Used a Mustang 8.8 on my 85MCSS. Trick chassis 8.8 swap kit with spring perches. 3:73 gears, rebuilt with new clutch packs, Moser custom 28 spline 8.8 axles with Chevy 5 bolt end (pretty much the same price as normal hardened axles from them) Cobra R mustang disc brakes & rotors. G-body RR parking brake cable, 1993 sierra LR cable shortened and bullet welded to the end. Custom driveshaft for 4L80->8.8 flange, made locally. All in all pretty easy install, little bit of fab work & welding.
8.8 swaps - who's done them
- Thread starter Tomeal
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With Crown Vics, Ford redesigned the frame and suspensions in them in 2003. Pre 03s use triangulated rear 4 link setups similar to G bodies while post 03 Ford switched to parallel 4 link with a Watts setup. Pre 98 Crown Vics are the old Aero generation which are hard to find now. The more famous versions of Crown Vics are the post 98 Whale generation.
There is also a safety issue with 8.8s, they have many protrusions that are know to pierce fuel tanks and the floor pans in crashes. Ford fixed this issue with clamp on impact sheids that go over the axle protrusions but only police packagd cars got them. It was TS for non police package Panthers.
There is also a safety issue with 8.8s, they have many protrusions that are know to pierce fuel tanks and the floor pans in crashes. Ford fixed this issue with clamp on impact sheids that go over the axle protrusions but only police packagd cars got them. It was TS for non police package Panthers.
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I have heard some issues with Fox 8.8's being dropped in G bodies due to the instant center getting altered and ending up with bad wheel hop. It works for some and not for others. I believe it's due to the difference in angle and position for the UCA ears on the housing.
But yeah, Fox 8.8's were for sure made in higher volume than G body 8.5 but with the Fairmont rush on Fox platforms they are drying up fast. It's not like any more Fox 8.8 mustangs are going into the junk yard anymore.
But yeah, Fox 8.8's were for sure made in higher volume than G body 8.5 but with the Fairmont rush on Fox platforms they are drying up fast. It's not like any more Fox 8.8 mustangs are going into the junk yard anymore.
95 Crown Vic rear in mine. Works great. Geometry worked out like a champ.
Housing narrowed to stock G body width. Quick Performance did the work. Added their lower control arm brackets and coil spring perches.
Moser 9" ends with Blazer rear discs. Spohn adjustable upper control arms (for 68-72 A body).
I made sleeves and used UPR spherical upper control arm bearings to replace the rubber bushings in the housing. This also allowed me to use the OEM 12mm sized bolts the G bodies use. Crown Vics use 14mm.
I made relocation brackets for the lower attachment of the rear shocks out of 3/16" steel angle.
I made an adapter to bolt a passenger car 12 bolt cover so it looks like a GM rear. Fools everyone that looks at it. No one can figure it out.
Love how inexpensive OEM quality parts are for the 8.8.
Ford Racing 3.31 gear set was about $150 shipped to my door.
Ford Cobra 31 spline Traction Lock was about $250 shipped to my door.
Axles were 31 spline with GM bolt pattern from Quick Performance
Housing narrowed to stock G body width. Quick Performance did the work. Added their lower control arm brackets and coil spring perches.
Moser 9" ends with Blazer rear discs. Spohn adjustable upper control arms (for 68-72 A body).
I made sleeves and used UPR spherical upper control arm bearings to replace the rubber bushings in the housing. This also allowed me to use the OEM 12mm sized bolts the G bodies use. Crown Vics use 14mm.
I made relocation brackets for the lower attachment of the rear shocks out of 3/16" steel angle.
I made an adapter to bolt a passenger car 12 bolt cover so it looks like a GM rear. Fools everyone that looks at it. No one can figure it out.
Love how inexpensive OEM quality parts are for the 8.8.
Ford Racing 3.31 gear set was about $150 shipped to my door.
Ford Cobra 31 spline Traction Lock was about $250 shipped to my door.
Axles were 31 spline with GM bolt pattern from Quick Performance
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The issue was no different than what GM had in some of their cars. They all had the upper control arms protruding. The Ford issue was not caused by the 8.8 but because Ford mounted the gas tank between the axle and the trunk on the Panther platform. This is exactly how GM had iin the 58-64 full size cars with the X frame.
So other than aftermarket of your choice, it's mustang, crown Vic, and explorer. Mustang is getting hard to find, crown Vic needs narrowed, and explorer needs a truss kit. Does that kinda cover it?
The Mustang 8.8 isn't getting hard to find. The 8.8 housing remained the same up to 1998. The 94-98 rears were wiser because of the longer axle shafts used with the disc brakes those years came standard with. The 99-04 Mustang 8.8 can also be used but is a bit wider than the 94-98 rears.
In certain areas I agree with this. For a normal street cruiser, weekend track car I would hunt for one of these housings. But for something over 600whp the Mustang 8.8 housing are not tough. The tubes are nothing like what came in the Exploders. And C-clip eliminators for the Mustang housings are not reliable. But again, 2 different applications.
Outside of Ford 8.8 options-
GM 12 bolt, 66-72 Chevelle or similar A body. Same bolt pattern but all drums, likely worn out, drums, poor gear choices, poor availability and needs adapter arms for UCA and LCA.
GM 8.5 can be a good option also.
The holy grail is 2wd 98-05 blazer with the tow package. Same width as G body, 30 spline axles, 3.42 or 3.73, disk brakes, same wheel bolt pattern as G body, and same driveshaft yoke size. BUT even worse availability than a G body 8.5 because low production and high demand from normal S10 hotrod crowd.
Zr2 S10 had an 8.5 also but it's 4" wider so it needs to be cut down or run 4th gen F body wheel offset. Both S10 options need UCA and LCA brackets welded on. You can source 30 spline moser drop in axles for them for a good price so cutting them down is pretty easy. The pro is that they are CHEAP, PLENTIFUL & again have disks, 3.73, and G body bolt pattern & 3RL driveshaft yoke.
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