Just wondering if an 8.8 I took out of an 88 Cougar would be able to have the same 5 lug conversion as a mustang 8.8. I remeber reading that an 8.8 out of a bird/cougar is a little wider than one from a Mustang. So I am wondering if there is a difference in axle lenghts.
The difference is the axle lengths everything else is the same I think. More importently what kind of 88 cougar had a 8.8"? I thoguht they were all 7.5" like the Tbird sports.
Well, its a quad shock rear end out of a 5.0 so. I assumed it is an 8.8, It came from a cougar with the ground effects sides/rear/front. It must have been some special edition Cougar, I stole the fog lights off it for my Turbo Coupe and they fit.
How would I be sure its an 8.8, I didn't pay anything for it and I only got it on my Mustang so I can roll it around. I want to start building a rear end up, and I am wanting to do a 5 lug conversion to match my fronts.
So axles for a mustang rear end won't work in a bird/cougar rear end then?
Some one whome has worked on ones opinion is wanted here, I don't need any uneducated geuses. I am gonna talk to my differencial guy, he would know. Just thought I would hit it up here first.
87-88 Cougar have 7.5..... Maybe XR7 has 8.8 but i doubt....
T-bird Turbo Coupe has the 8.8
The difference with the mustang Diff is 3/4 of inch shorter than Cougar/T-Bird each side.
The 3 cougar i own(ed) were all 7.5 and Quad-Shox (Axle Kickers)....
My 20th anniversary and the junk one I bought both had 7.5" rears. It's easy to tell by looking at the diff. cover.
1988 XR7's came with the 8.8. They all had 3.08's put in em from the factory. Oh and they had the larger 10" drums
That's odd since the 20th was also supposed to have the "XR7" handling package - I guess that meant the larger front/rear swaybars and the quadshocks?
It's only the 88 XR7 that had the 8.8". The 87 XR7 had the same 7.5" rear that the 20th had.
20th was an 87. 8.8 was in the 88's only. You are correct on the swaybars and shocks. I'm pretty sure the 20th's had 10 inch brakes in the rear as well...Don't remember though.
If you want to 5-lug a TBird/Cougar...use axles and brakes from a 94-98 Mustang...axles are the same length....
Hmmm, that makes sense then - the 8.8 wasn't installed in a Cougar until '88, and then only in the XR7 - I think I can remember that!
I have a freind who has a '88 Tbird Sport that he claims has the 8.8" (he did buy it new and it is still orig), one of these days i'm gonna crawl under it and see....
Well mine is a later built 88 I had since new and it has a 7.5...be interesting what you see
I thats true then get the 94 and up axels and use a 5 lug drum from a Ranger or aerostar.
Here are some pics of underneath a completely stock 88 XR7
(http://photos.imageevent.com/turbo/cougar/websize/cannondale%20027.jpg)
On this shot you can see on the tag where the # 88 are together.
(http://photos.imageevent.com/turbo/cougar/websize/cannondale%20030.jpg)
Is it possible to put some 5 lug axles into a 7.5 rear? I mean, an 8.8 is nice and all but junkyard swaps are more economical. I have yet to meet anyone who has broken their 7.5 and I know a few:
87 XR7 302 HO 7.5" 3.73 trac-loc
78 fairmont 347 blown 7.5" 3.73 w/spool
84 T-Bird 302 HO t-5 7.5" 3.45 t-loc
84 Mustang drag car 7.5" 4.10 spool
The 84 stang belongs to a guy I used to work with. He had his own small hotrod shop on the side. He swore by the 7.5 because it was lighter than the 8.8 (less power to turn) and he said properly prepped could handle gobs of torque. Also, his claim was that it was the axles that were the weak link and that they are the same as the 8.8 axles(28 spline/c-clip).
I say beat on a part until it breaks, then you know it couldn't handle the abuse. Cheaper is better(at least with a wife, 2 kids and a mortgage) :2c:
Oh BTW the 84 stang could lift the front wheels too!! Sounds strong enough for me.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with beefing up a 7.5" rear. That guy is absolutely correct: it's lighter, and the first thing to break on either a 7.5" or 8.8" will be an axle shaft. Hell, someone even makes rear end girdles for the 7.5" now. And it is about 80 lbs. lighter overall. You can indeed use 1994-98 Mustang axle shafts in your 7.5" with no problem at all.
A guy weighed a 7.5" and 8.8" here (http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1590#post1590). Here (http://v6power.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10844&highlight=rear+weight&sid=a8e93ad61dd709979432bf01bba751b7) is another 7.5/8.8 comparison. Visteon, the manufactures of the 7.5" and 8.8" axles, have their own data here (http://www.visteon.com/products/automotive/media/axle.pdf).
Summary:
"Narrow" LSD 8.8 w/o axles, brakes, brake lines, mooseballs, pinion snubber, fluid - 116 lbs
Open 7.5 in same condition as above - 103 lbs
Open Fox width 7.5, with axles, drum brakes - 170 lbs
LSD SN95 width 8.8, with axles, disc brakes - 203 lbs (215 w/quad brackets)
99+ 7.5 (w/mooseballs?)
99+ 8.8 w/o mooseballs - 16 lb difference
Unknown 7.5 w/o axles, fluid, brakes - 100 lbs
Unknown 8.8 w/o axles, fluid, brakes - 130 lbs (120 w/o mooseballs)
Visteon 7.5 - 129 lbs
Visteon 8.8 - 146 lbs
It seems the difference is around 10-30 lbs, not 80.
Edited to change grammar, add summary
Sounds reasonable to me......
Then....someone explain why I can pick up and move a 7.5" rear by myself, but I need 2 people to haul an 8.8". There has got to be more than 20 lbs. difference.
Where did the 80lb. difference come from? I ran across that number a few times while searching but there was never any data to back it up. I don't know why the 8.8" feels so much heavier than the 7.5".
I had a set of 96 V6 Mustang axles and tried to install these in my 87 XR7 equipted 7.5 axle, and they would not fit, The shoulder for the disc brakes would not allow me to instal the c clips in the pumpkin.
Here's the question of the day...The 7.5 ranger and the 8.8 axles are different length,according to Rangerstation.com....so can i use an 8.8 axle and drum set up(10") in the stock housing of the XR7....I need the conversion for my LSC wheels....... :D Kevin
If you were lifting 130lbs and I asked you to carry my beer case too, would 20-30lbs seem like a lot then? (I bet you'd try :giggle: )
didn't I settle this here (http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=2750&page=3&pp=10&highlight=weigh)