1978 Ford Mustang II rear end being worked on, with parts laid o…

SHUE'II SURPRISE 74m and swapping made easy By Bob McClurg my time you hear someone A bragging about how much horsepower theyve got under the hood of their car theres sure to be someone else standing around ask- ing that age-old question, Yeah, but can you get it to the ground? This problem has always presented a dile- mma to your average Mustang enthu- siast. Many have found when it comes to increasing horsepower, you also increase parts breakage. Unless you already own a Mustang equipped with one of Fords venerable and bulletproof nine-inch rear axles (a GT-350, Boss 302, Mach-1, etc.) install- ing one of these units in your car may be the cure. However, unless youve priced nine-inch rears lately (the ulti- mate nine-incher is the nodular iron model which hasnt been made in years) you may he unpleasantly sur- prised. Youll also nd you may need to narrow that nine-incher to t inside the fender wells of your Mustang (par- ticularly 19641/2 to 1966 Mustang II and others) and then youre really talking about some expense! Fear not, there is an affordable alternative. Its called the 8.8-inch rear axle and its found under all late-model Mustang GT5 and LXs equipped with Fords high output, 302 V8. Although a nine-inch rear may be a little harder to break, the 8.8 offers numerous advantages. First, the 8.8 is readily available in most junkyards and is reasonably priced. Its also avail- able from Mustang specialty shops like Saleen Autosport (new) for $275-$400 depending on availability. The overall width of this axle is 59-inches which makes it a perfect drop in for a num- ber of applications Fords 8.8 also has a extensive list of optional hard ware made available through the Ford Motorsport Parts Program ranging from ve gear sets (3.08, 3.27, 8.55. 3.73, and 4.10) to two different axle splines (28- and Ell-tooth). Five~bolt axle conversion kits are also available, along with rear disc brake kits, And if you really want to be a high roller. Z. RIGHT Boas and Tony Nara lea thlngs off by removing the origira Mustang II (read he Pinto) rear 3:: asset-nix, l f 30 MUSTANG ELLE: