Wantin' to swap the rear out of my t-bird into my 80' wagon.
it's really to wide, even wider than the 8.8 out of a mustang 5 liter. I'd give the mustang 8.8 a try before the t bird one.
I dropped a 83 T-bird 7.5 in my 80 runabout,I'm also using 15x7 Saleen wheels.This keeps the tire's inside the wheel well.Had to cut off the inner and outer axle mounts,then weld on spring perchs that i got from Jegs along with a set of 3 inch u-bolts.
83' and 88', the same width?
They should be the same length because the axles are the same length 83-88.
If you use the T-Bird rear and mount it with 3 inch spring perches on the Pinto springs then you can use 15x7 or 16x7 Mustang or T-Bird wheels and not have to use any wheel spacers. I am using the 8.8 rear end and transmission(5 speed) out of a 88 T-Bird Turbo Coupe in my 72 wagon. I am using a 5.0 HO engine out of a 83 Mustang. I have a very nice complete Turbo engine along with computer,turbo,intercooler,starter,flywheel,bellhousing,etc. that I have no need for. I can be contacted at (803) 285-6387 after 6pm EDT. BMW
I remember seeing somebody cutting off the axle ends of an 8.8 and replacing them with 9" ends. That way you could eliminate the C-clips, and use a standard 9" 28 spline axle, or use a 31 spline 8.8 diff and 31 spline 9" axles. This setup would be plenty strong, and be somewhat cheap assuming you could do all the cutting and welding yourself.
If you wanted to do all those mods, then you could make the housing whatever breadth you like. :)
I just cannot believe some of the answers I see on these sites!! You would be looking for a lot of pain and trouble if you tried to cut and weld ends on axles. Whats wrong with 8.8 rears and C-clips? I have used 9 inch rear ends on many things over the years but I have also seen 8.8 5.0 Mustangs pull the front wheels off the ground many times and never tear up. Many different rear ends use C-clips and rarely give problems. A well built Pinto should weigh over 800 lbs. less than a 5.0 mustang and that sure takes a lot of stress away from a rear designed for a heavier car. Just go ahead and use a stock 8.8 rear and don't worry about it!!! BigBill
At higher levels of racing they are not allowed, as its too easy to lose an axle at speed. For the street they are fine. They were talking about welding the 9 inch axle tube ends on the 8.8 , not welding axles.
Gee Whiz! What kind of racing are you refering to? aren't ALL 10 bolt and 12 bolt chevy rear ends C-clips? And when you start making rear end housings"any width you want" axles become a big problem real quick! I have been around both drag racing and dirt track racing for many many years and when you advance to the big time nobody runs homemade housings or axles. I freely admit that C-clips are not the best thing in the world and 8.8 rear ends are not as strong as a 9 inch Ford(the best thats ever been) but they are at least as strong as an 8 inch and most of them have really good brakes and are probably made of stonger metal.(they do make some things better than they did 25 years ago)
The 8.8 is way stronger than the 8 inch for sure. There are stock suspension racing, where you have to use stock rear ends, mounting locations ect. There is a Mustang running an 8.8 in the 7.90's on drag radials on a stock type suspension car. Thats maybe an extreme, but i wouldn't want c clips on it if it was me driving! Most REAL race cars run some type of 9 inch knock off (strange ect) I agree with you, for most street use c clips aren't an issue, for a majority of racers it's not really an issue iether......but when i had my '92 5 liter with supercharger.....i eliminated the c clips, for piece of mind after i seen a mustang loose an axle at the stripe with stickies and nitrous, running slower times than me! To each their own i say.
You are 100% correct! My drag car has a 9 inch with 31 spline spool, axles, and ring and pinion all Strange parts. I think a lot of my wife's husband and I sure don't want to see him get hurt! There are some fairly cheap kits out there to eliminate C-clipsthat do not need a bunch of fabrication and anyone with good horsepower and a quick car surely needs them. But I doubt if my little 5.0 powered 72 wagon is going to need them.
i agree completly!
Here is an email i received from a friend this morning:
Hey Jeff,
I almost died last Thursday ,, the freakin axle broke off ,, the pin came out, i was doing 140km on the QEW, when the wheel came off i went side ways on the QEW for like 500m , that freakin car is getting fixed and I'm never driving it no more ( it scared the shizod out off me ) told Ron to sell it cos its going to be parked after its fixed ,
Oh can i park it at your place till i sell it ,, ask around its for $6000 ill take it .... END OF EMAIL.
