Axle for sale

"Paul, Man of Mustangs" (stangmanpaul)
11/27/2013 at 15:32 • Filed to: None

Ditching the 8" from the 'Stang, so I figure one of you guys might want it. I'm willing to either build it to suit, or sell it as-is after replacing the bearings and filling it with new fluid.

Ford 8" for sale

DISCUSSION (17)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/27/2013 at 16:08

If I was rebuilding my Ranchero stock, I'd be all over this, but since I'm going Jag...

Good luck on getting it sold, though.

StoneCold > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/27/2013 at 16:13

What diameter is the rear anti-roll bar? Just curious.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > StoneCold
11/27/2013 at 17:54

5/8", I think? It's been so long since I bought it. You have to make sure that the chassis mount is secure, though. It tends to rattle if it's not tightened down very snug.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/28/2013 at 00:10

What are you replacing it with and for what purpose?

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Philbert/Phartnagle
11/28/2013 at 00:44

It's been replaced by an 8.8 attached with a Griggs Racing GR350 system. It was cheaper and easier for me to use an 8.8 with a limited slip already attached than to try using the 8", adding in a limited slip and other things. The 8.8 is also stronger and more efficient to start with. That, and Griggs doesn't support the 8", as there are stronger options available.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/28/2013 at 02:14

Good choice IMO. There are many mods and strengthening things you can do to the 8.8 and it is lighter than the popular 9" rear end.

I run the 8.8 in my Mustang with the Auburn Pro locker center section. The Auburn Pro has cone clutches and works very well, but the only downfall to it is that it is not rebuildable. Once it's worn out, it's just so much scrap metal. I also have the LPW girdle for my 8.8 and I will add the axle tube supports in due time.

I'd rather have the Detroit Locker center section because it is stronger and has no clutches to wear out. I will have it eventually, but that will have to wait on other mods to be completed first. I enjoy reading about your car and mods, so keep us informed please.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Philbert/Phartnagle
11/28/2013 at 11:46

Griggs Racing's Old Blue runs a Detroit Locker. It can be used effectively on a road course. Personally, I want a Torsen. The way it works just seems perfect.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/28/2013 at 14:57

Cool, everyone has their choice and there is nothing wrong with a Torsen at all.

I choose the Detroit Locker for it's strengths and the simple fact that it has been around for so long and used with so much success. Lots of people do not like it because of the clicking, rattling noises it makes during low speed cornering or backing up. To me that's just a sign that it's working properly. My Auburn will make the same noises if you don't run a friction modifier in the oil.

Funny story about that, I got a huge discount on my car because the dealer I bought it from thought the rear end was going out because of that noise, along with another issue they thought the car had. The previous owner had just spent (I still have the receipts for the parts and work.) over $12000 in upgrades and mods on the car. Because the dealer he traded it in to thought the rear end was going out and that it had a blown head gasket, I got it for $5250. Turns out the "head gasket leak" was just an improperly blocked off antifreeze fitting that had ran to the throttle body spacer. They had used a vacuum cap to block off the fitting and we all know that vacuum caps were never meant to hold pressure. :)

If you don't mind me asking, what do you use your car for and which engine do you have?

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Philbert/Phartnagle
11/28/2013 at 15:53

I mostly use mine for street driving and the occasional autocross. It's got a 289 that's been worked on a bit, but it could use some headers and better flowing heads.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/28/2013 at 17:32

A set of AFR 165 heads would really wake it up. There are documented articles about those heads adding as much as 100 HP on some SBF engines.

What do you have for a carburetor?

My car has a Keith Craft Racing 5.0 in it and I use it for mostly street driving and some occasional strip action, but it's been a long time since I last went to the strip. Future plans are for a 427 stroker (351W) eventually, but first I'm adding a Paxton Novi 2000 SC to the 5.0 and plan to see how much power I can make safely without splitting the block.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Philbert/Phartnagle
11/28/2013 at 20:48

I've heard awesome things about the AFR Outlaw heads, and I seriously want a set. As for a carburetor, I'm running an Edelbrock 600 cfm 1406, but I kinda want a Holley. I think a 500-550 would be perfect for my current combination, although the 600 is ready for future upgrades.

