i want to know about the rear end to cause i read on a post that the rear end is the same but the axles stick out further than the mustangs do. im wondering if i can just get the rear end from an explorer and just install the axles from the mustang. would that be possible? im still on four lugs cobra r wheels.
The axles are different yes, all the other stuff inside is the same. I believe the rear is a different length though and that mustang axles wouldnt reach far enough to be cliped into the carrier. Not 100% sure but the 3.73 gears in them work great!!
The axles are different yes, all the other stuff inside is the same. I believe the rear is a different length though and that mustang axles wouldnt reach far enough to be cliped into the carrier. Not 100% sure but the 3.73 gears in them work great!!
The Explorer rear end is dressed differently, the suspension mounting points are all wrong for a Mustang. You can use the gears and the 31 spline differential though. The Explorer tranny has an AWD transfer case on it, its electronically controlled, and its probably geared differently too, I wouldnt mess with it.
Auto trans 87-88 Tbird Turbo Coupes come with 3.73 gears and manual Turbo Coupes come with 3.55 gears.
Cost is $125-$300 for the rear axle. Add another $100-$200 or so to complete the brake upgrade.
I choose 3.55 since I do more highway driving. Both ratios have 10 5/16" disk brakes with vented rotors as standard equipment.
It takes 2 guys the first day to get the old rear end out and the new one bolted in place.
It takes 1 guy another whole day to do the brakes.
You will need a several sets of fittings, I recommend that you get them from Matt90GT's website, 87-93 Mustang 5.0 Brake upgrade pages. Improve your 60-0 times!. Read Matt's instructions thoroughly, everything you need to
know about the brakes is all there. You need to be patient and follow all the internal links, and
there are many of them. You will need 2 fittings in the rear to adapt your old brake tubing
to the TC disk brakes. The fittings go between the steel tube and the caliper brake hose.
You will need another set of fittings to make a 2 port to 3 port adapter. To make life simpler,
just buy the kits from Matt. You could piece them together, but it's not worth the time unless
you work at an auto parts store with all the fittings ever made.
You will need to drill the quad shock mounting holes 2” below the holes drilled for the Turbo Coupe
mounting points. The bolts are metric, so don’t loose them or the nuts. A 15/32” drill should be
about the right size unless you have access to metric sized drill bits. Going without quad shocks is
not an option unless you have aftermarket parts to soak up the wheel hop.
You will need a proportioning valve, Summit has one for $42 + shipping. Wilwood 260-8419
You will need a kit (FMS makes the part) to gut the stock proportioning valve, Summit also
has that, about $18. Ford Racing M-2450-A
You will need a new master cylinder, see Matt's site and make you choice. I used a 94-95 Mustang
master cylinder. Note that rebuilt 94-95 Mustang master cylinders do not come with a reservoir.
That means a trip to the junkyard and some more money spent.
Your brake pedal may be very hard and almost impossible to lock up the brakes. I had to replace
the front calipers with 73 mm calipers from a 91 Lincoln Mark 7 to get the braking performance up to par.
You can use the stock 5.0 booster if it is in good working condition. No need to replace the booster.
Bleeding the brakes will require 2 people and some coordinated effort. I don’t recommend using your
wife or girlfriend to pump the pedal – they get offended when you yell at them. I used a homemade
power brake bleeder constructed from a garden sprayer and some fittings from Home Depot. It cost
about $25 and was worth every penny. See how hard is it to bleed brakes? - Mustang Forums at StangNet
for details and pictures.
See Mustang Central.net FMS M2300K Brake Install for help with the emergency brake. The red words
link to some very useful photos on how to modify the handle. The stock setup tends to lock up and not release properly.
All in all I have been very pleased with the results. Identifying a Turbo Coupe rear axle:
1.) Measure the rotors - a TC disk brake uses 10 5/16" vented rotors.
2.) Measure the length of the quad shock mount arm and compare it to the mount on your existing stock axle.
The TC quad shock mount arm is about 8" long if I remember correctly.
3.) Measure the distance between the axle flanges and compare it to stock. The TC rear axle assembly is
3/4" wider per side, or 1 1/2" wider for both sides.