Backstory: Taking the tranny out Got sidetracked thinking it might be a good time to swap the rear for 5 lug as well (already did the front with Granada spindles). Read a bunch of posts. 8" seems least involved swap but the prices in the posts I've seen seem a bit dated. Going rate for an 8" 5-lug if they're still findable? I'll upgrade the gears once I get it. My junkyards haven't had a maverick or comet in a loooong time. Thanks
I just sold one for $250 - it was nice with good brakes and e-cables. From an automatic with 2.79 gears
Sounds like definitely up from the $150 prices discussed here back in 2006. Still not prohibitive- but nice to know the range. Thanks
Not sure where you are at in NC but I have a drum to drum 5 lug 8" unsure of gears that I'd be willing to part with here in SC. PM if interested.
Of course, my sale was in the northern rustbelt - where nice exterior things are harder to come by. I would think in a state with less salt use a nice one would be a little cheaper. I have probably given more parts away for free than I ever sold - and 4 out of the 5 rear ends that I have sold, went to guys building a GM hot rod of some type as they all want the narrow Maverick rear.
Maverick 8 inch rears are very popular with street rod guys. One of the narrowest 5 bolt Ford rears out there. Anyone looking to put some wide tires on wheels with more of a factory offset would be well off to go 1.5 inch wider overall than the factory Mav rear axle. That means the wheel is more centered in the rear tub, and would be .75 inch further away from the leaf spring. IIRC a rear out of a 1968 Falcon would be the closest I have seen to this. The spring pads are still in the right place for that to be a bolt in for our cars.
I have sold a lot of 8" rear axles over the years. They have never gone to a Maverick person. Always to a street rod person.
That comment about the falcon makes me wish I didn't loose my parts interchange catalog (oops). @TC87 - I could definitely be interested. Checking out disc brake options for these rears but been swamped. I'm not far from Raleigh NC. Always thought I'd do the explorer rear... but yea... 8" seems easier to be done with it
Any five lug Falcon '66-'69(incl early '70) will have same dimensions and I'm not sure they aren't same as Fairlane/Torino. That series Falcon is same width wise, just shorter. The '70/'71 Fairlane/Torino are wider than '66/'69. I'm thinking you probably have to go back to '64/'65 Falcon to find one narrow enough. Those are no doubt harder to find than Maverick. EDIT OK I pulled up Ford Master Parts listings Five lug '66-'69, Falcon, Fairlane & Mustang. This is for both 8" & 9" including 31 spline R/H axle 31 1/8" L/H axle 27 1/16" Maverick 8" Five lug R/H axle 29 5/8" L/H axle 25 9/16 Soooo Maverick axles are each 1½" shorter than their larger brothers. Unless you cut wheel wells I don't see those rears fitting reguardless of wheel off set. BTW The '65 Falcon five lug axles are approx ½" longer than Maverick
I must have been looking at a chart listing axle widths, and if it is the one I kind of remember there was controversy surrounding it and some of the listings. Sorry guys... I probably would have been really ticked off if I had brought home one I found in the salvage yard 10 years ago. The narrowed Explorer rear end has a lot going for it... good gears, posi, disc brakes, a really neat parking brake setup. Best of all, the salvage yards have them by the dozens. No road salt here, people wear these out before retiring them. Narrowing it is not for beginners, nor is redoing spring perches.
