Rear End Options?

I have a 4 lug 8" rear. I've thought about converting it to 5 lug and swaping in some 3.70 gears and trying to get a decent tire out back. At least a 275/60/15 --But I'm not sure if this is possible.

I know the 9" is a popular option and bolts right up in some cases. I've also heard that the 9" in typicaly longer than the 8" which would mean it may have to be shortend to get the wider wheel/tire to fit--right?

Other people claim the 8.8 is the way to go. This is a 4 link rear--right? So what mods need to be done?

Finally, is there any company that sells rear ends for Mavericks that will bolt right up and can be custom prep to spec? I think I'd be willing to spend some money for a properly set up rear in which I can bolt up some wide tires and get the right "look."

What I need to do is find one of you that already has my desired lookand just copy what you've done.

Any suggestion are welcomed--Thanks, Dan

 

I don't like the 8.8-inch...It's strong but it has C-clip axels like the GM 10 and 12 bolt. If you are serious about racing, definitelu get a 9-inch. Otherwise, a 5-lug 8-inch is fine.

any '67-'70 Mustang 9-inch will fit and be only 2-inches wider than your stock rearend. That's hwere wheels will play a role in determining how wide of tires you can run...

 

Earlier Explorers have 8.8 leaf spring rears.
Don't worry about the C clips. For 99% of the uses you will put them to, you would never have a problem.
My Lincoln has them in a 4000 lb car with a blower yet.

 

Explorer rears also have 31-spline axles too, don't they? Mine did. certain ones also had disk brakes. was wider than stock 8" by like three inches. Many explorers had 3.73 with posi from factory too. just build up your 8" with a good set of axles from Moser or similar aftermarket company and you'll be fine for better than 90% of driving needs.

 

I would not go quite so deep in gearing with the 347, 3.55's should work great but traction will still be an issue with the torquey 347. For all around use the 8in will hold up fine as is. For all out racing 8.8 or 9's with some mods are the way to go. Have a shortened 9in in my Fairmont drag car running original 8in axles that were in my sons Maverick and I guess they have over a thousand passes on them. 302, 331. 351 and even a 393 could not break them, running up to 10.5 MT slicks and 4.86 gears. These are 28 spline also, my son has gone to 31 Moser's for the peace of mind and safety at 118mph passes now. I still run those original 8in axles as stated before, when the money comes I may get the Moser's too. Problem with the 8in rear is getting a posi unit other than a mini spool, but they are available for a sizeable investment, 9in are a little more common and cost is fairly reasonable. Have a picture of sons 75 Mav with stock rear and the size tires you are looking for, on weld wheels. Will post when I find it. Hope this helps a little on your decision.

 

dan, this months (july) mustang and ford magazine has an article with a width chart on the ford rearends. they also note that currie makes a c-clip eliminator kit. old guy, i don't know if things have changed at moser but when i bought my axels and spool from them the 31 spline had no guarantee whereas the 33 spline had a 10 year guarantee and were both the same price.

 

The rear ends out of the early model Broncos (66-77) are 9 inch, have 31 spline axles, and wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface, measure 58 inches - 1 1/12 inches longer than the Maverick 8 inch housing. 3/4 inch extra length on each side is nothing. You will have to move the spring perches. I believe a Maverick's spring perches are 43 inches apart and the the Bronco is 36 inches. I have two Bronco housings and looking at a third. You can either have the Bronco axles drilled to be a 4 1/2 inch lug pattern (they are 5 inch) or buy new ones. I'm looking forward to putting them in my '71 and '72 Mav.

 

Thanks guys this is good info. Does anyone know where to start looking for a actual 8" posi center section? If I can't get that then I'll probably go with the Bronco 9" route as mentioned on this thread.--Dan

 

I was at the good guys car show today and saw several 9" rearends that would have bolted in a maverick. Not any 8" rears though but you can find 8" posi's on E bay...I'll be removing my 8" soon you can have mine.

 

Dan, I put a 9" rear (3.55 Traction-Lok) from a Lincoln Versailles in my '72 CoMav, and although it's kind of cool to have 4 wheel disc brakes, it's a bit too big and clunky for the car. If I had it to do over I'd have used a 5-lug 8" unit and found a modern disc brake conversion kit. As has been stated above, the 8" is plenty strong for street use.

Sam

 

Does anyone have a Part Number for the correct aftermarket 5 lug axles? I know you'd have to specify the number of splines when ordering. I'm just wondering who I can order these axles from. --Dan

 

You cant swap in 5 lug axles in your 4 lug housing, the bearing is different if I remember corectly.

 

Boy that stinks. Can anyone second this info as true? (not that I doubt you). Anyone?

 

Rcomet75 is correct. Easiest is to find a whole rear and swap it out.

 

Maverick/Comet rearends are dime-a-dozen in the junkyards...Should be easy to get yourself an 8-inch 5-lug assembly. The gears will only be 2.79 or 3.00 and none of them are limited-slip, but you can get gears or a different center section for it...