Trick Chassis F-Body 9"

[xDetroitMetalx]

Last winter my big project was installing a new rear end into my car. The season previous I blew through two 10 bolts. It wasn't that big of a deal money wise, but time wise it was annoying. It was time to make the big jump!


I wasn't too concerned on what type I purchased so that was open. I liked the 12 bolt because it is small but strong. The Strange S60 is a little more budget friendly, extremely strong, but massive. The Ford 9" is of course in between but it offers many options. This being said, I had a few demands:


1) I want a "bolt right in" product. I'm getting lazier the older I get. I don't want to machine parts, cut this, drill that, etc.


2) I want the ability to pick and choose what suspension components attach to housing. This is because I already have UMI suspension components that I like.


3) The rear end must hold over 600hp. I am near that threshold now and plan on being well over that in the future.


4) I want LCA relocation brackets and a drive shaft to match.


5) Whoever I purchase it from, I demand excellent customer service. I am spending a lot of hard earned cash for this thing. I will not tolerate anything less.


So, I began the quoting process. I quoted many large companies and many smaller companies. I was surprised how high the quotes were that I was receiving. The quotes ranged from $3,200 to $4,200. Huge differences in pricing. I started to take an even closer look at what I was actually getting internally. This is how I weeded out the companies I was not going with.


In the end I went with Trick Chassis Ford 9" set up. I went with his mid range option which includes a back brace and these Strange components: Pro Iron Nodular Case, S-Series Yoke upgrade, S-Trac 35 Spline diff upgrade, Strange forged aluminum pinion support upgrade, 3.90 final drive. In addition to this I added many options to what he had to offer including: brake lines routed, assembly, powder coating, special shipping, etc.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/LT1%20TA%20383/DSC07217_zpsf764b3ae.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/LT1%20TA%20383/DSC07217_zpsf764b3ae.jpg.html)


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When talking with Alex I felt he was an extremely knowledgeable person and he was extremely friendly. His turn around time for me was roughly 4 weeks with the extra work I paid for. Every Monday he would E-mail me a "weekly update". This would tell me where the build is and pictures would be attached. I had no reason to call him as he contacted me first.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/LT1%20TA%20383/DSC07224_zps65e4b7cc.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/LT1%20TA%20383/DSC07224_zps65e4b7cc.jpg.html)


The Ford 9" was shipped to my shop. Trick Chassis had to build a crate for the fully assembled housing. It was very large and kept everything safe from dings and scratches.


I am very impressed with the quality of work. The brackets are designed very nicely with "windows" to save weight where possible. All brackets are laser cut so all mounting points are extremely accurate. The LCA relocation brackets are one piece, which is very nice. The powdercoat is also done well, I see no flaking or boring for hole clearance. All brake line mounting provisions for the rubber hoses (in my case braided) were in the correct location.


Install was extremely easy… Especially when you have a Hi-lo to hold everything in place. Everything lined up and bolted in with ease. My car is stock height in the rear and everything cleared the chassis. I did not need to use a BFH for clearance, which is nice. Once everything is installed Trick Chassis requests the end user to measure for the drive shaft length to give to Strange. Even though I've read most people get away with the stock length I find this to be a very smart move as every car is different.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/NINE_003_zps4e9234bc.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/NINE_003_zps4e9234bc.jpg.html)


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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/NINE_011_zps76eabd07.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/NINE_011_zps76eabd07.jpg.html)


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Once everything was installed I took it home. I have 50 miles on it right now and everything feels great! Even with these terrible Michigan roads all mounting components are clearing the chassis when hitting bumps. I can't be happier with this piece. The biggest bonus is that I purchased and received everything I wanted. The work is extremely impressive, yes, but the customer service was excellent. In my opinion, in this performance shop game being good to your customer is the most important thing.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/FRT_BRAKES_zpsa083deec.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/FRT_BRAKES_zpsa083deec.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/NINE_013_zpse6b3e171.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/NINE_013_zpse6b3e171.jpg.html)


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[dawdaw]

Great write up... glad to see you had good customer service, and are happy the rear.. good thing you didn't go threw Midwest, you would've shot yourself dealing with those idiots. I see a lot more people dealing with this company... customer service goes a LONG way with communication.

[xDetroitMetalx]

Dawdaw... They were the highest quote out of everyone and they only offered me the Nodular Iron Strange Center with a TruTrac... Supposedly that set up will only withstand 600hp... So I would have had a weak center section but a housing that can support 1,500+ hp for $4,200? No thank you... Also the turn around time was ridiculous, I still would be waiting for the MWC 9" to arrive. When I asked about other options MWC no longer replied to my E-mails. That was a lost customer right there.

[bowtiedad_z28]

Trick Chassis is who i have decided to go with when i buy my 9" this year. May i ask if you would, pm me what your final price was.

[xDetroitMetalx]

It's in the middle of the price range listed... It could have been less if I wasn't feeling so lazy this year.

[xDetroitMetalx]

This thing is over 1.3k miles now. I finally went on a very long heat cycle at 750 miles... A 3 hour drive all highway one way. I replaced the fluid every 250 miles and now I believe it's ready to beat on... Have a little grudge match coming up this weekend with a local 2013 5.0 Moostang ^_^


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/MIFBODY_2014_005_zps3473fe7a.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/MIFBODY_2014_005_zps3473fe7a.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/MIFBODY_2014_010_zps185f5d89.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/MIFBODY_2014_010_zps185f5d89.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/MIFBODY_2014_011_zpsdf6aa3aa.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/MIFBODY_2014_011_zpsdf6aa3aa.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/MIFBODY_2014_012_zps8a05fb48.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/MIFBODY_2014_012_zps8a05fb48.jpg.html)

[MEAN LT1]

Very Nice. I'll have to look them up when I decide to get my rear end next year.

[96LT1355Z28]

Nice, I like to hear about companies that follow through with what they say. Your right a little customer service goes a long way especially now days. Very cool the gave you weekly updates with pics, that takes some time on their part depending on how many customers they're building parts for at a time! That just goes to show they are on top of their products progress! Like Dawdaw said I too went with MWC several years ago. I'm happy with the final product but it was no fun dealing with employee's giving the run around, and hollow promises about progress and ship dates from the owner. That seems to be the norm with custom shops anymore so it's nice to hear some places still do business for the customers!

[xDetroitMetalx]

It's been 2k miles on this set up. I finally got a chance to take it to the track. However, the Mickeys you see above literally had 1 pass left in them after I completed a little grudge match on the street. After my run at the track I went to make some rear suspension adjustments as the launch and 60ft was poor and that's when I noticed the passenger tire was completely flat. One run and done. Anyway, the trap speed surpassed my expectation at 119.4mph on a 1.9k DA day. But the times were poor because of my 1.989 60 ft, you can probably put the rest together, lol.

Anyway, I decided it was time to make some changes. Since Trick Chassis did such a great job and I can't be happier I decided to upgrade my UMI poly non-adjustables to his hyme joint, chromo, double adjustable LCA and PHB. They are very nice pieces just like his 9" set up for these cars. I can already till the hit hooks up stronger. Also, surprisingly, my cars ride quality has improved greatly and there is way less clunking and squeaking going on. Not surprisingly vibration noise has amplified but with a car like this it's tolerable.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Karlious/IMG_0058_zpsf7667c9a.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Karlious/media/IMG_0058_zpsf7667c9a.jpg.html)


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