Is the rear end in a 85 Turbo Coupe 8.8? And Will it work in my 87 Bird?
It is not an 8.8 but it will work in your 87 I believe there is a slight difference in width
The '85 has a 7.5 and it should have 3.45 gears (quads and Traction lock as well). I had one for a few years under my last Bird. No, they're not as strong as the 8.8, but it did well, never gave me any issues at all.
As long as you're not running slicks or drag racing heavily the 7.5 should be ok. I'm running a 7.5 but I know slicks + 7.5 = broken spider gears/rear end.
Someone on here has a blown 87 XR7 5.0 car with a 7.5. He's got some heavy work into the rear though.
I think that's V8Demon you're referring to. He's got an Eaton diff or some aftermarket diff that solves the spider gears problem. I think that's the only mod he has in the 7.5 as far as I know. Hopefully He'll chime in. He's in the 12s with that car too from what I remember.
Ok next question what make a rear end quad link.