Late Mustang Rear Axle - 8.8?

[Kiefer316]

82 mustang in back yard

i have a 1982 mustang in my back yard and was wondering if the stock rear axle is the 8.8. also was wonderin if there was a way to pull it and make it my new xj rear axle. and if there was a way i could make it a 5 lug instead of a 4 lug?

 

[$200xj]

Re: 82 mustang in back yard

i believe its the 7.5, I dont think the 8.8 didnt come in the mustang until 86.
but if it was, there are several ways to convert it to 5 lug.

 

[Kiefer316]

Re: 82 mustang in back yard

how do i find out if it is a 8.8 i really dont want to go crawl under it at 1 in the morning ...it has flat tires also so im prolly gonna go jack it up sometime and if its not an 8.8 im gonna be mad cause that is one that i could use under my rig.

 

[Tommy4949]

Re: 82 mustang in back yard

I don't think you want the mustang 8.8s, especially the older ones. They aren't nearly as strong as the Explorer or FS truck 8.8s

I read about it somewhere in one of the 8.8 axle swap articles, google it.

 

[Kiefer316]

Re: 82 mustang in back yard

yeah your prolly right im probably just gonna part the whole car out. if anyone needs anything haha. im 18 and need cash to fix my rig. and this car is a peice of s...art work haha it needs to be gone and i need to have money falling out of my pocket.

 

[DementedXJ]

as long as it is stock its definently a 7.5. I don't know how anyone could say the stang 8.8 is weaker than the explorer. I have the stock 8.8 in my 88 mustang with 230,000mi on it, stock axles, and only rebuilt the trac loc and added 3.55 gears to it and it see's 5500rpm launches on slicks everyweekend. Id say that's alot of force from 400hp motor going from sitting still to haulin balls in a second. All im sayin is i know my mustang puts a whole lot more hurt on the axles than my XJ ever could and it aint broke yet

 

[Tommy4949]

as long as it is stock its definently a 7.5. I don't know how anyone could say the stang 8.8 is weaker than the explorer. I have the stock 8.8 in my 88 mustang with 230,000mi on it, stock axles, and only rebuilt the trac loc and added 3.55 gears to it and it see's 5500rpm launches on slicks everyweekend. Id say that's alot of force from 400hp motor going from sitting still to haulin balls in a second. All im sayin is i know my mustang puts a whole lot more hurt on the axles than my XJ ever could and it aint broke yet

I think they say they are weaker than the explorer 8.8s because the axle shafts are a smaller diameter and the 95 or 96 and later explorers had 31 splines as opposed to the 28 spline mustangs, IIRC.

 

[DementedXJ]

I think they say they are weaker than the explorer 8.8s because the axle shafts are a smaller diameter and the 95 or 96 and later explorers had 31 splines as opposed to the 28 spline mustangs, IIRC.

Ahhh i see. and yes i think you are correct