Ford (Maverick) 8" Diff

I have been looking for a better rear axle for my '65 Mustang ever since I began the tri power project. I finally found one! Its a Ford 8" from a Maverick. It is 4 lug!!! Cool! I understand that other than having to use 3" u bolts this should pretty much be a direct swap set up.

How hard is it really? Anybody swapped one?

I don't know the gear ratio yet. I hope it is 3:00-3:50 but I won't know till I get it home and apart (or can see the diff tag). I expect it will need to be rebuilt.

Harry

As long as the spring perches line up with the tabs in your leaf springs it is an easy swap. Just disconnect the brake line that runs up to the master cylinder, remove u-bolts and driveshaft and pull out the old unit and just drop the new unit on the leafs and re-connect everything. You may need a different rear u-joint depending on what was on there before. If so, just get a stock Maverick u-joint and that should work. All factory Maverick 8inch rear ends were either 2.79 or 3.00 ratios. Nothing else came in these from the factory. Good luck with the swap!

Question - are there other 4-lug rear axles other than the 8 inch in 6 cyl Mavericks? Is the 4-lug pattern the same as the early to mid '60 Ford 4-lug pattern

Some of the very early Mavericks, 69.5 and some early 70's, had the 4-lug 7.25 rears in them. Don't know if they match up to the 60's style you mention.

i believe 65-66 mustangs and maverick rear axles are direct swaps.

my spare tire in my 72 4-lug mav is off a 65 comet and it fits. i dont think the 4 lug stuff on fox bodies and even pintos/mustang II's fits tho.

aribert":38505ph8 said:

Is the 4-lug pattern the same as the early to mid '60 Ford 4-lug pattern

Click to expand...

its the same as your falcon.

4x4.5"

The 4 lug Maverick rear is the closest cousin to a bolt in you will find. You will need the later-bigger spring plates and U-Bolts and the Mav's had staggered shox so you may need the "left" plate from a late 60's stang or simply cut and weld the shock tab.

Other than that, you will find the earlier brake backing plates are @ .040 undersize and won't work with the 8" axles.

( :roll: ask me how I know...)


Most MAv's were 2.79 and are OK unless you use an AOD or T5 - OD tranny.

IThe flexible line on the 8" is shorter than on the early axle. The vent/brass junction bolt is smaller also.


I bent the rear brake line longer and extended the brake line hangar @ 2" .


8" rear from 71 MAv going in '61 Bigfin Comet with '71 backing plates and shoes from the '61:

Thanks all.

Powerband: By: "Other than that, you will find the earlier brake backing plates are @ .040 undersize and won't work with the 8" axles.
( ask me how I know...)", are you referring to the ID of the backing plate? If so, I have machining capability and can open it up on my mill. Are the rear brakes the same diameter / width? If not, what rear brakes are you using on your car?

For anyone running the 2.79 ratio axle - what is it like w/ a 200 (and 3spd manual)? My Falcon was configured w/ 170 & 3.50 axle ratio. I have upgraded to the 200 and found a 3.2 Falcon axle and truth be told I do not perceive a reduction in acceleration with the 3.2 (compared to the 3.50) and am very interested in the later axle in order to get the engine RPMs down more when on the freeway.

THere is a Pick&Pull salvage yard near me that has a mid '70s Maverick in their old car section. Assuming the rear axle is still there (I have not been at the yard in a couple of weeks), I was planning on pulling the yoke off of it - now I think I'll get the whole axle!

aribert":1rshzq00 said:

Thanks all.

Powerband: By: "Other than that, you will find the earlier brake backing plates are @ .040 undersize and won't work with the 8" axles.
( ask me how I know...)", are you referring to the ID of the backing plate? If so, I have machining capability and can open it up on my mill. Are the rear brakes the same diameter / width? If not, what rear brakes are you using on your car?!

Click to expand...

Yes, I did mean that the ID of the backing plate is smaller than the 8"s bearing OD which has to fit into the axle through the backing plate. If you can "open up" the hole it should work as far as I could tell,,,

The rear shoes off the 61 were identical (9 X 1-1/2 ?) and fit the MAverick plates with the Mav hardware. Oddly, the '71 Mav rear I have did not have auto adjusters.

Nice Pics!

Why can't you just use the Maverick backing plate/brake stuff thats on the axle already? I like staggered shocks! I hadn't planned to use the Mustang stuff over anyhow, just renew the Maverick stuff. I'm gonna switch to disc in the front eventually.

