8.8" in a 65 Stang

[My65Stang]

I'm looking to update my 65 coupe with a fresh rear end. It's a 289 with the stock 8" non-locking rear. I'm looking into putting an 8.8 under her, but the more I read, the harder it looks.

It seems that most of the 80's car 8.8's have 4 bolt axles, and used 4-link, not leaf springs. I know, no matter what, I'll have to get spring pads welded on. But I was hoping to get a locking 8.8 with 5-bolt axles already.

What about a Ranger? Will the housing fit a Mustang? Or is a truck axle offset?

[Rev]

Why not just upgrade the 8" with an Auburn Pro limited slip and some gears? That's what I did and it's been great. Did the job myself for about $400 for the Auburn Pro and $600-700 for the third member with 3.25/1 gears. I think it's plenty strong enough for my 350 or so hp with the C-4. You can get almost any gear ratio ring and pinion you might want from Ray Currie in Ca. You could also get him to build the 8" for probably $1000 or so. It would be a lot easier than trying to fit an 8.8" in an early Mustang.

Rev

[davids]

The 8" is an often over looked rear for upgrades. The rear is a good candidate for modification/rebuild. If you are set on swapping the rear end I would suggest the 9" and it can be purchased as a "bolt in". The 8" or 9" are better rear ends as they lack the c-clip axles and have an additional bearing for the pinion gear. These two items make them safer and last longer (especialy for performance). By no means is the 8.8 a bad rear as many have been used under high horsepower but I dont believe they offer the strength of the 9".

[bmxmon]

swapping an 8.8 rear to a 5lug is pretty easy, they have kits for it, alot of the fox bodies switch to the five lug to be able to use late model wheels and whatnot. I have no idea about the shocks or the overall width, but you can do anything, just depends on how much money you have.

[My65Stang]

Thanks for the info. I did think of keeping the 8" and rebuilding it. I thought it might cost more than just replacing it with a "newer" rear.

I currently have a stock 289 and no real plan to replace it, so a 9" might be overkill (save those for the big horsepower toys)

I guess I was wondering if a Ranger 8.8 has the same type housing as, say a Mustang or T-Bird. Is the driveshaft centered? I read that the Ranger axles are 3" different right to left.

[stangbuilder66]

I am putting this out there for the more seasoned mustang guys, but don't a lot of people use the 8.8 explorer axles? I know they are 5 lug and come with disk brakes. If they are too long, just have them cut. If you can find one with disc's already and the ratio you want, then seems like having a shop cut and re-weld the tubes and buying new axles would be less than building that 8". Not sure if they are locked or limited slip either.

[bmxmon]

i think alot of people use the versailes rear ends, mostly for the disc brakes.....dont quote me on that though, as im not sure if they use the entire rear end or just the disc brake portion....

[Rev]

The Versailles conversion makes the 8" to a to 9" with a a limited slip Traction-lock and disk brakes an all in one installation. That used to be a fairly common conversion.

Just try to find that Versailles 9" rear axle now. Good luck in your search. You'll do a lot better to start out with an 8" or 9" with a good limited slip and the correct gears and just add the rear disks if you need them. That's my opinion anyway. Again, Ray Currie in Ca. can do any of this for you in an erxpert fashion.

Rev