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craiggriffin

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Hello peeps

Im new to the forum and currently have a Auto v6 2001 mustang. Its going to be a bit of a project for me as i want a quick street car !

my plans are (in order):

8.8 rear end
3.73 gears
Manual shifter? - can we do this to the auto box? guess its a manual valve body ?
torque converter - current one is rated stall speed of 2300RPM ish ?
Dual Exhaust 2.5"
Cold air intake
Then somewhere down the line 8psi SUPERCHARGER !!
and along with tires brakes etc.

Just got to find somewhere that does all this stuff without it costing a bomb to ship from the US!

What are the standard rear ends like, its it really needed to be changed to 8.8? and is it a ballache of a job to do?
Any advice would be ideal! :wave:
 

mcglsr2

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Welcome to the forum! As for the 8.8, it depends on your planned power levels. If you aren't going crazy, the one you have should be fine. Of course, swapping to a larger rear certainly wouldn't hurt. There are some folks here that have pretty high-powered V6's, they will be able to provide more info.
 

Orange 94

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Welcome to the forum!

I would personally recommend an 8.8 swap, but if its difficult to get you can get away without.

Also, I recommend Mac cat back.
 

CC'S95GT

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Welcome to the asylum.
Your stock rear axle is an open diff (1 wheel peel). The 8.8 from a Mustang is a locker.
AS far as the trans, You could do a 5 speed swap which would include a man pedal (clutch) or you could go with the manual vlv body I guess.
How about some pics?
 

mcglsr2

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Listen to Orange 94, he has t3h V6 KnoWledgez. Seriously. He's done a lot his car, very much a "been there, done that" situation. He has good advice.

Edit: Lol, I just read that in context to the previous post, and that totally came out wrong ;) Listen to CC'S95GT as he has good advice as well (as do a lot of people on this forum). I did not mean to imply listen only to Orange 94 and ignore CC'S95GT. Sorry if it came across that way!
 
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craiggriffin

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Thanks guys . is the v6 rear end the same as a gt(V8) of the same year? didnt know whether parts were interchangeable ?

Is it a pain of a job to change to 8.8? can you link to a site that has one so i can see what i need. i THINK i know what im looking at in terms of parts, Just confused with 28/31 spline?

That would save a bit of hassle over here. Any links to a manual VB frm the states? dont mind shipping that kinda thing as i cant imagine there is alot floating about over here!
 

mcglsr2

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Folks here that have done it will chime in, but essentially it just bolts in. You'll have to disconnect things like the brake lines and such, but the new 8.8 axle housing/diff should bolt right in. You don't have to worry too much about splines because your drive shaft will bolt to the pinion on the diff - the drive shaft does NOT slide into splines on the diff like it does with the transmission.

You will care about splines later if you try to upgrade or repair things. So do pay attention to the splines if you can. Get a 31 spline if possible as it will be stronger. But if you cannot find one, a 28 would probably still be fine depending on your power levels - the 28 spline is already stronger than your 7.5."

In a nutshell, disconnect the brake line, disconnect the e-brake cables, disconnect the drive shaft, disconnect the shocks and remove springs, disconnect the upper and lower control arms, remove the 7.5 diff, put in 8.8 and reconnect things. It should be essentially as simple as that.

A note on the brake lines - you should not have to disconnect the brake lines at the calipers. There is a single brake line "feed" to the rear axle that is just above the diff attached to the underside of the trunk. You should have to only disconnect this one line, unless the 8.8" you get does not have brake lines already on it.

Depending on where you get your 8.8", if used, be prepared to rebuilt the rear diff. You may also want to consider different gears, depending on what your 8.8" comes with. Also be prepared to replace the upper control arm bushings if they are rough shape. OEM rubber will probably be deteriorated if they haven't already been replaced.

The cheapest option is probably sourcing a 8.8" out of a salvage yard over there, though there may not be many Mustangs (or salvage yards) available. :) There are many, many sites that will sell the 8.8" anything from used up to brand new/refurbished. Depends on your budget. I'm sure you could probably even find some on eBay.

Edit: I don't know of v6 & v8 rear end parts of the same year are interchangeable. I would assume not - there might be some, like the rear calipers, rotors and such, but I don't know if the axles are (I doubt it), and certainly the diff internals are not. Brake lines should be, as should the shock mounts.
 

Orange 94

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8.8 swap is very easy.
On my 94 I used a fox 8.8. I put the sn95 axles in it, swapped the brakes and put 373s in. Then bolted it in the car.
 

mcglsr2

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ah ok perfect - Whats the standard rear end good with 300 Brake?

300 brake? as in brake horsepower?

Not, sure what he meant here either? If he does indeed mean 300 BHP (which is equivalent to 300 HP - measured at the engine) - the standard rear end meaning the 28 spline 8.8"? If so, then yes it's totally good for 300 BHP. Easily. If you mean the V6 7.5" then I have no idea. I defer to Orange 94 or someone with more experience with the V6's.
 

Caboose302

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Welcome from across the pond.





I don't know anything about V6's... Just stopping by to say hello. :wave:
 

ElrodKTPQ_89

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Welcome to the site! Orange has it right though, did the same thing. It's a little time consuming but with the right equipment...(I had access to a 2 post lift, tall jack-stands to support on both sides of the diff, and plenty of tools)....it can be done with two people no problem!
 

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