SHOE-Ill SURPRISE Fiear end swapping made easy By Bob McClurg 2. man soughn and my Mom kicir thing! on by rimming tna odinai Muuhng ii (need that Pluto) near ni- mommy. so MUSTANG lLLusmarED/DECEMBER 1990 ny time you hear someone A bragging about how much horsepower they've got under the hood of their car theres sure to be someone else standing around ask- ing that ageold question, ,Yeah but can you get it to the ground"? This problem has always presented a dile. mine 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 Ford's venerable and bulletproof nine-inch rear axles (a (ST-350, Boss 302, Machi. etc) install. ing one of these units in your car may be the cure However, unless you've priced nin 'nch rears lately (the ulti- mate nine-lncher is the nodular iron model which hasnt been made in years) you may be unpleasantly sur~ prised. You'll also find you may need to narrow that nineincher to t inside the fender wells of your Mustang (par ticularly 19am to 1966 Mustang ll and others) and then you're really talking about some expense! Fear not, there is an affordable alternative. Its called the ssinch rear axle and its found under all latesmodel Mustang G'ls and LXs equipped with Fords high output, 302 vs. Although a nine-inch rear may be a little harder to break, the 8,8 ofrers 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 $275.$aoo depending on availability The overall width of this axle is 59inches 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 five gear sets (3.08, 3.27, 2.55, 3.73, and 4.10) to two dilrerent axle splines (23 and al-tooth). Fivesbolt axle conversion kits are also available, along with rear disc brake kits. And if you really want to be a high roller, you can even set up for the Ford Motor sport 8.87inch/31-spline fullrlive rear axle assembly complete with rear discs. It's entirely up to you and your pocket booki Recently, we located the perfect cans didate for an 88-inch swap. Since M135 Mustang II project car will be powered by a mildly warmed over 351 Windsor, using the stock Pinto throwback of a rear end was entirely out of the ques- tion. Also, since the 8.8 is only 2V2 inches wider (57 vs 59% inches), theres still plenty of room under the fender wells for wider rubber, and a greater oirset wheel. But how were we going to install it? Warren Boughn, owner of Precision Street Rods and Machines (19158 Roar coe Blvd. Dept. Ml Northridge, CA, 91324, 818/886-5018) markets a univer- sal rear shackle kit for such applica- tions. This kit allows the installer to slide just about any type of rear end under any type ofcar using leaf spring suspension. Included in Boughns kit (which retails for $119.95) are two a/sinch thick steel spring bolt and shackle plates, two brand new spring pads, four new Ubolts, two shock mount pins," along with all the neces- sazy lwinch nuts and lock washers. The shocks are optional. When it comes to ordering, the only thing you have to stipulate is what spring width you have and whether or not the car you're working on uses staggered shocks. Heres a hint, the Mustang II does! Sliding the 88 beneath the Mustang II wasn't all that difcult. Howeveri some welding skills are necessary. To do the job correctly, youll need the fol- lowing tools: ~ Arc Welder . Cutting torch , A body grinder - And an assortment of hand tools Since the 8.8 rear axle was designed to be used with the latermodel Mus- tangs fourrlink coil~uver spring and shock absorber setup its necessary to remove that hracketry. This is what the cutting torch is used for. Whether or not you intend to experiment with quad shocks will determine if you will remove those brackets as well. In our case, we decided to keep them and were going to be installing one of Ford Motorsports' Quad Shock kits at a later date. However, heed a word of caution here. If you decide to go that route, youll have to cut away Vz-inch of the inside of the bracket in order to clear the inside U-bolt. Then you'll have to gusset the bracket, but it isn't 1. Main palnLI to the rectory axis up. This particular modei w-s . take-cu! unit from a Sill-en Mustang LX. Gnrlng Is sud-i. a. LEFT 7 Men , cvalIirig the original Musung II rear me lo in: 5.: iepiaceineni, ins dineienoe in appearance aione is obi/inns. nie , 5,: Is winches . wider man mo . clock unit wlildi causes no rul Problem on tne Mustang u. The 5.9 also tenures a removable inepeciion cover. lrid a wlde assortment oi Ford Metamucil goodies: 5. LEFT _ iniim 3.: onslaown inoiuries moving the rectory sinks iines prior m removal oi ins factory fauNInk [r-clash. _ 8. LEI-7 cutting on lIil Actual / imckar coma. nm, in advisable that you out on the bulk oi the bucket lint la avoid warp-n iii-n you can go back Ind clean things up biking your ilmn. 7. LEFT smoke: iamouni is iniiowau by grindIi-ig on tire s/lg. Mu grits or sending disc Ire irqulmd, . coam piece it ciemup, and a IIM gnu. ID! imp. MUSTANG lLLUSTRATEDDECEMBER 1990 sl