Rear End Swap To 03-04 Gt W/ 3:27's

[Yellow302]

Hey guys,

Its been over 3 years with my mustang dead but I rebuilt it this summer.

The rear end is shot and looking for a junkyard special. I can get a complete rear out of an 03-04 mustang.

How does this line up with our cars? Suspension wise, brakes, wheels.

Any removal / install guides would be great too.

The local shops in NJ are asking $600 for labor to swap gears alone!

 

[Chythar]

The rear axle should bolt on to any 94-04 Mustang, the suspension points and shock points are the same; the driveshaft will bolt up as well.. The 99-04 axles are 3/8" longer on either end, so your tires will stick out a bit more, but that should help fill out the wheel well a bit better. I'm not sure about the hard brake lines, but at worst you should be able to take yours from your current axle and swap them over. The rear brake calipers are also the same from 94-04, including Cobra. Cobras have a different bracket that pushes the caliper farther out from the axle to allow for the larger rotor.

 

[Yellow302]

Thanks for all the info!

I have upgraded brakes, so most likely I will swap my rear breaks onto the new axle.

The only question that I have is, How do I disconnect the drive shaft? Will any fluid leak out?

The brakes and suspension wont be a problem.

 

[Chythar]

The end of the driveshaft doesn't go into the axle, it bolts on to a flange on the outside. You'll only leak fluid if you pull the driveshaft out of the transmission. The driveshaft is held on to the rear axle by four bolts. You may need to use a torch or other heating element to break the bolts loose, they're secured with red (permanent) threadlock.

Normally, before removing any driveshaft bolts use a marker or crayon to mark the driveshaft and the flange it's attached to. If you bolt up the driveshaft and don't line up the marks, you can get some vibrations when driving. But since you're changing out the rear end you won't have the mark on the rear axle flange. Just wanted to state it for anyone else reading this post.

I found that several seconds of heating each bolt with a small blowtorch, then hit the bolt with an impact gun will break it loose. Keep the tranny in neutral so you can easily spin the driveshaft by hand.

 

[revhead347]

If you jack up the back end of the car and leave the front of the car on the ground the fluid won't leak out of the back of the transmission.

Kurt