[87442lover]

Okay...

My friend still has his mustang and some cash has been freed up so I would like to know the size of the rear end of an 83 mustang 3.8 GLX. I dont know what std. gear ratio it came with back there, the size of the ring, or anything else about it.

Got about 150 to spend on it and a posi is not nessesary. Looking for something around 3.2:1 because it is the auto 3 speed C5 and I will also need the speedo gear for the ratio change.

Any links would be helpful, please rememebr I'm not into ford, but just trying to help him out.

No, he does'nt want to give the car up.

Also looking for a dual exhaust system that will fit this thing.

Just read that his mustang is only 1 of 1001 convertables made that year. Hmmm.

[jimfulco]

If it has a 10-bolt cover that's slightly flattened on top & bottom, but rounded on the sides, it's a 7.5" axle. Best bet for ratio is to jack up a back wheel & count driveshaft revs per 2 wheel turns. If it's a 7.5" unit, an early T-bird Turbo Coupe rear end (up to mid-'85 has the Mustang-width housing, but with longer axles & offset drums) would work if he used the Mustang axles & brake drums. They are 3.45:1 w/posi, & I got mine for $50 at a U-pull-it yard. Mustang 8.8" units would also work, but they're usually expensive. Speedo gears can be a problem because Ford speedo drive gears are machined onto the output shaft, & they don't make a wide enough variety of driven gears.

The underside is basically the same as the '87-'93 Mustangs, so most of their goodies should bolt up. The factory dual exhaust can be adapted (it only bolts up to the V8 shorty headers & requires a double-hump trans. crossmember).

Tell him to check the floorpan underneath the driver's seat for cracks. The early Fox Mustangs were prone to cracking under the front seats. They can be reinforced. Falling out the bottom would be seriously uncool.

[87442lover]

No cracks under the drivers side and I picked up the crossmember for $25.00, I was supprised at how easy that was.

The car already has some shorty headers on it, but still retain the original Y+cat pipe. I was going to remove them to weld up an O2 bung a bit later. I am going to pick up the rear tomorrow, but It's probably going to cost a bit more, like 150 or so. There are no pull it yourself yards up here near DC, or atleast none that I know of. Brandywine "use" to be one, but they are trying to sort of "clean-up" and have doubled alot of prices and they dont like you roaming around too much. I though it was funny, somebody obviously did'nt like the new rules either, so they burnt down their little trailer office a few months back, lol.