Mr. Regular leans how to identify a Ford 7.5 vs a 8.8 by the differential cover. The Vagabond Falcon needs a Ford 8.8 rear that is 56 inched hub-to-hub
The last time I have one shortened it was $200 in labor. I have found that its best to just buy the ones that are still in the vehicle. Its helps with identification and allows the opportunity to pull the brake lines and emergency brake cables with it. If the ranger does not come with discs you may end up spending near the same acquiring those as shortening a disc explorer unit.
Get an explorer rear. Take the passenger side axle out of another explorer. Shorten the driver's side to match the passenger side axle. This will give you an axle with 31 spline axles, disc brakes, and 52 inches outside of the hub to outside of hub. Been there done that more than once.
This is cool if for nothing else, but showing what car modification was like pre-internet. You didn't go on google to find what rear end would work, you went to the junk yard and got your tape measure and fiddled with your bits until you found something that might work
this actually helped me identify which was the ford 8.8 rear end. I'm looking for one out of a 95 explorer to swap into my jeep cherokee. I found several explorers the right year and photographed the axles. so I could come home and do some research. thank you regular car reviews.
can confuse you even more, there is a 28 spline 8.8 and 31 spline 8.8...... 28 spline 8.8 are the same axle shaft as a 7.5. and all explorers from 91-01 are 31-spline 8.8
Well over the phone I have found the best deal I think I'm going to find on an 8.8 out of a mustang. I'm going to go pick it up tomorrow and I wanted to watch this video one more time to make sure I wasn't getting the smaller unit. Saw this 2 months ago I appreciate it then and I appreciate it now 🌞
One thing you can do to shorten the 8.8 is to get the 8.8 off a front axle of an Explorer. They had the offset pumpkin which you can then cut down the longer driver side axle housing and use two passenger size half shafts. This shortens the 8.8 and makes it equal on both sides and shorter. Its what I'm going with for my 1974 Toyota Hilux to make the track width closer to what I'm looking for.
IIRC, if you are looking for an 8.8, the shortest most commonly available will be that exploder 8.8 @ 58" how short are you looking for? can you get away with just changing the wheel spacing (deeper set)?? alternatively... take an explorer 8.8, which has a uneven long/short side axle tube/and axle... get 2 of the short axles and 2 of the short tubes. mash them together. you'll have to weld on the brackets/spring cups etc... get a 95/96+ year rear end and you'll be able to have disk brakes w/ 5 lug IIRC.
Crown Vic's/Grand Marquis/Town Car all have 8.8 rear ends also. 1998 and newer have a watts link suspension setup you can use to increase handling if you'd like. Civilian versions have a 2.73 gear ratio while P71's usually have a 3.27 gear and sometimes steeper
The joys of axle hunting. I’m currently on the search for a 3.73 LS to replace the Open 3.55 in my 2000 Explorer. Btw Explorers only came with the 8.8.
If you end up with a rear end with disk brakes don't forget to swap the master cylinder. Power drums have constant pressure through the lines so you cant use the same master.
that independent rear suspension had a rear differential bolted to the chassis and then two cv joints or half shafts coming out of it and driving the wheels. it's kind of like a transaxle on a fwd but shoved to the back of the car using a driveshaft to transfer the motion. Accomplishes the same task just handles better.
If you use, I think, two RH Exploder axle shafts, you can get the Explorer axle short enough to use in a classic Mustang, anyways. A Mustang axle can fit in the rear, but only with Fox length axle shafts since those axles are 1" shorter per side. That's what I have in my '65 Mustang. You can compensate by getting wheels with deeper backspacing, though. Also, you'd have to cut off control arm brackets and weld on spring perches, but you'd need to weld on or move spring perches for any axle you get.
+paul289 Mustang is much wider than the Falcon. I tried a '65 Mustang rear end in my '62 and the tires poked out past the fenders. '64-65 Falcon and '65 Mustang are 58" '60-63 Falcon are 56" Fox Mustang axles are also 4 lug. And not the same 4 lug as the Falcons.
Ford actually used the 7.5 in 85 5.0 Mustangs. For a mild driver like the Falcon, you'd probably be OK with one of the ranger 7.5s provided it has the limited slip. A friend ran one in his 5.0 Ranger with no issues. You can also look for the Lincoln Versailles 9" with disks - this is possibly a bolt in, but could be hard to find at this point.
I could be wrong, but I'm reasonably certain that the gen 1 Exploder at 5:20 was built on a Ranger chassis, so you might have found your axle there. If not, you can definitely cut down an axle. Chop the axle tubes yourself (measure 5 times, cut once) and have a machine shop cut and re-spline the axles. Mopar A-body guys frequently cut down C-body axles, because original A-body 8.75 axles are like hen's teeth.
Brandwagon240 is right Mr. RCR... Id say search for a 95 to 97 Ranger with the V6 engine, 3L or 4L. Here in Uruguay Ive seen Falcons similar as yours with those rear ends and they work perfectly. Offcourse, double check the meassurements but Im sure they will work!
The Explorer 8.8-Inch has larger 31-spline axles, a larger ring gear, and 1995 and newer models can be found with disc brakes. Avoid 8.8’s from Ford Rangers. All but the FX4 Ranger only had 28-spline axle shafts
I don't know if you can find a used axle from 2011 vintage truck, but my 2011 Ranger (one of the last ones made) has a 8.8 with limited slip and I'm not sure of the width, It's likely 58-1/2. It might make that work with the right offset rims. Just a thought.
the first gen v6 exploders got the better 31 spline 8.8 but wider 59.5" 90-92 ranger v6 manual has the weaker 28 spline 8.8" but is 56.5" and is the narrowest ...any machine shop can narrow a rear cost about $300ish but keep in mind that doesnt account for new axles which of course would be shorter ... the best to get would be a second gen exploder v8 it will have a 3.73 gearing option 31 spline and track lock (tag reads 3L73) and just have it narrowed and you get disc brakes with it .
