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hey guys... so hear a lot off people talking about installing a Explorer rear end... what do they mean... a rear diff of of a explorer... you can do that? if so.. what year explorer and what year mustang do they fit on.... and what kind of mods are needed to put it on?
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90's Ford Explorer rear ends are 8.8" units and have higher gear ratio's than our Mustang's, so, a good upgrade from the 8" most v8's have. 67-70 Mustang rears are 59.25", so 59.75" would still fit. I dunno about the other years, but it would be alittle wide on a 64-66 and alittle short on a 71+. I believe the spring perches need moved/installed to fit though, so some assembly required
would it be cheaper to build up a 8 inch rear to withstand 400hp or would it be cheaper to swap out for an explorer rear end? and would i be able to keep the explorer rear end the way it is or would i need to change some guts in it? im interested in this as well
I put an Explorer rear-end in my 65 restomod (it really is a rotiserie'resto' - not just a 'mod'). It is about 2" wider than a 65-66 8-inch, which is good since I'm using late-model wheels and need the width (no spacers). You have to cut off the spring perches and reweld them outboard (if I remember). I also cut off the sway bar mounting brackets.
The only catch is that the pinion is offset about 3 1/2" to the right. That equates to about 3 deg. at each end on a stock length driveshaft, so it isn't overly 'bent'. The problem is that it hits the tunnel if the car is lowered too much (or so I have read on VMF forums). You can help that by replacing the pinion flange with a yoke (Inland Empire Driveline PY-8.8-1350 if using 1350 u-joints or PY-8.8-1310 if using 1310 u-joints). Yoke is about $55 plus shipping.
I bought a nice 95 Explorer rear-end with 3.73 trac lock from a junk yard for $350. I cleaned it out and checked the backlash and put it back together.I replaced all the brake hardware with new/rebuilt stuff.
I don't have the car on the road yet but I tried 99-04 factory Bullitts with 245/45/17s on it and they fit perfectly. They have about 3/4" space on the backside and fit under the lip on the outside. I used Maier Racing 165# springs.
There are a few posts on VMF (Vintage Mustang Forums). Do a search on explorer.
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Explorer rear end
