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1G AWD with a solid rear axle

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The angle might be too severe on a factory rearend. But you'll have the ability to change the position of the pig and angle of the pinion when you're setting up that solid rear, and you can correct any misalignment that prevents good use of a 1-pc shaft.

Another option is a 2-pc shaft that utilizes the front carrier bearing. Although, that's going to cost alot more than a 1-pc shaft.
 
So I am currently measuring 61" +/- .25" from rotor face to rotor face. So we can assume ~60.5" +/- .25" from hub face to hub face. That leaves the MM axle about 5" too narrow and the 8.8 from an explorer about 1" too narrow. And 1G rear wheels are already pulled in some from the fender line so going more narrow is going to make the car look odd IMO. The 9" has many options available, from what I have found, you have a spread of 54" to 62" overall width in .5" increments, that is crazy availability. I was looking at a couple different sites and I found 3.55 gear sets for about $150-$170, you can even build entire entire axle housing from pieces to set your own size requirements... I still have much more to find out LOL

Also, somebody is telling me that Ford's true 3.55 ratio is 3.551, he is trying to say that I could twist my driveshaft with the ratio difference. From a 3.545 to a 3.551, in the world of reality, I don't see this being possible. He is trying to say that he "knew a guy" that kept destroying driveshafts because his front and rear ratios were this slightest difference...
 
You are welcome Night racer. Now lets see if I can contribute some more. For the 2gs It might be worth taking a tape measure to an SN95( 1994 to 2004) Mustang. It seems to me that the 8.8s in those had more width to them. I can't be 100% sure though. Most of my 2 decades of " Mustang Madness" was centered around the Fox (79-93) chassis.
As far as driveshaft angle, I don't see much of a problem with the 8.8 with a solid shaft. Plenty of Mud Trucks here running extreme angles and holding up. What I had in mind was running a Late 80's- early 90's F-150 driveshaft( Aluminum and 3.5 in, Super LONG) cut down, with a dsm slip yoke. So, In theory, any driveshaft/tranny shop could do this mod(cheap).
Stock F-150 driveshaft from a U Pull -$30
Stock ujoint drive shaft to rearend-Free
trans shop to cut driveshaft and weld DSM slipyoke - maybe $100?
On a side note, Whats the going price for an Aluminum Driveshaft for DSM's? Oh, that only replaces the first two sections. LOL
 
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Thanx again Bricktop, and more good info! LOL. I never thought of using the F-150 driveshaft and just adding the DSM slip yoke. We have a couple drivetrain shops here in the Fort that I'm sure could tackle that. And yes, aluminum DS for DSM's is ridiculous IMO, there was a thread a little while back of a guy who had a whole custom shaft made but it wouldn't pass track inspection, need to find that one again and see what ever happened with it. For my 1G, I think the 9" is going to be the better route in regards to size availability.
 
Well bud, you can thank me if it works. In theory it should work VERY well. I have had my 8.8 sitting in my garage for over a year. I know my 3 bolt won't survive. I'm also not made of money. I'm married with kids and a mortgage . But, there is no reason why this setup won't work.
The 8.8 can take it. Anyone confident in thier welding skills can run a 4 link/ladder bar. And Ford Motorsport sells an aluminum shaft for the Mustangs. It's nothing more than a cutdown F-150 shaft. Alot of High HP cars run it.
Guess I need to get motivated. :)

Oh, the 9 will take it for sure. If you can't find one the right width, don't worry. It's nothing to cut the tubes down. One call to Moser or Currie and they will make you some axles. Prices arn't bad either.
 
Hey bud, I feel ya. With a kid and a mortgage, money doesn't flow like it use to LOL I did find an axle that is the correct width and bolt pattern. I measured up my boss's 72 Mach 1 9" and it comes in at a perfect 60.5" width and a 5x4.5 lug pattern. Only slight down side is the 28 spline shafts, not necessarily a big deal, and the 1" offset to the driver's side. I figured I could flip the housing, reweld the back pan on the housing to clear the ring gear, and give a 1" offset to the passenger side. This axle set up was used in pretty much all late 60's to early 70's Mustangs, Cougars, and Mavericks. Torino's are wider as well as some of the other whips from those ages that FoMoCo put out.
 
:) I was goin to mention the "big body" mustangs.But, I figured finding one locally would be hard. At least down here on the river it is. Most everything worth restoring has been snatched up, and the other stuff Pre- 78 has went to scrap.

But, If you can find a 9 out of one it would be a sweet setup. Just take lots of pics when you do the swap.
 
The 9 inch is a great rear, I have one in my F-Body. But they also are the heaviest and take the most power to turn out of all the factory rears (other than the Dana 60). The 8.8 and the 12 bolt being next in line as far as strength do have less parasitic than the 9". The 10 bolt chevy being the most efficient, is also the weakest of the bunch.... Stuff to think about. Don't want to be killing flys with a sledge hammer :)
 
^Note taken LOL yes it does take more power to turn but with what I am wanting to put together, I should have plenty to spin it all.

Paul, I saw some axle assemblies through a few websites (Currie, Nineinchracing, etc.) and they do come in right around that price, which is why I am keeping my eyes peeled at the local Take-a-part since a whole axle assembly is only $100 :D
 
I've got the automatic having 43/13 teeth in the DSM and the 8.8 as well as the 3.55 being 39/11 in both.
Motive Gear F888331 Motive Gear Ring & Pinion Gears
Motive Gear F8.8-355 Motive Gear Ring & Pinion Gears

To properly round to 2 digits after the decimal place with 39/11 (3.545454) you'd round up the 4 to a 5 and get 3.55. If the tooth count is the same, there was something else chewing up the drive shafts, if that is even true.

