8.8 rear?

[tarmon8r]

I just purchased another 83 Mustang, except this was is a 5.0. Mine is a GLX V-6 converted. This one looks like it has an 8.8 rear under it. I tried to eyeball measure it and its about right 8.8 but just eyeball. The think that caught my eye was what appears to be a mount on the axle for a quad shock set up. Of course there is no quad shock. I didnt think the mustangs came with 8.8 in 83. Just wondering if it was factory or if someone put one in previously. I bought the car for the body, fresh paint, t-tops, and new world class t-5. Paid $1000. Didnt even look at the rear. The car didnt run. This guy new nothing about motors. He had the fire order going clockwise. lol. Got the car home. Went over it. Realized the error. fixed a gas leak and it started right up. But i digress. Anyone know off the top of there head in 83 if 5.0, has a 5.0 badge, came with 8.8 rears. If it is.... Bonus.. And are there any other obvious differences or will I just have to crawl iunder the car and find a tag or measure for sure.? Thanks in advance..I put the chrome cobra r 17's on.
Peace.

[Ieatcamaros]

To my knowledge, 85 was the first year they used the 8.8 in the 5.0 cars. Don't quote me on that though.

[82 GT]

1986 was the first year for the 8.8 rearend.
Yes, the 83GT's had the 5.0 badges on the fender.

If you see quad shock mounts, then you have an 8.8 rear.(most likely)

[~The Jester~]

Yeppers, 82/83 GT had the stupid little snubbers, not quad shocks. 84/85 had quads, but still a 7.5 rear, 86 up had all the goodies. Easy way to tell between a 7.5 and an 8.8. Both are 10 bolt rears, but the 7.5 has bolts exactly at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. The 8.8 has them at 11 and 1, and 5 and 7. Here, lookit this. Ford 7.5 and 8.8

[tarmon8r]

thanks guys... I knew someone would have the information i needed to know..and the right information at that... The mustang is an 83 1/2 so it sometimes hard to get the right parts for it. By looking at the bolt pattern, it is a 7.5 oh well. Thanks again all.. Peace..

[5.0 Fiend]

Not to hi-jack the thread or anything, but does it really matter how many bolts you have on your diff. cover. I was talking to a guy a couple of weeks ago, (the kind of guy that will tell you he took a stock s-10 through a 10 foot deep mudhole). Well anyways I was telling him the mods I had on my stang, and he said his 305 had a 14 bolt rear end like it was some major upgrade. The only reason I see there being more bolts is for safety reasons,(so if you were to throw your final drive it wouldnt go flying out the cover), so do the bolts really mean anything?

[~The Jester~]

It's not so much an "upgrade" as it is a nomenclature for the rear-end ID. 8.8 Fords have 10 bolts in the cover, so some people call them 10 bolt rears. You'll find that more in the bowtie world than in the Blue Oval Baptist Church. 12 bolt cover is a 8.75" I THINK, 10 bolt is an 8.5" etc etc. Just an easy way to ID the things is all. I don't know of ANYONE that has just added bolts to their current rear diff cover. I have also never heard of a "14 bolt" GM rear.

[tarmon8r]

Hey jester. Look at the pic on the link you put up.. The actual pic of the 8.8 has the bolts at 12 and 6 while the gasket is at the before mentioned oreintation. Could the gasket just be rotated 90 degrees in the pic and not straight up? Cause I was cleaning up and noticed my cover from my other 8.8 rear, rear is not at my location, but replaced with a girldle, so i have the old one laying on the floor, is 12 and 6. How true is that fact? Dead certain? Dont want to start anything, just not very knowledgeable. Just looking for clarification.. Thanks..

[justins89stang]

one way to tell the difference by looking is that the 7.5s cover has flat sides in the top and bottom and it is rounded in the ends so it looks like an oval shape. The 8.8 is more a square shape and the 4 sides are the same....If that makes any sense at all??? Anyways, as far as the bolts go, both the 8.8 and the 7.5 have bolts at 6 and 12.

[Ieatcamaros]

tarmon8r, don't pay attention to the gasket pictures. Look at the actual differential pics beside them. I once thought my 89 GT had a 7.5 because of the gasket pics I had seen. That one of the 8.8 is rotated 90 degrees like you said.

[~The Jester~]

Some of the earlier 8.8 (Trucks and Exploders, before they put them in Stangs) had bolts at 12 & 6, like the diff picture. When they put the 8.8 in the Stangs, the bolts are spread apart on the top & bottom, like the gasket picture.

If you look at the different bolt patterns, the gaskets do look like they'll interchange. The 7.5 has bolts at 12/6 and then 4 others that straddle the axle tubes. The 8.8 has 2 bolts dead on the axle tubes, and the 4 at the top and bottom are spread apart. Turn the gasket a 1/4 turn, and presto.

I should have clarified a little bit more on my last post. If you for SURE have a Stang rear, the 12/6 bolts is a very good indication. Otherwise, go with the rounded/squared off look. Look for the factory ID tag (Yeah right!) that'll tell you exactly what it is. You can only make an educated guess at best, the only 100% way to tell is the tag, or measure the ring gear.

Sorry if I confused anyone!

[tarmon8r]

Not positive, but arent aftermarket rear-end covers interchangeable for a 7.5 or an 8.8? Mustangs that is.. Thanks in advance.. Peace.

[82 GT]

Originally Posted by tarmon8r

Not positive, but arent aftermarket rear-end covers interchangeable for a 7.5 or an 8.8? Mustangs that is.. Thanks in advance.. Peace.

Nope...same number of bolts....different bolt patteren

[tarmon8r]

Crawled up under the rear, and the other cover from my 8.8 fits and lines up perferctly over the other cover. Bolts lined up and same size. Bonus, and the rear gear is 3.55. Great.