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Topic: easiest / cheapest way to 5 lug the rear? (Read 1921 times) previous topic - next topic

easiest / cheapest way to 5 lug the rear?

on my 88 tc, whats the easiest /cheapest way to get 5 lug in the rear end? swap whole rear end? buy different shafts?  find someone talented enough to drill new stud holes?    any and all ideas welcome
-pete
july/88 turbo coupe auto

easiest / cheapest way to 5 lug the rear?

Reply #1
The cheapest, and definitely easiest way would be to pull the axles, and rotors, and take them to a machine shop and have 'em drilled, welded, filled, whatever, to the 5 lug.

Otherwise, you've gotta find the right length axles, and figure out what brakes you want (disc, or drum) and then match up stuff, or, if you can fabricate, you can make your own brackets to properly space stuff.

Keep in mind that not all 5 lug axles are equal....SN95 Stang axles up to 1999 are just fine, but the rotors are different, so you'll have to swap over the calipers and their mounting methods as well. This might be easier than drilling and filling IF you can get the parts fast...I wouldn't trust junkyard stuff for this. Especially calipers, every one that I came across in the yards were seized and worthless.

The way I did mine was a TC rear, SN95 axles with the ABS exciter rings hammered off, and 1988 Marquis 10" drums. There needs to be a a thin spacer ( i used a small flat washer, one for each lug stud) or the drum will rub the backing plate, but other than that, it's an easy swap. I used the stock 10" drum backing plates that were native to my '88 Sport...so you'd need to find those to complete the drum conversion if that's the road you take.

In other words....Mustang stuff to stay rear disc and gain 5 lug, at the expense of buying new calipers and rotors, (you can find axles from ANY 94-98 V6 or V8 stang...axle shafts are the same regardless of engine, or whether the housing is 7.5 or 8.8) I think in '99 they got a little bit wider, there's an awesome chart that details the axle lengths and housing widths...I can send it to you if you can't find it here.
'98 Explorer 5.0
'20 Malibu (I know, Chevy, but, 35MPG. Let's go brandon, eh)

 

easiest / cheapest way to 5 lug the rear?

Reply #3
pull axles
pop out studs
lay rim of choice on the axle
line up 1 hole
mark the other 4
drill out using small to large bits or even a greenlee stepper bit to speed it up.

buy new bearings for your axles and anything else you may see work in the rear.

easiest / cheapest way to 5 lug the rear?

Reply #4
wow. that makes it look easy. glad to know somebody else has successfully done this at home. thanks!
-pete
july/88 turbo coupe auto


easiest / cheapest way to 5 lug the rear?

Reply #6
Nope. It would seem that they would change the whole offset of the wheels.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

easiest / cheapest way to 5 lug the rear?

Reply #7
well, i think maybe with these adapters i could run wheels from a 2005 and newer mustang, it should put the offset about right
-pete
july/88 turbo coupe auto