MYRON Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Hey guys, My little brother helped a friend do an Axle swap in is mid to late Mustang LX 6Cyl.... The kid had 4.10 and a spool and NOS installed so he could "spray" his 6 and keep up with the V8's.... long story short, a little too much NOS and he ventilated his block... he got 5 out of 6 rods and cracked the block.... He ended up returning the car to completly stock config... I can get he axle with disk brakes for free.... I planned on doing a solid axle anyway so my question is this axle going to hold 400+ HP or do I need to just go with a 9"????....... Yes, I used the search function but nothing on this axle. It is in storage so I cant get any numbers off of it just yet... I dont want to even go get it if you guys think it is too weak.... Myron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Well, you picked a solid rear axle with one of the worst geometry's out there. I would pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 I don't think the 6 cylinder Mustangs have the 8.8 rear. I think they are 7 1/4 or something, so no, don't use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYRON Posted February 17, 2004 Author Share Posted February 17, 2004 I just talked to little bro... He said it is from a 99 Mustang and the guy that installed the Spool and gears claimed he was using 8.8 gears... Make any sense??? Can you use 8.8 gearsets this housing?.. They guy never did get the gears meshed right and they did howl a little... Are the disk brakes worth keeping to mount onto a 9" or maybe a 8.8 or even a Dana axle?... Myron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Unless the Mustang in question was special ordered with an 8.8 or someone swapped one in, all V6 Mustangs have a 7.5. So no you can't put an 8.8 gear set into a 7.5 housing. The hot rear disc setup for a 9" is from a Ford Explorer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYRON Posted February 17, 2004 Author Share Posted February 17, 2004 I coudlnt imagine someone ordering a Mustang 6 with an upgraded axle so I think I will take everyones advice and tell my brother to send it to that great scrap heap in the sky!.. I am just trying scrounge as many good parts as I can and save some money for the other stuff.... Myron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Well, you picked a solid rear axle with one of the worst geometry's out there. I would pass. John, can you be more specific. There are many folks out there who have powerful hybrid Zs that feel a solid axle would hold up better and give them better ratio choices for a hot street car and drag racing with slicks. The 8.8 provides a cost effective option to a custom 9". In most cases the suspension components will be cut and custom pieces added which I would think makes your statement a moot point. However, it could also be a somewhat inexpensive solution if the stock suspension components were retained and the requisite mount points added to the chassis to accomodate the stock Mustang suspension. Is your comment about the geometry based on the road racing of a Mustang or for a street car that drag races? I think most people who would want a 8.8 for street and drags probably would not notice the difference in the "handling" if your statement was specific to "handling". Appreciate your comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Is your comment about the geometry based on the road racing of a Mustang or for a street car that drag races? The Fox chassis Mustang's 4-link rear suspension consists of a live rear axle held in position by upper and lower control arms, coil springs, and gas-filled shock absorbers. On a Mustang GT you also get quad shocks and a rear anti-roll bar. The upper arms locate the axle side-to-side and prevent pinion angle changes. The lower arms locate the axle front-to-back and transmit acceleration loads to the chassis. FYI... none of the control arms are parallel to each other. As designed, when the Mustang rolls in a turn, one side of the chassis moves up relative to the rear axle, the other side moves down. The non-parallel control arms must twist and change length axially to allow the axle to articulate, which they can't do. This causes the rear suspension to bind (no more movment). If this bind becomes excessive, it can raise the rear wheel rate and produce sudden snap oversteer. Ford "fixed" this problem in later model Mustangs by using soft rubber bushings in both the upper and lower control arms. The rubber bushings allow more motion of the control arms during body roll and turns. Bind is reduced, but the rubber bushings are a "soft" mounting for the axle. That softness produces wheel hop on hard launches and braking, and horizontal axle movement in turns. Its a Catch 22 if you're trying to modify the stock 4 link on a Mustang. Increase bushing stiffness and you get bind. Reduce bushing stiffness and you get wheel hop and lateral location problems (rear steer). The correct fixe involves a complete redesign (ie: Griggs 3 link, Steeda 5 link). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Before you throw the thing away you might want to just pull the rear cover and eyeball the ring gear size with a ruler. Who knows what happened to a rear end that's been gone thru. There's no reason someone couldn't have swapped an 8.8 in there previously, and I don't recall a spool being available for a 7.5. I don't even recall a minispool available for a 7.5. I'd check and make sure its crap before you throw it away. Probably is, but it would only take 5 minutes to be sure. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.