Phantom Grip Install

fast_xr4@yahoo.com · Post by **fast_xr4@yahoo.com** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:05 pm

I completed my rebuild of the rear end on my xr. What a job! Solid alum rear beam mount bushings. New axles, new tca nylon bushings. New hyperco springs and ss braided lines. I shimmed the rear 1/6". It's weired seeing the rear wheels vertical but it sures sticks in a straight line. I left the rear sway bar off and so far so good. It seems to have helped the oversteer combined with the new 750lb rear springs. I may try putting it back on once I get some G measurements.

Here's a video of the first test of the Phantom Slip er I mean Grip...

http://videos.streetfire.net/Player.asp ... F514603758

Post by **John Brennan** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:32 pm

Very nice! Thanks for your efforts. I like your setup very much. Was the Phantom Grip easy to install? Seems to work well enough, although I'm wondering why it at first gripped, then slipped.

fast_xr4@yahoo.com · Post by **fast_xr4@yahoo.com** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 11:21 pm

The instructions from Phantom Grip are not good. They have a few decent pointers but lack any real substance. I jotted down some notes post install in case I need to do it again. Here are my notes below.

I think the reason it slipped initially is the tire weight wasn't equal. I weight 225 so that probably enough. Once that tire was warm and I shifted it hooked up both tires. Even open diff cars will lay rubber on a good 1-2 shift though so more testing will prove it out.

FWIW - I measured the torque to turn one wheel and it was around 35lb/ft at the wheel using the huge center bolt. That's about 1/2 of an Eaton unit. If I had to do it again I would have put in one shim. I don't think two would have worked. The springs would probably bind and leave no clearance for the c-clips. Also the shims they provide are just washers and they didn't fit in the recessed holes. It would have helped to grind or surface the spider gears. They were already flat but they were very smoth and had 20 years of diff oil on them. Perhaps some 300 grit and a sanding block would have help.

Merkur XR4Ti Phantom Grip Installation

Removal ( all optional except axles as this can be done on the car)

Parking Brake Cable (c-clip near lever)
Brake Lines (flex lines are best)
Diff Mount @ Frame (13mm)
Sway Bar (13mm)
Rear Beam Mounts
Wheels
Axles (have fun if you have factory T-40) â€“ impact gun works best with different bits for each directions - avoid twisting â€“ cut off head of stubborn bolts and heat cv joint as necessary
Brakes (totally optional)

Remove Diff Cover (drain fluid)
Remove C-clips off stub shafts using two flat head screw drivers
Mark and loosen bearing races using hammer and screw driver (counter-clockwise) then turn with neck of flat head screw driver. Itâ€™d be wise to count the rotations for disassembly for reinstallation as well as keep track which side is which.
Take out ring gear assembly
Put in vice with ring gear up
Mark the gear and assembly then remove the 10 bolts 15mm
Drive shaft pin using 3/16 punch (no need to drive it all the way out) just far enough to be out of shaft.
Drive shaft down out of spider gear and all the way into second spider gear for clearance for phantom grip
Tap in phantom grip and line up shaft hole (optionally install upgraded springs and or shims before putting phantom grip in assembly)
Drive shaft back into place through the phantom grip
Drive shaft pin back into place
Put ring gear assembly back into differential housing
Snug bearing races and check clearances
Install stub shafts into differential and gear assembly
Install c-clips using screw driver on one side. The other side is shielded by phantom grip and will require a short 90 degree chisel or screw driver along with a large pry bar or hammer to tap it in. I used an ikea furniture assembly screw driver pre-bent which I had to grind down for clearance between phantom grip and spider gear.

Greenturbo · Post by **Greenturbo** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:00 am

how long are you expecting the spyder gears to hold up under the extra pressure?

fast_xr4@yahoo.com · Post by **fast_xr4@yahoo.com** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 2:51 pm

We'll see how long it lasts. 50 miles and counting. I drive it like I built it not stole it. I consider tires expensive so I don't do 30 second smokey burnouts to prove a point and it will never see a clutch dump on slicks. Some drag racing with drag radials, some autox hopefully with R compound tires and plenty of cruising.

I need to tune suspension to get some weight transfer to the right rear. The car is very good once the weight transfers such as the 1-2 shift. I might dial back the dampening on the konis for street/strip vs. autox. Wish I could adjust the rears without taking them off.