The axle didn't break as i have the pictures, the c-clip came off at 85mph! The highway is a very busy one but its about 4 or 5 lanes wide so it didn't hit anything. Just something to think about.
That about sums up that discussion.
I did over 100 in my T-Bird. Nothing happened. The drivetrain will remain the same. I should br O.K. Right?
P.S. Thank you for all of the feedback. I will end up using the 8.8 . Hope all works out.
This will be my last post on this or any other site. I have been a mechanic for over 40 years and I have built or helped build many many hot rod cars. Alot of fords, Chevys and Chrysler products. Most of the people who talk with much knowledge about these subjects have never even seen the inside of a rear end of any kind. I can assure you with positive and long standing years of actual experience that C-clips DO NOT just come off. They either have to break into,or the axle has to tear up,or the axle has to break, or the center pin must come out of the center section. PERIOD. It just can't happen any other way. I guess Ford and Chevy have used them all these many years because they are no good! Have you ever seen a 454 Chevelle? Guess what holds it's axles in? You guys need to grow up, get some more REAL LIFE experience.
whoa, whats with the attitude? I posted a picture and an email, i didn't say it is a common occurance (i do think its wierd timing) And i found out the pin did come out, causing this axle to come out. I have seen the inside of many a diffs, Ford 9 inch 8.8 and 7.5 Dodge 8 3/4 and dana 60 and Chev 10 and 12 bolt. I don't know why this will be your last post here or any other site... ??? i don't have a problem with you and to my knowledge niether does anyone else, however....your attitude is just flat out uncalled for and unnessary. I appreciate the fact you have been a mechanic for over 40 years, your upinion on things is wanted on many different subject here at fordpinto.com by many of us who post questions, some may have different opinions than you (an i believe the 8.8 is a good strong axle an is well suited for a pinto conversion, with little if any worries of c clip failure or pin breakage) but you CANNOT get into a huff if someone doesn't take your side or point of view and take it so personaly, that you lash out with YOUR own personal attacks. That last statement "You guys need to grow up, get some more REAL LIFE experience" really comes off as ARROGANCE on your part, i don't need it and niether does anyone else. Your more than welcome to stay, as i said, any mechanic helping out those of us who are not mechanicaly inclined is what this site....and most other sites are all about. If your going to have... and GIVE attitude on your posts if someone doesn't agree with you, then be my guest and move on, we don't need it, and i'm sure any other sites you post on will be the same way. Feel free to email me or private message me about this if you like.  Jeff
ps. Bill, go through your posts on this site....i think if you read them you'll see YOU have a tendancy to go on the attack with your opinions. On one post you state you are hard headed, but i can tell you from 11 years of internet experiance on boards like this, it causes trouble and you likely won't be on ANY board for too long unless you lighten up, take your OWN advice, and grow up. Jeff
bigbill, you attacked my idea and I let it go. It was just a "what if" and I didn't say it was necessary. Jeff posts photos of it happening in a car that was not in a racing situation.
Now we're all jerks and your gonna give up the internet? Did I miss something? When did somebody post something negative about you or your life experiences? I thought this thread was a pretty decent thread until YOU attacked everybody.
Huh, interesting, but I still will not "race" a car with a "c" clip rearend. I have seen about a dozen axles come out on the track and seen what the car looks like when it pile drives into the side rail. No thanks, I'll spend the extra $$ to drive as safe as I can. ;D
Why wear a helmet when you don't plan on crashing? No, he probably won't ever break the 8.8, I never did in the 12 years I owned my mustang but if someone wants to run eliminators then whats the harm? I broke a drive shaft once at about 6000rpm. 5 years later, different car...stock combo...killer driveshaft...piece of mind, that all that matters to me. If you've been wrenching & racing for 40 years then offer friendly experienced advise, if you want to start a keyboard fight, then please go somewhere else.
Thanks Kris for the info, I wish I would have kept my turbo coupe rear & did some adapting instead of hunting all over the internet for 8" parts. I have a local fabricator that does the same mods & offered to true my housing, if I welded it, long before this post ever started. He too has been racing & building circle track cars forever.