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Need help deciding if this 8.8 rear would be worthwhile.

burnout289

burnout289

Member
Hey there, been browsing the site a lot lately and was hoping I could get some input from those who know more than I do. I saw this ad and am really tempted to go check it out but when looking into the work involved it's more than I can do in my garage but sounds like a great deal if it's in any decent shape.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/pts/2820444609.html

If I were to jump on this, does anyone have a ballpark guess as to the cost involved to have a shop cut this to fit a 67 coupe? From what I read, another short axle would be needed so I would be expecting that. What kinds of things would I want to look for when inspecting?

The car has a long way to go but at some point I plan to make it a track car / corner carver. It's a 289 w/ T5 and I plan on putting together a 331 down the road.

Any advice here is welcome.
 
If you are going to pay to have a shop narrow it, go thru it, and move the perches, you should keep looking for good used a 9", in the end It probably won't cost much more, but will have more value... If you want to try and do it yourself, the 8.8 is probably more doable, there is a great write-up somewhere on this site on how to pull the tubes and such, but it is fairly involved...

My build thread takes you thru the entire process on narrowing a 9" if you are interested:

http://www.stangfix.com/testforum2/inde ... 963.0.html
 
Thanks for the input. I saw a thread on pulling the tube and shortening it, but I don't have any of the necessary equipment to do so.

Awesome build thread, by the way. I was checking that out a few days ago...impressive! Makes me realise just how small my garage is.
 
The post is expired so I'm not sure what that 8.8 is out of, but a fox body 8.8 is already the perfect width for a '67-68. You just need to find some 5-lug axles and brakes from a couple different donor vehicles.
 
^good to know, thanks. I'm just keeping my eyes open for now. But there's a salvage yard that apparently has lots of older explorers.
 
sorry i guess i missed this the first time around. shortening an explorer rear end is almost perfect for a 65 66, but 67 would require spacers. A lot of people run themas is in 67 - 68s however. There is a driveline offset, but many have no problem with vibration. THe fox 8.8 already has a centered pinion, but drum brakes. the explorer has disk. Any other questions, ill try to help.
 
hmm...I have rear drums on the stock rear now, but plan on going with big discs all around. I could push that down the to-do list if I started with a rear that has discs already.

what about the explorer discs on a fox 8.8?
 
it doesn't work. the housing ends are different on the fox and explorer 8.8s. The axles are different sizes (widths) and the bearings are different. I planned on using an explorer 8.8 with fox 5 lug axles so i could use the disk brakes. I found out the hard way that they are incompatible.
 
ohh yea, 95 and newer 8.8's have disk brakes but are too long to use in 67-68 with vintage wheels. if your planning a more modern wheel, they could work.
 
that could be a possibility, I'll have to look up the lengths on the newer 8.8s.

for now I have a set of 17x9s that need about a 1" spacer to fit happily with everything stock, although the front may not work...I have more research to do in that area. but, for instance, if the rear housing is 2" longer than a 67 that would negate the need for spacers back there.

I had to roll the rear fenders on my STi for these wheels to fit (with 235/45), and it's a widebody. I'm not opposed to doing that on the mustang, I like the rubber close to the edge of the fender. I will most likely end up with a different wheel down the road anyway.
 
"lethal289" said:
ohh yea, 95 and newer 8.8's have disk brakes but are too long to use in 67-68 with vintage wheels. if your planning a more modern wheel, they could work.
Click to expand...
94-98 Fox rears are 1.5" wider than the 79-93 4 lug mustang 8.8.
The 94-98 mustang 8.8 using 17x8 wheels, 5.72" backspace fits perfectly in a 67/8 Mustang.

stangg_0056.jpg
 
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