MerkXRTurbo · Post by **MerkXRTurbo** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:53 pm

Cool, thanks for the info!

Greenturbo · Post by **Greenturbo** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 3:24 am

fast_xr4@yahoo.com wrote:We'll see how long it lasts. 50 miles and counting. I drive it like I built it not stole it. I consider tires expensive so I don't do 30 second smokey burnouts to prove a point and it will never see a clutch dump on slicks. Some drag racing with drag radials, some autox hopefully with R compound tires and plenty of cruising.

I need to tune suspension to get some weight transfer to the right rear. The car is very good once the weight transfers such as the 1-2 shift. I might dial back the dampening on the konis for street/strip vs. autox. Wish I could adjust the rears without taking them off.

i hope it holds up, its nice that they make it.. but all the extra stress on the already weak spider gears makes me crings

car looks good by the way

Galaxie1 · Post by **Galaxie1** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 10:54 pm

Fastxr did you get the heavy spring kit for the Phantom Grip . I bought a diff with a Phantom Grip installed in it and had the heaver spring pack . I have beat the crap outta this thing and has held up fine . I had no problems with it while running a t5 but it has kicked out a few times with the C4 and stall convertor . I destroyed the ring & pinnion last year but the Phantom held up fine . I figure it may have been installed incorrectly as it shaved 8 teeth of the ring gear and peeled 3 or 4 off the pinnion . It may have also passed the stress point of the gears as well with a 20 psi launch on drag radials . Either way it has done every thing i wanted it to do for what i paid for it .

fast_xr4@yahoo.com · Post by **fast_xr4@yahoo.com** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:35 pm

Yes, I should have mentioned I have the upgraded springs for the Phantom Grip.

I took the rubber inserts off the rear spring perches so no more flex there. The car dropped about 3/4". I still have a small gap ~1" between the fender and tire. I also adjusted the right rear Koni down to medium. Hopefully that will let the car hook better when the tire is not warmed up.

I was too tired to clean up and test it out last night. Cutting those rubber perches out was a b#$%^. They are metal reinforced. Razor blade on the rubber, tin snips on the metal and a big pry bar did the trick. I wish I had left those darn things off.

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:34 am

fast_xr4@yahoo.com wrote:I also adjusted the right rear Koni down to medium.

I'm still trying to figure out how a four-way adjustable damper has a "medium" setting...

Post by **anglin** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 9:04 am

Colin wrote:I'm still trying to figure out how a four-way adjustable damper has a "medium" setting...

I believe the Koni has 3 adjustment positions (or increments). Additionally, four-"way" adjustable doesn't indicate the number of adjustment increments, it indicates the number of independently adjustable parameters. In other words, a four-way adjustable damper could have something like low-velocity compression, high-speed compression, low-velocity rebound, high-speed rebound. Then each one of those adjustments could have their own number of adjustment increments. So, 10 increments per adjustment and you end up with 40 possible adjustments and a whole-lotta possible combinations.

The more I think about the term ____-way adjustable dampers, the more unimpressed with the use of the term "way" I am. Nobody's going to ask anyone, "how many ways do your dampers have?" The industry chose a bad term and now we are stuck with it.

dunk · Post by **dunk** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:11 pm

Well after reading up on differentials, I think I'm going to add the phantom grip.

I bought a bmw lsd from ebay awhile back, but swap looks more involved then I had anticipated. So back on ebay it goes.

Post by **John Brennan** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:37 pm

Which diff is it? the .390 and (IIRC) .410 Beemer diffs are excellent choices for a performance Merkur. Call Hugh and Phil at PM Motorsports-- they may want it, or they may be able to help you with overcoming the difficulties of the modification. You may be holding gold!

fast_xr4@yahoo.com · Post by **fast_xr4@yahoo.com** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:20 pm

Yep - 3 settings on the red shocks. low, medium and stiffy. Seems to stick to the road better but I had a passenger in the car as well sooo. Nothing substantial yet. Still rolled both tires in 2nd gear.

dunk · Post by **dunk** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 7:02 pm

Which diff is it? the .390 and (IIRC) .410 Beemer diffs are excellent choices for a performance Merkur. Call Hugh and Phil at PM Motorsports-- they may want it, or they may be able to help you with overcoming the difficulties of the modification. You may be holding gold!

It's the .410 e34 (which means it's from a 5 series I think). I guess it wouldn't hurt to give them a call. Though they can be found on ebay.