagement. While it's hard to see in this photo, we achieved approximately 1 1.2 inches of spline engagement, which was more than optimal.