fox body 8.8 in a body purists stay away lol
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cody.bourgeois
Well-Known Member
the 8.8 i had was out of a 96 cobra. its hub to hub measurements was 59 inches. so its about 2 inches longer than a stock A body
Woods74
Broke Senior
You kind of want the Explorer axle, it has a beefier shaft and a larger spline count, 31 vs 28.
I wouldn't say its a TON of fabrication, you hack a little less than 3" off the driver tube, near the end, and weld it back on, then grab a passenger side axle and slide it in. Done deal.
For the fab part, some tips I can give: Bevel your cut, tack in at least 4 places evenly around, then weld, let cool, and move opposite sides no more than 1" burns at a time. People get way too hot about using jigs. If you simply look down the tube to make sure everything is straight before you cut and weld like below, it will make things go way smoother aligning your job, use grade 70 chain if you need to bend the twig a bit, you can't go wrong.
http://performanceunlimited.com/documents/diffstraighten.html
I wouldn't say its a TON of fabrication, you hack a little less than 3" off the driver tube, near the end, and weld it back on, then grab a passenger side axle and slide it in. Done deal.
For the fab part, some tips I can give: Bevel your cut, tack in at least 4 places evenly around, then weld, let cool, and move opposite sides no more than 1" burns at a time. People get way too hot about using jigs. If you simply look down the tube to make sure everything is straight before you cut and weld like below, it will make things go way smoother aligning your job, use grade 70 chain if you need to bend the twig a bit, you can't go wrong.
http://performanceunlimited.com/documents/diffstraighten.html
cgray521
Well-Known Member
as they said above, its 1 -2 inches wider, depending on who you ask...lol. If the spline count isnt important to ya, the mustang rears are plenty strong for most applications. with the exception of the harder to find cobra rears, though, you have to adress the 4-lug situation. Swap in driver side axleshafts from bronco II or ranger, or passenger side aerostar axles. They have the 5-lug (bbp).
Hersbird
Well-Known Member
Explorers have the correct bolt pattern and they made crap loads more explorers. It's not just the spline count that better on the explorer I believe the axles are physically thicker. I know the Ranger axles aren't as big (unless its an FX4).
Justin_Day
Newbie
I have the posi 8.8 out of a 93 cobra. I have to run 4 cyl mustang wheels on the 4 lug hub though, with the rear being wider it comes to within 3/4" of the wheel wells even with the skinny wheels.
To go wider I am going to have to order a set of wheels 4x108 with a pretty steep + offset.
The advantage though is Disc brakes, and obviously the posi.
87/88 Turbo coupes also used the same 8.8 as the 93 cobra but with different ratios.
To go wider I am going to have to order a set of wheels 4x108 with a pretty steep + offset.
The advantage though is Disc brakes, and obviously the posi.
87/88 Turbo coupes also used the same 8.8 as the 93 cobra but with different ratios.
wade
Well-Known Member
i just did mine today, it was out of an explorer with disc breaks, total time to disassemble and shorten was about 3 hours, peace of cake
txstang84
Well-Known Member
The explorers is likely a cheaper overall swap, but if you pluck the rear from a '94 up Mustang, they're all 5 lug BBP...aftermarket axles are readily available...and the stock 28 spline axles aren't that weak...they can support an 11 second powertrain. Also, the housings from 85-98 are all the same length...99-04 are wider to accommodate the newer body style.
I guess most of us guys like the idea of the beefier Explorer deal, great price, posi and gear selection, cheap, proven swap on here.
doesn't hurt to inform us of other possible solutions. i'm lucky here, 65-70 B body 8 3/4 still cheap (open gear) and plentiful, even the 8 1/4 still to be found., and cheap. now the A body 8 3/4 has gotten hard and even pricy for this area!
doesn't hurt to inform us of other possible solutions. i'm lucky here, 65-70 B body 8 3/4 still cheap (open gear) and plentiful, even the 8 1/4 still to be found., and cheap. now the A body 8 3/4 has gotten hard and even pricy for this area!
fgpope2000
Active Member
I did this for a S10 using a 98 Explorer donor and it probably will be a 3:73 trac loc unit. You will need another short side axle shaft and the driveshaft rear flange for the conversion. The swap is worth the money!
dano
Evil Handy Man
All Mustang 8.8 rear housings are the same length from 1986 to 2004. The axles are whats longer. 86-93 are 4x108 and same on both side axle length (1993 cobra is wider as noted above). 94-04 is 5x4.5 and i think .75" per side wider than the 4 lug. If you get a early 4 bolt rear you can swap the axles and disc brakes from a Ford 7.5 rear from the v6 Mustangs. Most v8 Mustangs came with 2.73:1, 3.08:1 and 3:27:1 gears and limited slips that can be rebuilt and made a bit stronger. The 3:27:1 you'll find more common in the 1999-2004 5 speed GT's and 1996-98 Cobras (99 and 01 Cobras are IRS). If you find a 2003-2004 Mach 1 rear it will have 3:55 gears.
john-9
Well-Known Member
you are partially right ---
1986-98 mustang axle housings themselves are the same width --54-1/8 inches
1999-04 mustang axle housings themselves are the same width -- 55-1/2 inches
1986-93 mustang -- 4 bolt axles overall width --- 59 inches
1994-98 mustang -- 5 bolt axles overall width --- 60-1/2 inches
1999-04 mustang -- 5 bolt axles overall width --- 62 inches
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