rear end interchangability questions??

[iwannarace67]

Here's the deal. I've got really great deal on a 95 Cobra rear diff if I want it. It's got 3.73s in it and a LSD (I think) and about 30,000 miles on it. I want to buy it to put in my 91 GT but I want to retain the 4-lug cause I don't have the cash to convert to five lug right now. So my question is can I just take the carrier assembly from the cobra and bolt it up in place of my existing carrier and reuse all of my old stuff (i.e axles driveshaft and what not).

 

[SCcopcar]

You can use your axles and brakes and it will fit just fine. Just take off the back cover, remove the c clips and the axles pull out. You can take your brakes off yours before you take it out of car and not have to bleed the brakes. Just tie the backing plates and lines up out of the way, then swap rearends.

 

[trbkrb]

Yes, the rear ends from 79-98 are all interchangeable, with the change to 5 lugs and disc being the only difference in 94-98, but you can certainly change back to the 4 lugs and drums if you need to. Removing the brake lines and such would be an OK option if you don't want to bleed them, but it wwould probably be easier to remove it and swap it over with the rearend removed. Bleeding the brakes is not hard, and if it has been 2 years since the last time it was done, it would be time to do it again.

Good luck!

 

[iwannarace67]

kind of a silly question but how much does the rear diff weigh about?

 

[trbkrb]

I never picked it up by myself, but I did move it around and put it on sawhorses myself, lifting one side at a time, so I would "guess" 130-150 or so? I was able to remove my stock one and install the complete new rearend basically by myself using a floor jack to lift it in place, and I am not a big or stong guy. The only hard part for me was getting the last upper control arm bolt in place.... I had to get my brother in law to help move it around until the holes lined up.

 

[v8only]

This is a $500-$600 rear end. My advice, sell the complete rear end to someone wanting it for the gears and 5 lug brake hardware, then pick up an 87/88 thunderbird turbocoupe rear end from the junk yard for around $150 and convert your rear to 4 lug disc (that's what's on the turbocoupe rear) or yank the disc stuff and use your drums, and pocket your profit.