60s Refugee
Well-known member
Well, I finally got one! A Ford 8" with 4 lug axles. I looked far and wide but Craig Selvey at Maverick Corral was able to find one for me. The price was super fair and when I drove to his location in Indiana to pick it up it was ready to go and he even helped me load it! There, the shameless promo is done! He has a 170, 200, and a 250 available, plus about anything else you might want from a six cyl set up.
What I have is a 1971 Maverick 8" with 4 lug axles. It has 2:79 gears and the smaller brakes (9 1/2" I think). Here's the pics
As some of you may recall, I have a 200 with a tri power set up, fully modified and installed in a '65 Mustang with a C4 automatic. It is not my intention to drag race every weekend, but rather, to use it as a daily driver. The existing OEM 7.25" rear end is sadly lacking as far as performance is concerned. In fact, as with most set ups like this, my low end performance is pretty bad. Hence, the desire to convert to 8" in order to install some lower gears. This should help me access my HP curve sooner and get better light to light performance. The final piece of my plan involves the tranny, but that will come later.
Looking at several ring gear sets available, I wonder what ratio will work best without sacrificing too much highway driving MPG and RPM issues. My brother thinks 3:55 is perfect. I have found 3:00, 3:25, 3:55, and several 4: ratios available. I wonder about the 3:25's. I can't see where 3:00 would be worth the effort, and 4's probably out of the question.
Without looking as yet, I presume the axles will be 32 spline. I could be wrong (It wouldn't be the first time for that! :roll: ). Even if they are 28's, these should be more than strong enough for an automatic running street OEM size tires. I won't tear the axle apart until I get it back from the sand blaster, so unless someone knows for sure about the splines/strength issue I won't know for a while.
I will rebuild and use the Maverick drum brakes using Maverick parts since I have read on other threads that the '65 Mustang rear drums are not a perfect fit. The OEM emergency brake cable should fit the Maverick backing plates OK.
I'm not sure about the drive shaft, but again, I have read that the worst I might face is the need for an odd ball rear u-joint.
This will require 3" U bolts. I plan to use the existing Mustang shock plates by slotting the holes and welding a heavy washer to 3" centers.
So...that's the plan. What do you guys think?
Harry
What I have is a 1971 Maverick 8" with 4 lug axles. It has 2:79 gears and the smaller brakes (9 1/2" I think). Here's the pics
As some of you may recall, I have a 200 with a tri power set up, fully modified and installed in a '65 Mustang with a C4 automatic. It is not my intention to drag race every weekend, but rather, to use it as a daily driver. The existing OEM 7.25" rear end is sadly lacking as far as performance is concerned. In fact, as with most set ups like this, my low end performance is pretty bad. Hence, the desire to convert to 8" in order to install some lower gears. This should help me access my HP curve sooner and get better light to light performance. The final piece of my plan involves the tranny, but that will come later.
Looking at several ring gear sets available, I wonder what ratio will work best without sacrificing too much highway driving MPG and RPM issues. My brother thinks 3:55 is perfect. I have found 3:00, 3:25, 3:55, and several 4: ratios available. I wonder about the 3:25's. I can't see where 3:00 would be worth the effort, and 4's probably out of the question.
Without looking as yet, I presume the axles will be 32 spline. I could be wrong (It wouldn't be the first time for that! :roll: ). Even if they are 28's, these should be more than strong enough for an automatic running street OEM size tires. I won't tear the axle apart until I get it back from the sand blaster, so unless someone knows for sure about the splines/strength issue I won't know for a while.
I will rebuild and use the Maverick drum brakes using Maverick parts since I have read on other threads that the '65 Mustang rear drums are not a perfect fit. The OEM emergency brake cable should fit the Maverick backing plates OK.
I'm not sure about the drive shaft, but again, I have read that the worst I might face is the need for an odd ball rear u-joint.
This will require 3" U bolts. I plan to use the existing Mustang shock plates by slotting the holes and welding a heavy washer to 3" centers.
So...that's the plan. What do you guys think?
Harry
