kolorzcars

so i pulled my 7 5/8" to build a make shift jig for a 8.8 build. when i was about done with the jig, we were installing a new 8.8 at work in an 01 crown vic..... looks super close to me what do you guys think.....please excuse the mess






..........and here is the 8.8 with the left side (as seen in the picture) tight against the wheel flange(exact same hub center as the camaro, studs knocked out though, also had to cut the shock mounts off of the 8.8 to clear the control arm mounts on the jig....but the sway bar mounts look very close)

speedracer2536

iTrader: (15)

WHAATTTTTT.. So what your saying is the rear from a Crown vic is pretty much similar if not the same dimension as a 10 bolt out of an fbody????

kolorzcars

yep thats what its looking like, i eddited the year, i was misinformed. its out of a 01 crown vic

speedracer2536

iTrader: (15)

Are the spring mounts the same

kolorzcars

no, on the the 10 bolt they are just behind the axle, and they are straght on top of the 8.8. you would have to build new brackets for the 8.8 for about everything, however, this is the closest width rear axle i have found with my scowering of the salvage yards though

speedracer2536

iTrader: (15)

HMMMM i wonder if the vibes would be felt from that 1/4 off that the pinon is..

WS Sick

Good info thanks for passing it alaong, What years are those crown vics through that era?

kolorzcars

from what im finding it looks like 1998-2001ish, but i would mesure before buying one, just to be sure

GREGG 97Z

iTrader: (4)

Sounds like a cool option except that they are probably going to be harder to find than mustang rears, plus who used 1/2 off all crown vics....cops - which probably means that rear took some severe punishment. I would bet a rear out of a cop car is definately going to need a rebuild. Just something to keep in mind.

duh

iTrader: (16)

true, but for the price it's a lot cheaper alternative to an s60 or 9" and can be just as strong. Worth it IMO.

kgkern01

iTrader: (10)

...and lighter and less parasitic hp loss, and can retain 3 channel ABS. Also some good autox/RR diffs available for it.

duh

iTrader: (16)

yup, the 8.8 has been taking abuse for years in the old fox body, SN95, and the "new edge" chassis. Not to mention the IRS versions. You can do just about anything you want with the differential options available for it. Biggest issue is setting up the TQ arm mount on it. Once someone figures out an easy and cheap bolt on bracket, everyone will want one. Truthfully I'm surprised Moser or Strange hasn't made a housing yet.

GREGG 97Z

iTrader: (4)

I would definitely try and find one out of non police vehicle if I were going to try and do this cheaply. If you get one out of standard crown vic odds are it was an old persons car that saw a very easy life and is probably going to be in great shape internally. Another thing to consider is I would be pretty sure you are going to get some low gear ratio's being that they are highway cruiser cars, probably around 3.08 or lower. I see a lot of the guys that are picking up 8.8's out of Explorers or Rangers are able to find ones with desirable ratios like 3.73 or 4:10's. I guess if you dont have to cut the housing down and change axles though swapping in the gears you want would still be a cheaper option. Just some things to consider.

coolmanvette75

iTrader: (2)

Subscribed. This is some great info

kolorzcars

yep i think this one is a 3.08, and it was out of an old mans car(non squad). the other benifit to the crown vic is it has the larg stud on the pumkin for the wats link that could be incorperated into the tourque arm mount. i picked up a 31 spline traclock with 3.73 gears and all the shims out of a ranger for $40 at upullrparts, im thinking after i get it in the car and like /feel compfortable i will rebuild the traclock/ order moser axles. as for the torque arm i kinda have a plan.... but not sure quite yet..... ill give you a hint, it wont be exactly like this but you get the idea

http://www.bmrsuspension.com/index.c...&productid=233

z_speedfreak

iTrader: (3)

that IS some good info!!

kgkern01

iTrader: (10)

Or you can bolt on one of the torque arm kits that the Mustang guys use, for example:

http://griggsracing.com/torque_arms.html



All that would be needed would be to fab up a front mount for it...

duh

iTrader: (16)

^ this would be a good idea. It'll cut down on fab time. The best thing to do IMO would be order up a set of axles that have the GM bolt pattern and the splines for the 8.8. Then make some brackets so you can reuse the factory brakes, or have the rotors drilled for the new bolt pattern, then you don't need to worry about different wheels. The only other issue I see is maybe shortening the driveshaft to account for the new flange being added for the pinion. Aside from that, it's fairly straight forward and should handle tons of abuse.

kolorzcars

yea thats what i was kinda thinking too, i think i want to try to incorperated the mount ontop of it (was the wats-link)

A20SVT00

iTrader: (13)

keep us posted