Best axle swap

[Macguyver]

I read somewhere else that I would have to shorten the drive shaft and the driver side axle tube Is this not true?

Correct, no reason to shorten the tube. Couple options on the driveshaft. Just call the shop for anything you need.

 

[Macguyver]

You will definitely need to have some driveshaft work done, but you'll need that for any swap. But the link by Macguyver is a smoking deal IMO. The Exploder 8.8 rears are a cheap and readily available. Rebuilding a Ford stock Trac Lock and installing a new bearing kit is a piece of cake. This is by far the cheapest and easiest way out if you can weld on the upper bracket and setup the rear end geometry. Neither is remotely difficult IMHO. But this should be able to be done for well under $1000.

We have been seeing the Mountaineer rears with 3.73, trac-lock and disc brakes for around $150 in Indiana. D4 is the axle code in the door jam. We have several jigs here if you need the work done.

 

[JohnnyUtah1]

You will definitely need to have some driveshaft work done, but you'll need that for any swap. But the link by Macguyver is a smoking deal IMO. The Exploder 8.8 rears are a cheap and readily available. Rebuilding a Ford stock Trac Lock and installing a new bearing kit is a piece of cake. This is by far the cheapest and easiest way out if you can weld on the upper bracket and setup the rear end geometry. Neither is remotely difficult IMHO. But this should be able to be done for well under $1000.

I weld for a living so that shouldn’t be a problem

I still have some learning to do on the geometry I’m but I’m sure all the info is here with the right research

The Explorer option sounds the best for me unless I can find a built 10 or 12 bolt before I have time to go to the junk yard

Is there anyone here that has done the Exploder swap? Or should I post another thread for that?

 

[81cutlass]

Does the truss kit fit with exhaust routed over the rear axle? I havn't seen any assembled pictures and was curious with as tight as the space between the floor axle and springs are if pipes over the axle clear.

 

[454GrandPrix]

What year mustang should I look for

Fox-body, meaning 1986-1993. (The Fox platform actually debuted in 1979, but the 8.8 was not introduced until the 1896 model year.)

Still not sure what route I’m going just trying to do as much research as I can between work

Excellent strategy. You have a number of options--and everybody will tell you that their chosen way is the best way--so learn all you can and decide which method you like best. (You certainly won't hurt my feelings if you don't do exactly what I did.)

Speaking of what I did, I found these three links extremely helpful (especially the first one):
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/how-to-swap-ford-rear-into-a-gm-g-body/
https://bangshift.com/bangshiftapex...trange-happening-rear-like-axle-tech-can-use/
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/ford-8-8-rear-end/

As I explain in my car's build thread (elsewhere in this forum), I did my axle swap even before I did my engine swap. This let me swap in the axle as Phase 1, and then later after the engine swap was done I completed Phase 2 when I installed a Strange Engineering c-clip eliminator kit + Strange 31-spline axles (drilled to 5x4.75) + a TrueTrac limited slip diff. I could have easily done all this in one large operation; splitting it up simply meant I didn't need to pay for everything at one time.

One thing of special note: the Ford axle is set up with a bolt-on flange rather than a u-joint flange. This makes everybody complain about how you need to buy/build a new driveshaft to accommodate the 8.8 axle. Horsepuckey. When I did my axle install, I went to my local driveline shop to inquire about this. The dude there told me I could just bolt a u-joint adapter to the axle... then he walked over to his spare parts shelf, grabbed one, blew some dust off of it, and gave it to me. This let me continue to use my stock V6 driveshaft with the 8.8 axle--absolutely no modification required. (Yes, when I dropped in the big block I had a new driveshaft built to handle the torque.)

FYI

 

[JohnnyUtah1]

Does the truss kit fit with exhaust routed over the rear axle? I havn't seen any assembled pictures and was curious with as tight as the space between the floor axle and springs are if pipes over the axle clear.

If it doesn't have the upper mounts it would be an S-10. (Those are a bit narrow for a g body 54-1/2").
But yes, we have a truss kit for that too.

Best option and cheapest option is something to consider. The G-body 8.5 is a rare bird these days. Came in some of the later 442's and the Grand National. They can usually be found in the $1000 range, depending on how long you search for one.

The stock 7.5" will last for a while if you avoid drag slicks and traction.

The GM 10 and 12 bolts from the A-Body (68-72 Chevelle GTO Monte Carlo Cutlass an so on) fit with a conversion kit. Those rears can be found between $300-$1000, depending on how long you search for one.

https://southsidemachineperformance...olt-swap-double-adjustable-upper-control-arms

The Ford Explorer uses an 8.8" ring gear (basically a GM 12 bolt clone) and can be found for around $100 or less, again depending on how long you search for one. This also requires a kit.

https://southsidemachineperformance.com/products/explorer-88-swap-kit

Another common solution is to have a Ford 9" built and delivered for around $1800-$2200 if you don't have a tight budget.

Another thing to consider is the poor geometry these cars came with and weak trailing arms. All of our kits are focused around these weaknesses.

All of the above solutions can offer multiple gearing choices and a positraction as well.

Ok so I’ve soaked in everyone’s advice and I’ve done a lot of research through this forum and other websites

The junk yard has a couple of ford explorers and I’m actually off work this weekend and have a chance to go

Really I think this is the best route for me a lot of people say I should I should plan everything out which I really probably should but I’ll spend years changing things on paper and never get anything done

For the most part I know what I want I just need help to get there

The junk yard said they’ll charge me 100 bucks for an axle if I pull it and I can’t pass that up

I know you gave me a list of years that will work but what year is the best suited for what I want to do?

Other than the obvious is there anything I should look for when buying an axle from a junkyard?

 

[lilbowtie]

The junk yard said they’ll charge me 100 bucks for an axle if I pull it and I can’t pass that up

Other than the obvious is there anything I should look for when buying an axle from a junkyard?

Make sure thats for the complete rear end and not just the axle!
Look for the ratio you want and posi.

 

[64nailhead]

If you find a posi and you want to reuse it without rebuilding, then look hard at the spider gears. If you see any pitting on them, then the rear needs a rebuild. If they are good, then usually the rest of thee diff is functional. If you have the ability to check back lash at the junkyard, then that is another tell tale sign what kind of shape it's in. To check that you need a dial indicator and either the driveshaft out or the brakes to be freed up.

 

[86LK]

easiest way to find the axle you want is to have a list of the vodes for the axle ratios and then check the vehicle for them before even crawling underneath at the jyard. IIRC, Ford puts them in the door jamb (which is nice!)

the other thing to watch out for is a vehicle that was hit hard. if a head-on collision, the driveshaft may have been rammed into the rear axle causing the whole axle to lockup.

step 1- check the code
step 2- check the axle and make sure it is still sealed up. if it was opened, someone may have stole parts
step 3- evaluate for collision damage (just in case)