Apparently I'm missing something or I don't have any data in my DIY link to capture deciphering rear gear Ford axle tags
is this a 2.73?
my son's 88 5.0 bird sport
looked at coolcats.net and eric shows some info but im wondering if i see this correctly as a 2.73?
Yep......2.73 Limited Slip in a 7.5" rear.
Did they use 7.5's in '88's?? My Sport had a 8.8".
His 88 sport has this tag.
now, the car really realy pulls hard,, and i cant for the life of me understand why his pulls so well. My 20th is low geared and his car feels like twice the car.
its got me wondering if the rear has been upgraded. Car came from an old board member Scott Branner.
It was a mixed bag of 7.5" & 8.8" for '88, my '87 Sport had same as Scott pictured...
Possibly had to do with which brakes were on it???
Maybe the gears had been changed. I can't see 2.73's pulling hard.
with identical engines and transmissions, suspension ect.
you would think i would certainly feel the differences, his has dual exhaust 2 1/2'', Exploder upper / lower and a larger throttle body..
if thats all it takes to make life better for the poor ol 5.0, i belive it may not be too much of a sacrafice to deviate from the original aspects of the 20th design to gain in flow.
i like doing the sorta invisible upgrades, i hope i can keep the 20th as close to oem as possible with respect to original design. i think in a few years id be forgiven for getting rid of a y pipe in trade for dual exhaust and bolt on the BBK's i got long ago from my pal down in va beach!
ooppsssss... back on topic,,,,
yes most certainly the sport compared to the coug with identical rear gears, the sport flat out feels much different. Im going to call up scott (the last owner) and find out if he did any drive train changes.
Jack the rear end of his car up off the ground, Rotate one of the tires a complete revolution, have someone count how many revolutions the driveshaft makes during the one tire revolution. That will get you in the ballpark for the rear gear ratio that is in the car, in case it had ever been changed.
If youre changing the diff fluid, do the tooth counting procedure, # ring gear teeth/ #pinion teeth 41 ring gear teeth/ 10 pinion teeth= 4.10 ratio for example
My Sport had a 7.5 stock, 10" drums. (The smooth ones, no fins. This is for future info-seekers.)
Heya, Dan B., was it possible a previous owner swapped in your 8.8, or do you seem to know it was factory? We all know some '88 XR7's had the 8.8 drum rear, this is the first I've heard of an '8 Sport with it. In fact, every Tbird/Cougar I see in the salvage yards, regardless of engine, trim, or options, I always check the rear end, to see what brakes and rear it has.