1968 8"mustang rear end in 1966 Mustang

ezstang · Dec 13, 2011

Hello All-

Ok this is my first post! I have a 1966 Mustang Coupe that I'm putting a 89 5.0 HO motor in (Carburated) and 85 Police AOD Transmission. I have did the 5 lug conversion with 1968 Spindles and a 68 Rear end. At the time I redid the rear end I did not realize it was 2" longer. It is already in the car with 4.5" backspacing tires. As you can imagine the tires stick out about an inch on each side. With that being said I also have the rear end lifted 3/8inch with different leaf spring shackles. This is a rolling chassis still so my questions are:

1. Will I be able to run the set up the way it is? If so anything to look for?

2. If I decide I don't like the inch tires sticking out can I just change rear rims to 5.5" backspacing with 4.5" in the front?

3. If this rear end is going to cost me nothing but problems what is the best rear end to run with under 300Hp?

Thanks for all in advance who respond. I am doing a V-8 restoration for first time but have been around the block with Inline 6 before

rbohm · Dec 13, 2011

the rear end is too wide for a 66 car. you can have the rear end narrowed the needed amount for a reasonable sum.

chepsk8 · Dec 17, 2011

Yup, 1" to wide per side. If you want to junkyard scrounge, look for old V-8 Falcons or Fairlanes. Or, different rims or body mods. What about spring pad mounting locations, u-joints, parking brake, and other items associated with the rear swap? Definitely a new driveshaft with the AOD and shorter length. As well, the leaf springs in the 6-cyl car may not hold up as well to 2X to 3X the HP.

Front suspension is a whole 'nuther animal. Read the swap stickies on top of the forum, there is ALOT to do up front.

I have put a 5.0/AOD in a 1969, and I can tell you the AOD is a MUCH LARGER transmission, so things will get tight in the tunnel and rear of engine comparment. Research this one heavilly too. Shifter needs mods as well. Do a search here, many of us have done it.

LOTS of work ahead, but a great project once done.

What gears are in the 8" rear? This is a chance to put in some good gears to give the car some great easy pick-up, and let OD keep it quiet on the highway. I went up to 3.55 when I did the swap, you can easilly do more, as the OD has a final ratio of about .68:1.

Dan

1968 8"mustang rear end in 1966 Mustang

ezstang

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rbohm

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1968 8"mustang rear end in 1966 Mustang

ezstang

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