i'm new to the board just got internet not to long back and i am in te process of rebuilding a 72' mav grabber w/ 302 and c-4. i want to swap to a t-5 and a 9" rearend but dont' know what i need! i know i'll have to cut the driveshaft but i saw in summit that ford racing has an aluminum driveshaft for 159.99, and i wanted to know where can i get a9" rearend and how much should i expect to pay for one and what will i need to do to mount the t-5 tranny in the ole maverick. i was thinking ofjust sticking with 3.50 gears in the 9" if i get it ...or what doyou think? higher?.........i need it for traveling gas mileage and so the engine wont run so hard at 60 mph. thanks for reading....and any inf would be greatly appreciated. thanks again....
unless you have more than 350 HP you really don't need to go to a 9". the 8" is a pretty stout rear end for a mild motor. you can get new gears from summit in 3:55 or 3:00 for it. currie has them in 2:80, 3:00, 3:25, 3:55, 3:80, 4:11, and 4:63. unless your going to build a hipo motor you can save yourself some money or use the 8" for now and do the 9" later on. good luck
I put a T5 in my '70 about 5 years ago. Used an adaptor plate from California Pony Cars. This is such a popular swap now a lot of places sell adaptor kits. The T5 input shaft is slightly longer than the old 3- and 4-speeds, about 3/8" if I remember right, and the adaptor is 3/8" thick so it mates with the stock clutch perfectly. The rear cross member had to be relocated and the internal rail shift linkage required some tunnel "massaging". Your tunnel is larger than a '70's so you might not have a problem here. I had a custom driveshaft made by the Driveline Shop. I found them in an add in the back of Hot Rod or Car Craft. Called them up and the guy asked me a lot of questions about my car (engine, trans, rear, HP, tires, intended use, etc.). I had to specify the u-joint center-to-center distance. He made a 3" steel thick wall tubing shaft with bullit proof u-joints and a new slip yoke, spin balanced as a unit, for $200 including shipping. About eight years ago I installed a 9" rear w/ 3.89 gears. They have been great on the highway. With the T5's fifth gear overdrive at .69:1 it equals a 2.68 final drive ratio. Plus the stiff first gear fries the tires
thanks for the info i thank you for the info all of you guys, as fo the rearend later i am getting a 347 stroke kit put in with some heads and a cam so it will be over 350hp probably around 400 or so. thats why i was wondering if the 8" could handle it. but i guess it would be a pretty good mishap to put that much power in and snag second gear!!! also does anyone know where i can get a mustan 2 front end with coilovers....thats another mod coming within 2 or so months....so i guess i'll have to go to a 9".....thanks again.
Check out my link in my signature below. I have pretty much the same set-up as you want to build. I got the complete 9" rear from Currie Ent. for around $1500.
