Thread: How to: 8.8 Rearend swap

In this how to, i will do a basic run through of a rear end swap from a 7.5 to a 8.8. My car is a 1996 mustang v6 and i got the rear end from a 1994 gt. Rear ends are direct swaps from 1994-1998 v6 and v8s. Remember, this is for reference. Use it at your discretion and please comment and appreciate. I was hoping to get it stickyed.



Basic tools needed
Metric sockets (mainly 10mm, 13mm, 15mm, 18mm)
Jack/ jack stands
12 point 13mm wrench (for driveshaft)
Channel Locks (brake cables)
Oil Pan
Gear oil
RTV Silicon gasket
3 to 4 people
A bunch of empty cans, duck tape, and a magic marker
Chalk
Wire (to hang up the brake calipers to get them out of the way)
Small chisel and hammer (If you bolts are stubborn)

*Jack the car up on the pumpkin and use jack stands on the axles. Let the jack down on the axles to release pressure. Take off the wheels.



1. On the 8.8 rear end, remove the differential cover and drain the oil- Take off all the 10mm bolts on the bottom to drain into a pan. Check for gear wear and metal shavings. In my case, the rear end was alright so i left the stock gears and t-lok. Put a few bolts back on to keep it sealed.





2. Use a 13mm 12 point wrench and remove the bolts holding the drive shaft to the differential. This is a very ugly process and these bolts are on there good. Note: To get to the top bolts, take the car out of gear and spin the drive shaft.



3. On the 7.5 rear end, remove all the brake cables, brake calipers, and brake rotors. 10mm, 13mm, and a 15mm are used. Hang up the brake calipers to get them out of the way. DO NOT DISCONNECT THE BRAKE LINE GOING TO THE ROTOR IF YOU ARE REUSING YOUR STOCK BRAKES COMPONEMENTS. (IMO, BLEEDING THE BRAKES IS NOT VERY FUN)




4. If you have a sway bar (aftermarket or gt), remove the 15mm bolts and remove the bracket holding on a brake line.



5. Using a 18mm socket and wrench, take off THE NUTS (NOT THE BOLTS!) from the shocks, upper control arm, lower control arm





6. Now very slowly, jack the pumpkin up to compress the springs. *Have someone on both sides of the axles to balance it.* Going from right to left, take the shock bolts, then the upper control arms bolts, and lastly the lower control arm bolts. Be very careful because you do not want the springs to decompress and shoot out and hit you and your buddies.




*If you have trouble getting the bolts out, use a small chisel and hammer to persuade them to come out if they get stuck.

7. Use the chalk to mark the location of the springs. Now, slowly let down the 7.5 rear end and put it to the side. (In the trash )




*Putting the rear end is a pain but just get through it and you will be happy!


8. Put the 8.8 on the jack and align it to the back of you car. Use your drive shaft and control arms as a guide.

9. Jack the rear end up and bolt the lower control arms on. Do not tighten the nuts and bolts just yet. Do not jack it up to high. This step might take a minute because aligning the rear end is hard because of the weight. So don't get frusturated.

10. Put the springs in the proper location according to the chalk lines. Make sure you have a rubber peices at the top and bottom of the springs. Jack the rear end up until the springs are a little compressed. Check the springs on each side to make sure they are still seated correctly.

11. Keep jacking the car up until you can get the bolts through the upper control arms. Put the bolts through and put the nuts on. Once again, do not tighten.



12. Lastly, jack the car up until you can put the shock bolts through. Put the bolts through and put the nuts on. Once again, do not tighten.

13. NOW, tighten all the bolts- including the shock bolts, upper and lower control arm bolts. I didn't use a torque wrench, just get them pretty tight.



14. Put the sway bar and the brake bracket back on.



15. Put all the brake conponents back on: the emergency brake cable, brake calipers, brake lines, and the rotors.



16. Reinstall the drive shaft. Make sure it is seated on the flange flat. Have some one pull the e-brake to tighten all the bolts.

17. Go back and check all the bolts.

18. Check all the bolts again. You do not want you new rear end falling off on the interstate somewhere.

19. Remove the few bolts holding the differential cover. Clean the cover and get all of the old gasket off.



20. Get some RTV gasket maker, and make a bead all the way around the cover and reinstall. The more you use, the less likely it will leak.

21. Wait 24 hours for the RTV to set. On the back of the differential housing, take off the plug and fill it with gear oil. Check the manual for capacities.

22. Put the wheels back on, and lower the car back on to the ground. Crank up the car and check for leaks, etc...

*Take it easy until the gear oil sets in their pretty good. You don't want the gears and t-lok to mess up after all that work.

Enjoy the extra acceleration, performace, and decrease in fuel economy.

pretty good write up man.. lol i am in the process of a 8.8 swap right now

what do you mean not cobras? i have a cobra 8.8 on my car right now

i was wondering how it got under my car

maybe he's thinking of ones with IRS

you sir, have taught me my knowledge for the day

FYI, I put this in the "START HERE" sticky at the top of the forum so let's keep posts on topic about tech.
Nice write up.

Aside from the t-loc, what's an advantage, if any, of putting an 8.8 rear in a stock or bolt-ons V6?

Originally Posted by V6mustang94

Aside from the t-loc, what's an advantage, if any, of putting an 8.8 rear in a stock or bolt-ons V6?

nothing really, you can just find an t-loc and just put it on your 7.5, imo it isn't really worth it unless you find a good 8.8 with gears in it already for a good price(like i did..) or you want to go FI

Originally Posted by jakesspv6

nothing really, you can just find an t-loc and just put it on your 7.5, imo it isn't really worth it unless you find a good 8.8 with gears in it already for a good price(like i did..) or you want to go FI

Thought so. I really want to do new gears this year. At this point in time, I given up on major engine, mods but I've been keeping my eye for an 8.8. Then all of a sudden it hit me, what on earth do I need an 8.8 for?

I agree with you totally. It really isn't worth swapping out rears unless the 8.8 is cheap and with gears. At least for a bolt-on V6.

this should be a sticky. this whould of came in handy when i was doing my 8.8 rear end swap.
nice write up by the way

Originally Posted by whammy91

this should be a sticky. this whould of came in handy when i was doing my 8.8 rear end swap.
nice write up by the way

there is a link to it in the first sticky