I have the dreaded 4 lug axles.... and i need to put bigger rims on the back instead of the 14inch crappers..lol... right now i have 205 70 14..i want to get a 235 60 15 tire....9inch wide tread..i figure that will help get the power to the ground a little easier 1st question i have heard that i can get a 5 lug axle and it will go right in. and then i figured in would need new drums as well.... will the brakes clear?? 2nd question.. my car is a 1971 maverick with a 170 6cyl and a 3spd manual tranny ( well it used to be that is) what rear end do i have..someone said that its a 8inch...and then i heard someone say that the 170 had the 7.5inch how can i tell.... it is a front loader thats all i know.... no tag that i can find.. 3rd question 15X7 inch rim will fit what size tire and not hang over the rim too much 15X8 same question when i get the new whatever 5 lugs in the back i want rims and tires and i want something that wont flex the sidewall too much and grip the road good. frustrated in tucson arizona thanks for any help... email me at stmanser@cox.net
You have to look under the back of the car at the center section and see if you have an 8" rear (smooth housing) or 7.5" (removable cover plate). The 5-lug axles will slide right into an 8". A 7.5" will require a rear end swap. From previous discussions on here we found no consistant way to tell what rear you might find in a 6-cylinder car. The 7.5" inch rear will have small 9" diameter brakes, 8" rears generally have 10" diameter brakes.
Unless you are extremely lucky, the 5-lug axles will not work in your 4-lug housing. The bearings are bigger. I personally tried it while I had the axles out of my Grabber doing a third-member swap, and I have a buddy that has also tried it with some Maverick rear-ends that he has. Some have posted on here that they have done it, but I think that is a rare exception.
The only Mavericks that I ever found a 7.5 rear in was the very early 70's often referred to as the 69.5. Yours is an 8". As far as maximum tire sizes, it depends on the aspect ratio. Best thing to do is go to a tire store. They can tell you minimum width for the size you want.
5-lug axles will not go into a 4-lug housing,the bearings are different and the 4-bolt pattern that holds the axles to the housing are different.A 5-lug rear out of a later mav will go right in though.I found all this out the hard way.