If the 9" has a 39/11 gearset you're all good.

I need the planets to align such that I have money, free time, garage space, and a 50% off day at the junkyard. Looks like an axle rotor to rotor is $90 on half off day. Then a drive shaft and I'll be set.

Does anyone have any good links detailing a 4 link setup, and the desireable dimensions for it?
 
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I know its not a solid rear but have you thought about a 3000gt rear? Its still a 3.55 and the auto guys would need the 94-99 for a 3.307. From my understanding you just have to trim and then shorten the axles. Just throwing it out there sense Jeff Bush is running low 8's with one.
 
On an awd car that just applies a % of power to the rear, wouldn't 28 splines be plenty ?

This shows some 8.8 equal length axles rear ends..

'86-'93 Ford Mustang 8.8...
...59-1/2" flange/flange width (exact same as the '86-'91 RX-7)
...4 on 4-1/4" lug pattern, easily re-drilled to RX-7 4 or 5 on 4-1/2" pattern
...came std w/tracloc clutch style diff
...Both L&R axles are 29-1/8" long 28 spline axles
...V8's came with 2.73 or 3.08 ratios

'87-'88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe...
...61-1/2" flange/flange width
...same housing width as '86-'93 Mustangs, but 1" longer axles to make room for ABS sensors
...4 on 4-1/2" lug pattern (same as the RX-7), easily re-drilled to RX-7 5 on 4-1/2"
...came std w/tracloc clutch style diff
...Both L&R axles are 30-1/8" long 28 spline axles
...5spd cars came with 3.55 gears, automatic cars came with 3.73
...standard w/ disc brakes

'95-'01 Explorer...
...59-1/2" flange/flange width
...5 on 4-1/2" lug pattern
...un-equal length 31 spline axles (2-3/16" pinion offset)
...std disc brakes w/ 7/16" x 11.25 rotors
 
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Does anybody know the weight of an Explorer 8.8 axle assembly? I have a 9" at work out of a 72 Mustang that I have been measuring for fitment, wanting to compare the weights of the two.
 
I know its not a solid rear but have you thought about a 3000gt rear? Its still a 3.55 and the auto guys would need the 94-99 for a 3.307. From my understanding you just have to trim and then shorten the axles. Just throwing it out there sense Jeff Bush is running low 8's with one.

This does work but there is alot of fab work to make it happen. If you go with the straight axle it does cut at least 100 lbs off the car.

Ive been up in the air about what to do with the rear of my car. I did find all the weak link in the rear of a 1G diff. The only way to make a dsm 4-bolt rear strong is to make sure the diff carrier doesnt move away from the pinion gear. Then its a mater of trashing the spider gears. SO then you weld up the rear diff. And then the axles are an arm and a leg.

Its almost a given to swap to a straight axle if your going strictly for times. If you plan to race in certain events the car must have factory style rear end.

Heres the question with doing the straight swap. Is it better to stick with a ladder bar setup or can we go with a 4-link. From the few cars Ive seen straight axles in they were on a ladder bar.
 
can't wait till friday, gonna go to the junk yard and buy a Explorer 8.8in rear end assembly for $300... Already in contact with the chassis shop figuring out the various way possible for the rwd conversion... can't wait to really start my rwd conversion, but the chassis shop will have to wait for the moment, cause the transmission will be next after the 8.8in rear, which is expensive...

Just a tip. For those who think they can do the solid axle conversion their self, don't kid yourself. Geometry, weld quality and various different areas comes into play when doing chassis and suspension fabrication. Its not the same to bolt-on a turbo, change cams, or rebuild an engine vs fabricating a whole new suspension and chassis setup. Be realistic and safe guys, why would you risk safety and profesional quality over spending a few more bucks. I do all the work on my car bumper to bumper, since I'm an ASE certified tech and a Mercedes Benz USA certified tech, with over 10 years of experience at various mercedes benz dealerships, but I would never even think of fabricating a new suspension setup like this conversion calls for without the right education and the knowledge. Not even reading a book helps, its one thing knowing a little on how suspension work and their various designs, than fabricating a whole new suspension setup. Not hating on you guys saying you going to fabricate the suspension setup yourself, just a tip of someone whos carrer is the automotive industry...
 
perfect link.. like stated at the various article... suspension fabrication is not a cut tube and weld job. a lot comes into play when designing and fabricating a suspension setup especially a drag suspension. a lot of hot rod fabricators don't take this in mind since mostly those cars are for show purpose only, and not for racing. without the right education and practice, i'm not comfortable to fabricate my own suspension, eventhough a family member of mine works at a hotrod shop and has amazing welding skills, but got no clue in racing suspension design. i'm not taking any chances, I'm not gonna hit the racetrack wall at 90mph or a highway fence at 60mph, cause I want to get cheap an bring down the cost on the fabrication. im taking mine to a race car chassis fabrication shop, which have under their belt 6sec and 7sec drag cars...
 
Does anybody know the weight of an Explorer 8.8 axle assembly? I have a 9" at work out of a 72 Mustang that I have been measuring for fitment, wanting to compare the weights of the two.

Explorer 8.8 Measurements:
Weight (complete assembly w/ brakes etc.): 174 lb
 
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Ford Explorer 8.8in axle assembly for project RWD Eclipse conversion...
 
A rwd conversion can range from 5k to 15k depending on the parts selection..
 
i'm using an 8.8 out of a turbo coupe (if i can ever find one) for my colt's AWD swap
 
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