Hey!
Just joined here, looks like an awesome place.
Here's my '88 TBird Sport
(http://i.imgur.com/uEQrgob.jpg)
Welcome... Any mods on the sport?.Looks good.
Pretty much all stock, been spending my time setting her right.
The car sat for about 5 years with a fuel delivery problem before I picked it up.
Nice Bird. Mine is a Sport as well. You're in the right place for doing mods, keeping it stock, or going in whatever direction you have in your mind for the old Bird. Welcome to the forum. Enjoy.
Very nice welcome
I really want to pick up a sport one day
Welcome aboard. Very nice ride.
Just figured I'd give a little update on my build.
A while back my 7.5" trac-lok diff became tired of my driving habits...
(http://i.imgur.com/8fTHOpJ.jpg)
And it decided to take the easy way out of the punishment...
(http://i.imgur.com/W7gXuPT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/j9HgEXi.jpg)
So I had to pull the carrier out and swap it with an open rear from a Ranger.
But when the rear failed it took a couple of nice big chips out of the pinion gear so it makes plenty of not-so-happy noises
So after that, the hunt for an 8.8 began.
While I was searching a friend came forward and gave me an Eibach Sportline kit which I of course immediately put on the car to glorious results...
(http://i.imgur.com/3MFwRtK.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/huTpRhn.jpg)
I looked everywhere for a Mark 7 rear end and none showed up, and just when I was about to give up hope...
(http://i.imgur.com/DLF9ujN.jpg)
I stumbled across this bad boy from a '92 Mustang
Its a locker with 3.27 gears, which is the ratio I wanted.
So this week I'll be doing some refurbish work to it and swapping the 10" brakes off of my car
It is 4-lug but seeing as I've got 3 sets of 4 lug wheels this seemed like the more reasonable course of action.
Sorry about the Giant photos.... Didn't realize they would come up like that....
There we go! All re-sized and forum friendly.
The Mustang rear will decrease your track width by a couple inches, give or take.
But, since you have an 8.8 rear, AND the Sport 10" backing plates, THIS (http://"http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?33996-10-quot-drums-on-a-TC-8.8-with-5-lug-axles.-Update-and-success!") thread might just be of interest to you.
Carnage !! Lol
Nice car I like that color
I am aware of the skinnier wheel track, but I have a hook up on some bolt on spacers to remedy that issue.
How did you break the 7.5" rear? I'm still running a 7.5" and I've run the car at the track with the mods in my signature. It's still in once piece (knock on wood).
The drive pin retaining bolt failed and it just went downhill from there... Haha
I blame my inherent desire to get sideways around every turn.
I love the look! Im thinking about plastidipping my grill black to see how I like it on my 88. Btw, I'm one of the Instagram Thunderbird guys.
Hey! Haha,
Yeah, I dipped the grill and all the trim and I love it.
After a long evening of wrenching the 8.8 is in!
A few notes:
-The way the brakes are plumbed from the body is different than on the '92 Stang I got the rear end from. But luckily with some finesse I was able to use the brake lines from the 7.5 rear on the 8.8 which made the plumbing for the Bird's 10" sport brakes way easier.
-The quad shock mounts on the 8.8 rear have a welded on nut that a bolt threads into while the 7.5 quad shock rear uses a regular nut with a carriage bolt and a retaining clip.
All in all it was very successful!
Pictures to follow!
Nice!
Sweet
I have a 8.8 in mine. I also started dipping my grill today. I'm thinking about doing my hood scoops as well.
Are the Eibach Sportline springs you have on your Bird from an sn95 mustang?
Saw that comment on Instagram. Yeah they are. I don't like the rear but the front fits perfectly. No rubbing anywhere I just think the rear is too low.
Where are those pics at? Also, glad you got the 8.8 in. I'm looking to replace mine with another TC piece with the disc brake pieces in tack.
Here's the best picture I've gotten so far with it. Haven't had too much time.
(http://i.imgur.com/iv786pI.jpg)
As you can see, there is a noticeable difference in the rear width.
