Hi guys. I know its been awhile since i've posted so i thought i would let ya'll up to date. I've rebuilt the numbers matching 302 in my 72 maverick and put a 3 speed in her. i just pulled the axle stated above out of my wrecked 95 explorer and about to stick it under my mav. I'm kinda going into this blind with the exception that I got my dad helping me but any advice would help. Thanks guys Rooster
I think the leaf perches will have to be moved. Explorer rear ends have offset center sections so I am not sure what, if any, alignment and or vibration issues you may run into as a result. What you may think about doing is narrowing the longer axle to match the shorter side and then relocating the perches. This will net you a narrowed rear that will have a centered chunk.
well one of the reasons i picked this axle is because its a few inches longer than my stock axle.. the other reason i used it is cuz its geared lower and i had it layin around i knew the perches were gonna have to be relocated but thats no big deal just a little cuttin and weldin. as far as the off center chunk i did my research BEFORE i dropped the axle and everywhere i looked it said that there was enough room under the car that it wouldnt matter. im pretty sure its gonna be an easy enough swap for now. I am gonna have to to a little driveshaft fabricating but thats no biggy either. If it doesnt turn out the way i want it to im gonna look for a slightly wider 9" pos
Good luck, man! I'm very interested in this swap myself, so if you go through with it, please document what you did and the results.
ill keep you guys posted and TRY to take some pics as i go...maybe while im at it i'll actually put up some of my mavs. there not much but better than any bow tie lol
I was looking at doing this myself a while back, but lucked out and got a 3:55 for the stock rear. I was planning on narrowing the long side of the Explorer axle only to make the whole housing 2 inches wider than the stock rear. That would have centered the tires in the wheelwell. If you are wanting to use the Explorer axle without narrowing, you will need to run low offset wheels, like the new Mustang has. I am old school and like wheels that have some dish to them. Regarding the offset center ... having some offset is a good thing, and all cars need that when running a driveshaft. If it isn't side-to-side, it is up-and-down, and typically an inch or so. If you aimed a trans tailshaft right at the pinion with no offset, the driveshaft would wobble badly. It is possible to go too far though, and I don't what the spec for that is in angles off the top of my head. You might want to measure the stock driveshaft side angle on the Explorer prior to pulling the axle. Not sure if the engine is centered in them or offset, too. Good luck with it, and keep us updated if you go through with it.
I think it's going to be offset 4 inches to the side, and I know one member at least who has run it this way. Apparently the tunnel could do with a little minor clearancing, but it works. And new Mustang wheels are exactly what I have, so I'll be doing it this way too. Would love to throw those spacers away.
just a picture of the axle and a picture of the donor vehicle. im so excited about gettin the mav her new legs
