i got my 94 with 3.73, LS, Disc brakes 59 3/4" width for 100$

going in as soon as i get my seats installed

 

My neighbor tried talking me into doing the ford exploder rear end. but I just got the tru trac instead. Im really happy with it. Would I have been better off with the exploder setup with rear disc brakes... ? I dont know

-Gun

 

The third picture is the rear wheel well from the back. It shows the wheel/tire clearance - about 3/4" to the inside of the wheel well and the bumpstop mount. The bumpstop mount is not as close as it looks. It too is about 3/4" from the tire. The Explorer is a nice fit and cheap. The only issue is the pinion offset. Guys on VMF say it isn't a problem, but some guys have the long tube cut to equal the short tube, or cut out and replaced with a short tube (and shorter axle). That makes it just shorter than a 65/66 8" rear end. I needed the extra width so I opted to take a chance on the offset.

 

ok from what i can tell the explorer is way to go (damn good look for your car), so tell me about the pinion offset and the issue that can asrise with that.

 

other user name: y76j2hsk(forgot I had already registered under this name)

The pinion on the Explorer rear-end is offset about 3 1/2" to the right (passenger side) because of the transfer case in the Explorer. This means that the drive shaft will be slightly out of alignment. It calculates to about 3 deg. on each end for a stock-length drive shaft. 7 deg. is the recommended limit, so it should be okay.

The issues this causes are:

1. There is the possibility of premature u-joint wear or vibration. Since 6 deg. is within acceptable limits it shouldn't cause problems (some 4WD trucks run 15 deg. or more). The other possibility is vibration. However, the guys on VMF who have done the swap say they haven't had problems with wear or vibration.

2. Since the drive shaft is closer to the right side at the rear, it can hit the tunnel/floor pan on lowered cars when a large bump is hit. Changing the flange to a yoke can help this. The flange is about 5-6" in diameter and the yoke is only about 3", so it doesn't come as close to the tunnel. You can get the yoke atInland Empire Driveline forabout $55 (www.iedls.com).

Some guys have massaged the tunnel with a hammer when necessary to provide a little more clearance. The problem only seems to happen on cars that have been lowered 1 1/2" to 2". Part of the problem is that the bump stop doesn't hit the front of the axle housing(pumpkin) like it did on the 8". I'm going to make a bracket to mount the bump stop so it willcontact the axle and that should help as well.

Get a 95-01 Explorer rear-end. These have disc brakes. You can do a Google search and find out where to remount the spring perches, or just measure the distance between them on your 8" axle. You will have to use the u-bolts for an Explorer since the axle tubes are about 3 1/4" diameter. I bought a newset from a Ford dealer for about $60 (not cheap bolts!). I drilled the old Mustang spring/shock mount plates for the larger bolts.

I set the pinion angle for 3 deg. down per Tony Huntimer's How to Build Ford Restomod Street Machines.

Here is a link with info on the 8.8 rear-ends, including axle id codes (to get gear ratio and whether it is traction lock):
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Axles.html

Here are some links to VMF posts about this swap, including one with pics of modifications to the axle (remounting the perches). I can provide some more detailed pics and measurements if you need.
http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/sh...explorer/tp/1/
http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/sh...explorer/tp/1/
http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/sh...lorer/#1558874

 

Ozarks thanks for all the info, so when you go to buy axles when they break where do you go to?

 

I haven't broken any yet (car isn't done), but I would go to the junkyard. They have bunches of them (the Explorer is the most common SUV on the planet). You could also buy new, but why?

The axles are 31 spline (they are huge compared to the 8" axles)so I doubt many people will break one on street tires, no matter how much power you have.

 

Would the Explorer rear end work in a 69?

 

The Explorer rear-end is 2" wider than a 65-66, the same as a 67-68 and I don't know about a 69-70. You can check the width and see. All other things being equal, it should work (provided it's the correct width, or close enough).

 

yes the explorer rear end will work in a 69 mustang
http://www.ridgenet.net/%7Ebiesiade/Fordrears.html

have to read between the lines but the lengths are the same.