Harry

60s Refugee":t18y72dx said:

Nice Pics!

Why can't you just use the Maverick backing plate/brake stuff thats on the axle already? I like staggered shocks! I hadn't planned to use the Mustang stuff over anyhow, just renew the Maverick stuff. I'm gonna switch to disc in the front eventually.

Harry

Click to expand...

I did wind up using the Mav plates, I had hoped just to re-use the complete original brake setup as they were in re-furbed shape already and the MAv's were rusty and incomplete.
The staggered shock plates are identical where the non'stags are mirror image. The Mav's have a minor body crossmember with a bracket for the left rear - staggered shock top - that you would need to add.

The '61 has the Scarybird Front disc modification already and they worked excellent with original rears.

powerband, could you answer a couple questions for me as well?

1. How did you (or do you plan on) hooking up your e-brake?
2. Did you replace either axle bearings on the '71, 8"...any chance you have a part no. for those?

Harry, don't mean to hijack your thread, but I plan to undertake my early 70's, 8" rear swap soon. However, the axle bearings and e-brake questions are ones I've not found definite answers for.

Also, did want to mention that I've read in a few places up here, that others have just elongated the holes on their stock shock plates, and bought new 3" u-bolts.

I will probably do the elongation thing too, but I will probably weld a washer in place to round out the hole.

Of course I will probably skip the staggered shock thing too since I will still have the Mustang shock/spring plates and I'm not excited about the notion of adding an upper shock mount.

Without knowing any better, I'd expect the e brake cables to be compatible. Those don't change much!

By the way, you ain't stealin' this thread, you're just adding a bit more to it! Can't hurt to know more!

Harry

Thanks Harry. I noticed on my '71 Comet rearend there are two seperate cables, one for each side. IIRC the mustang is a single cable with each end connecting to each wheel, and the middle of the cable rides in that equalizer/yoke, is this right?

I guess I could just swap the lines ends out at the backing plates/shoes and use the mustang cable.

Oh, and Congrats on finding an 8", 4 lug

TMc":1vg9q5qr said:

powerband, could you answer a couple questions for me as well?

1. How did you (or do you plan on) hooking up your e-brake?
2. Did you replace either axle bearings on the '71, 8"...any chance you have a part no. for those?
.. .

Click to expand...

The previous setup used a later three speed toploader with a C4 "conversion" mount. These have the brake pivot provided :



After cutting the crossmember for the T5 shift box, I utilize the C4 mount with some modification for the T5 conversion and get to keep the brake pivot:







I did replace the Bearings and seals. Only part I couldn't find was correct gaskets - which are not seals anyway.

: NAPA obtained

Bearings - SKF RWF34-R For 4 Lug axles with reatining ring.

Seals - SKF 13419

I used "Axle Flange Gaskets on the flange and as brake plate/bearing reatainer.

FelPro 4978





It did cost me $50 to have the bearings pressed on/off at a machine shop.

The '65 Mustang has a long cable for each wheel, each run through a sleeve, held in place to the floor by bolt on clips, and leading up below the tranny where they then connect to a single "equalizer" bracket that serves as the adjustment feature using a threaded rod/nut through the pivot arm thing under the tranny. I figure that if the Mav brake cables are short, I can just pop them out and pop the Mustang cables back in the same holes. I'm sure the holes are the same size.

Harry

8) Thanks! And nice pics PB

powerband":32pj1s4c said:

: NAPA obtained

Bearings - SKF RWF34-R For 4 Lug axles with reatining ring.

Click to expand...

That was the part # I was finding listed for the axle bearing when I checked Advance and Autozone. Which is kind of surprising since that's the same axle bearing they have listed for the original '66, 7.25 rear end. With the '71, 8" & '66, 7.25" sharing the same size brake shoes and axle bearings, I'm surprised that the backing plates don't swap over. Oh well, this '71 Comet rear I found is complete drum to drum, but would have been nice to re-use all the new hardware I put on the 7.25. Also, IIRC the two rear ends do call for different wheel cylinders, which is a bummer since the ones on my 7.25 are nearly brand new.

Harry, my '66 is set up the same I just didn't realize they were seperate cables, thought they were joined in the middle at the equalizer. I'm going with the same plan, if the Mav/Comet cables are too short I'll just swap over the originals from the 7.25.