RegularCars Suppose I should have explained further. All of the 4L Rangers and Exploders will have an 8.8. This includes the SportTrac. In the case of a Ranger, a V6 is not an automatic 8.8 score in the second generation unless it is 4 liters strong. Just a thought, have you thought about compensating for axle width with wheel offset? Changing the offset on some steelies has to be cheaper than reducing axle width.
+RegularCars door stickers in the door sill are an easier way to find out what rear end and ratio is on there. Supposing you want an LSD in a normal-ish ratio, look for R5 or R6 in Rangers, 3.55 and 3.73 respectively. I put a (R7) 4.10 locker in my truck, and now I hate doing highway driving. IIRC all ranger rears have same hub to hub length.
It's best to yank the pumpkin out of a fox, rebuild the differential and install new gears into whatever rear you get. I don't trust old junkyard ring and pinions.
Apparently the Exploder axles are asymmetrical... and what you do is modify the driver's (longer) side with a passenger shaft & tube. The end result being the right symmetrical axle for your Falcon. So if you need it done that way would be cheapest.
Mr. Regular - One side of the explorer 8.8 is longer than the other. You get 2 axles for the short side, and shorten the long side of the housing to match the short side. You'll only have to shorten 1 side of the housing that way, rather than having to shorten axle shafts and the housing. I don't think you'll find a 56" or a 56.5" wide 8.8" Even the Mustang II / Pinto were 57"
The 85 thunderbirds turbo coupes and 85 cougars came with 7.5 rears in my opinion these were stronger than the 8.8 cause unlike the 8.8 they didn't have clutch discs on the limited slip rears, the 7.5 have cone clutches which are stronger and grab more.
Huh, well now I know. I have a small 7.5 in my v6 mustang, I think the new 3.7s come with 8.8s. I wonder what the difference visually would be from a 9 inch rear end
7.5 flat top, 8.8 round top, 9 no cover (3rd member comes out the front by the driveshaft). Um... you could always look in the DOOR of the car/truck. Most of them have a sticker that says what size rear end and SOMETIMES what ratio.
Great vid. That tbird with it's looked an awfully lot like our Commodore centre sections interesting...i might be conspiracy theorist cos now I think Holden used Ford centre sections.
I had a 1998 Ford Expedition XLT. 8.8 Rear under warranty they paid $1000.00 to get it rebuilt. After a year rear blow out again. No more warranty. I paid $900.00 for a used rear at a local junk yard. That was about 10 years ago.
AH the joy of Pick a Parts. For the wrenching types it's like being a kid in a candy store. Just by looking at cover...won't the 8.8 have a more "square"...albeit rounded corners....shape vs the 7.5 would be more rectangular...wider than tall?
use the 8.8 out of an explorer! easiest to find, easiest to modify, spring pads on the same side as your falcon! alternately, a comet/maverick's 8" rear will work but no traclock, no decent gearing, and good luck finding one!
+CKYJDM98 You can get the shortened, but ideally finding one close enough to the right width would save a crapton of work and money. Then again getting one shortened, and in that process rebuilt is probably going save you frustration in the future anyway
The best thing to do is get an 8" from a 70-77 comet or maverick. They were 5 lug from 74 and up and there not to hard to find. My maverick has an 8 inch and I will be using a v8. Alot of maverick guys in the tri-state area.
Those aren't the first generation rangers f.y.i. The first gen rangers were actually a full sized truck. The ones being called out as first gen are actually second.
+Amrikanpsyko00 Yes they are. Ranger used to be a trim package on full sized trucks. Explorer was also a trim package on those trucks. That's like saying those aren't first gen explorers, they are second gens because first gens are full sized trucks en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_F-Series_sixth_generation
Shortening a rear end really isn't that bad. A good fab shop can chop the axle tubes to length, square them to the center section, and weld the collars. Shouldn't cost you much more than the rear end itself, its mostly labor. You'll need to get axles made to length.
Crown Vics, Grand Marquis, and Town Cars all have 8.8 rears. For all years. 79-11. They would probably be the width you were looking for. Probably too late now. Maybe it will help someone.
Dangerous to use? I thought you said it was going to be a cruiser not a tire burner. I love how you go to the fox bodies but ignore the 60s mustang sitting right there which may have had an 8 or a 9 inch. Wider than the Falcon? A bit but also would be easier to bolt to the car. Probably should have looked up what an 8.8 looked like before ya left as well. Also don't understand the whole disk brake thing for the rear as well. Sure, up front if ya wanna stop use disks. This car is looking less and less like a regular car and more like any TV car rebuild. I had hopes that I may learn a few things to help with my Comet but if this video tells me anything I should watch just for a laugh.
narrowing axles isnt that big a deal. also cant you just run a wheel with a different offset in the rear to make up for a small difference? you said that one you found was only an inch or so off.
Just be careful you don't get the dreaded 8.75" turd. It looks a lot like the 8.8. The 8.75" is found in a lot of late 70's cars. It has WER on the axle tag. Avoid the Fox Body stuff. In addition to having a 4 lug (which is a different bolt pattern from the Falcon 4 lug) you'd have to shorten both sides and cut off all the trailing arm and spring mounts.