I've heard of built 5.0s taking up to 600 hp before the lifter valley cracked. Just needs blueprinting and a stud girdle, along with an appropriately strong bottom end.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/29/2013 at 01:12

I prefer the Holley carbs too. The Edelbrock carbs I've owned and worked on just never did perform or hold up as well as the Holley carbs. You should be fine with 600 cfm, Ford small blocks seem to like being slightly over carbureted. I used to run 750 Holleys on my carbureted 302s and just tune them to work. They always performed flawlessly for me.

My engine is already balanced and blueprinted and I have the DSS Main Support System for it. I chose the DSS because it is all thick aluminum construction and is said to help dampen out any unwanted harmonics. I'm also going to add the Valley Girdle Pro for a little extra insurance. The bottom end is forged except for the crankshaft which is at least cast steel instead of cast iron. It is the one piece that concerns me a bit, but the cast steel is a good bit stronger than the factory cast iron. I'll just have to see how it turns out.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Philbert/Phartnagle
11/29/2013 at 17:52

With my engine setup, I'm not sure if it's running too rich or too lean or if there's a vacuum leak somewhere or what. It just likes more and more fuel. Could be the carb, could be the fuel is too warm, could be there's a vacuum leak. I have no idea right now.

Using aluminum bits to brace steel does cancel out vibrations because aluminum has a different resonant frequency than steel. In fact, the aluminum control arms I have don't transmit any noise to the chassis, even though they have rod ends in them.

I really want to make my 289 into a high-rpm motor, like 7500 rpm, but my current bottom end probably can't take those speeds. I'd need a new crank and rods to be reliable, but I'm not sure anyone makes a high-strength 289 crank.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/29/2013 at 18:34

You should think about getting a wideband air/fuel gauge for tuning the carb. They make it much easier to get your mixture and jets right. If you don't have one already I'd also run one of the insulating spacers to help isolate the carb from the intake heat. Mr Gasket used to have one that was 3-4 oversized aluminum plates separated by thick gaskets that worked very well for that purpose.

That's nice to know about the control arms. I have a set of the old Southside lift bars (lower control arms) on the rear of my Mustang and they work great at helping plant the rear tires to the pavement. They still make them, but they are called UMI Lift Bars now. I'm going to have to check into finding or maybe fabbing a set out of aluminum.

I think you can still find a good forged steel crank for your 289, if not maybe you can use the 302 crank and build a stroked 289? That along with some good forged pistons and some forged H-beam rods should get you the reliability you need for high RPM usage. Try Ohio Crankshaft and see if they have a forged 289 crank.

Back in the late 70's to early 80's there was a guy in a neighboring town that had a 65 Mustang coupe with a built, high revving 289. He revved his to 9500 RPM and it was a screaming little SOB. I personally saw him launch it on the street with drag slicks and pull the front wheels about two feet off the ground. It was a bad ass little Ford and it put a lot of built 350 Chevys back on their trailers.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Philbert/Phartnagle
11/29/2013 at 18:44

I do have a spacer, but it is one of those Spectre Performance ones, and I think it may have promoted a vacuum leak. So it's no longer on there. I might also be having hood clearance issues if I go much taller. When I get headers, I'm going to have them bunged for O2 sensors, for sure.

Someone sells pre-tapped aluminum bars in different lengths for control arms. It's just a tube with left and right-hand threads for rod ends. I forget who, though. Or you can get them from Griggs. Might have them in the exact length you need. Now, the rod end arms do transmit vibrations, just not much noise.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Paul, Man of Mustangs
11/30/2013 at 00:06

With the spacer I mentioned in the previous post you can tailor the height with the aluminum plates and gasket stack. Just leave out what you need to get the correct clearance.

That's good to hear about the bars, I'll see if I can't search them out. Do you reckon they will stand up to some hard launches on slicks?

The rod ends won't bother me, I already have them in the top control arms and the exhaust will cover any noise they make. ;)

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Philbert/Phartnagle
11/30/2013 at 00:16

I'm pretty sure they will. They're fairly beefy, probably double or triple the thickness of a comparable steel arm.