Hi and here is my post about having to install a Cosworth 7 1/2 inch LSD into my MK2 Granada.
Why so I hear you ask? It is no fun having 330 + BHP with an open diff. Exiting the chicane at Croft or Copse corner at Silverstone @ + 80MPH with the inside rear wheel smoking. I am extremely quick but when it really matters I can't get traction (exiting corners). Cars tend to pull away as I struggle for grip.
Now Ford did make the Granada with an LSD fitted as an option. These were mainly on base model 2.8i traffic police cars and then in some 2.8i Sports/Injection models.
These were very rare when the cars were a plenty & so no luck finding one now.
Why the Cossie diff route? They are fairly hardy, abundant, and quite cheap.
Here is a pic of the two diffs side by side. The Cossie one is the small alloy unit - you will see that they are ALMOST completely different. One saving grace is that the diff drive flanges are the same as my Granada and also the same spacing. As far as drive shafts go this unit bolts straight in.
I did have to do quite a bit of chopping about of the main rear axle beam. The Granada diff had a long nose housing that used to bolt onto the rear beam. In order to allow a propshaft to run to the Cossie diff I had to drop the rear axle depth where the prop rund by 2 inches. I cut a 5 inch section out of the rear beam to allow this to happen. You will see some of the work in the following pictures. It was nerve racking putting an angle grinder through the main suspension componant of your track car.
In order to replicate the front pinion shaft extension housing of the Granada diff I had to make up some bracketry to both hang the diff and keep the rear beam in place. Here are the pics.
And you cant be too careful can you. I did this to stop the front bracket mount shifting back and forth. I picked up on the long bolt on the lower fixing point.
I also had to think out how I was going to anchor the rear of the diff to the car. The original rear diff mounting hole in the body for the Granada was used. I again made up a good sturdy bracket for this. I did not want to rely on the top fixing alone and so took the bracket down and made a tube type fitment that will take place of the lower diff cover bolt.
After using my old trusty diff case (seen in various pics) as my jig for making up the bracketry I have to make sure that every thing firt insitu on the car.
Front bracket offer up
Front bracket fitted to diff
Front bracket to rear beam
The last bit I have done is to clamp up and drill the pilot holes in both the front bracket and lowered rear beam section.
Here are a few pics of the rear beam in the car and diff in place but with no front bracket. This is to give some idea of the fabrication required to do this project.
I will post more pictures soon as I now have to take out rear beam & diff. I will dress the welds and have the rear beam and bracketry powdercoated. This is after I have drilled out the pilot holes from the pics to M10.
You will notice that my car is black underneath. This is where the last owner sprayed it with oil every year to help preserve it. This it did but its a nightmre to work on - a bigger nightmare to clean off. I will get around to it though.
Hope you have enjoyed this article. It is a little different to Escorts and gives the Cosnada some publicity lol.
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