I had thought about going with a SN95 rear end with 5-lug and disc brakes but I didn't feel like adding the proportioning valve and having to buy new wheels because I have 3 sets in 4x108
It all worked out way cheaper this way and I'm very happy with the results.
The 3.27s pull beautifully without over revving the engine and I am very happy to have my locker back.
Glorious burnouts!
Get some wheel spacers and call it a day
Slammed birds FTW !!
Pop in some Tbird/Cougar axles, the matching brake setup, and forget the spacers. ;)
(little more work, but also, a little safer. I just don't care for spacers...too much shiznit to break or come loose, especially with the chinese junk nowadays)
I've had my fair share of experience with spacers and never once had an issue. I am also opened up to some different possibilities for wheels this way as well.
Also, what I read and heard from other people is that I couldn't run the other axles because it wouldn't allow the brakes to line up properly.
If you swap to the proper length Tbird/Cougar axles, it stands to reason that you can alsu use the Tbird/Cougar brakes as well, and negate that lining up issue ;)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not picking on you, I'm just suggesting that you CAN use the proper length axles AND the required brake parts to attain the correct width, rather easily, in fact.
And, the best part of all, the axles that I mentioned are also still 4 lug. :)
If I'd have known this a couple years ago, I would have saved a set or two of axles from my 7.5 '88 Bird I sped, for a future big drum, 4 lug car to run turbines on. Oh well...
Btw, I posted some measurememnts in Vinnie's destruction thread, if you want to compare lengths of the axles and stuff.
Edit; do you still have your 7.5 from your Sport? Swap your axles, ALL brake components into the Stang 8.8, and there's your big drum, 4 lug 8.8 rear, that's also the proper width. ;)
They don't just swap over though... I mean I had both the 7.5 and 8.8 out of the car and disassembled and when I swapped the 7.5 Tbird axles into the 8.8 rear they wouldn't allow for proper fitment of the brakes. They didn't allow the drums to sit as close to the backing plates as they were supposed to.
Thats why I had to run the Mustang axles. Believe me, if I could've run the Bird axles I would have because I didn't want to replace the 2 bent studs on the Mustang ones.
I see the problem, d'oh. I should've known that, as many times as Chuck has yelled at me for it, lol.
The Sport's 7.5 housing is wider than the 8.8 housing, so unless you can get backing plates from an '83-'85 Tbird/Cougar rear with the 10" drums, the Sport stuff will not work with Tbird axles in an 8.8, as you've personally found out, and my apologies for my mistake.
There's apparently 2 different backing plates for the big drums, one for the "narrow" '83-85 7.5 rear, and another for the "wider" (oddball) '86-'8 7.5 rear. So my guess is that the older backing plates would be the ticket your particular car (and Vinnie's, if he were to decide to go the same route) need, with Tbird axles, in order for stock big drum 4 lug setups. Therefor it stands to reason that the crown vic drums I used are deeper to make up that difference, as I DID use my Sport's original backing plates.
Unless you wanted to find a way to cross reference for a deeper 4 lug 10" drum, I don't think there's any other way short of spacers to gain that width back...gain, my apologies for the mistake in the overlooking of the housing widths. ALL the 10" drums have to be the same, the backing plates must be wherein that bit of width difference is found, because ALL the Tbird axles are the same length... it Ford..why so silly with things!? LOL
I've seen both deep and regular hats on 9" drums before.
Check out foxbody tbirds and cats on Facebook also guys
Bad news guys... My right foot got a little to excited on my way home from work tonight and the nice quick gears and the locker got me in trouble... =[
Got the rear end a little squirrelly and johnny law caught me.
Reckless operation...
Been working on the car!
(http://i.imgur.com/7wmNaE0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/WRmRv2L.jpg)
Nice. New intake. Cobra, GT-40, Or Explorer? Either way, good choice. They all flow the same.This would've been the perfect time to install an H.O cam if you are still running the stocker.
I just saw the post ahead f this one when you got caught by "Johnny Law". LOL. What did that cost you?