8.8 & Maximum Motorsport Torque Arm in 67

[speed1972]

I was curious....
I see where a lot of people put 8.8's from fox body's in their classic stang and swap to the old style suspension. Has anyone attempted to put a fox 8.8 in a 67/68 stang and modify the suspension to accept the fox coil springs and lower control arms and add a maxiumum motorsport torque arm?

As far as the coil springs go, that should be easy to fabricate a mount. I can't imagine the lower control arms would be much harder, just need to modify the area where the old leaf spring attached in the front. The torque arm attachment point would be the only other modification and that is just a support run from side to side on the subrame. I think the biggest question mark would be the pinion angle, don't know how it would compare in a 67 to a fox body setup.

LB

 

[rbohm]

chekc with griggs racing as they have made that very swap. in fact they have new lower control arms and new brackets for the rear end just for this swap.

 

[speed1972]

didn't see where they had one available yet but how many thousands is it going to cost to get one of their setups?

I wasn't really looking for a custom set up, but thanks for the input though

 

[10secgoal]

Could be a cool swap. Biggest problem is the torque arm is designed to be in line with it's own crossmember. so you'd have to make it work . But those are a pain to put in the cars they were designed for. I'd look into a TCP unit. Stronger design in my opinion, and more room for exhaust, But it's possible.

 

[Nemesis67]

I was considering an 8.8 in my 67 FB. Just a quick question for those in the know... How much HP / TQ can one take?

 

[speed1972]

If done right, they are pretty bullet proof, but I don't know exact numbers

 

[speed1972]

Could be a cool swap. Biggest problem is the torque arm is designed to be in line with it's own crossmember. so you'd have to make it work . But those are a pain to put in the cars they were designed for. I'd look into a TCP unit. Stronger design in my opinion, and more room for exhaust, But it's possible.

I'm not a very big fan of the leaf spring rear's. As far as I'm concerned, they don't offer enough adjustability as compared to a fox body style setup. Problem with fox body sytle though is the angled uca's so I would go with some sort of torque arm/panhard bar setup. I will look into this TCP setup you mentioned. What does TCP stand for anyway?

LB

 

[Nemesis67]

If done right, they are pretty bullet proof, but I don't know exact numbers

Yeah, that's what I hear. I have a nine, but I'm considering an 8.8 due to it's lighter, steals less power and there are plenty laying around.
I noticed your at Buckley AFB. I'm at Sheppard AFB. What's up brother? Your not wasting Gov time on Stangnet are ya?

 

[Nemesis67]

I'm not a very big fan of the leaf spring rear's. As far as I'm concerned, they don't offer enough adjustability as compared to a fox body style setup. Problem with fox body sytle though is the angled uca's so I would go with some sort of torque arm/panhard bar setup. I will look into this TCP setup you mentioned. What does TCP stand for anyway?

LB

Total Control Products

 

[speed1972]

Yeah, that's what I hear. I have a nine, but I'm considering an 8.8 due to it's lighter, steals less power and there are plenty laying around.
I noticed your at Buckley AFB. I'm at Sheppard AFB. What's up brother? Your not wasting Gov time on Stangnet are ya?

LOL. Actually I'm on conlv right now. I feel for you at Sheppard, you couldn't pay me enough to want to go there. What's your afsc? I'm a 4P, pharmacy guy
LB

 

[10secgoal]

I'm not a very big fan of the leaf spring rear's. As far as I'm concerned, they don't offer enough adjustability as compared to a fox body style setup. Problem with fox body sytle though is the angled uca's so I would go with some sort of torque arm/panhard bar setup. I will look into this TCP setup you mentioned. What does TCP stand for anyway?

LB

I agree. But compared to the fab it would take to get it to fit.....I'd definitely go with a production deal. People bend those arms in the 10sec 1/4 times at the drags. But that is hard on them. Sure they will take TONS more without clutch drops and transbrakes.

 

[Nemesis67]

LOL. Actually I'm on conlv right now. I feel for you at Sheppard, you couldn't pay me enough to want to go there. What's your afsc? I'm a 4P, pharmacy guy
LB

2A Fighter Avionics. I used to teach, now I'm behind a desk... Sweet deal. But we are getting away from the real reaon we are on this thread... Sorry bout that.
So I guess a 351 punched out to a 408 or 427 with EFI will be ok with a built 8.8 will be ok? Anyone know?? I'm not going to go full racing with this car, it will be a street car with the occasional street racing (beat up on the rice burners and some of the newer v8's). I'm still not quite settled on the stroked 351 yet. Considering a BB...

 

[Hack]

A few things, maybe slightly OT but I think relevant. I would never downgrade to a quadra bind rear suspension from a Fox if I had a classic Mustang. The stock Fox 4 link stinks for cornering, and it's not that great for straight line. Believe me, I have owned several Foxes and I daily drive one now.

Now, if you used a panhard bar and torque arm or came up with some type of 3 link you might do better than leaf springs. A 3 link can be a really good setup, if you get the geometry right. If you don't get the geometry right it isn't going to be an improvement.

An 8.8 from a Fox Mustang is heavier than the small bearing 9 inches that came in classic Mustangs. A big bearing 9 inch might be slightly heavier than an 8.8, but it's overkill for many applications. The difference between the three isn't huge.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[speed1972]

A few things, maybe slightly OT but I think relevant. I would never downgrade to a quadra bind rear suspension from a Fox if I had a classic Mustang. The stock Fox 4 link stinks for cornering, and it's not that great for straight line. Believe me, I have owned several Foxes and I daily drive one now.

Now, if you used a panhard bar and torque arm or came up with some type of 3 link you might do better than leaf springs. A 3 link can be a really good setup, if you get the geometry right. If you don't get the geometry right it isn't going to be an improvement.

An 8.8 from a Fox Mustang is heavier than the small bearing 9 inches that came in classic Mustangs. A big bearing 9 inch might be slightly heavier than an 8.8, but it's overkill for many applications. The difference between the three isn't huge.

I hope this is helpful.

I agree with the quadra bind, and this is basically what I was looking to do. I guess I need to start doing some measurements and see how I can get it all together. I know some have mentioned aftermarket kits designed for the car but they are way overpriced to me and some aren't an improvement from what I can see. I prefer the 8.8 over the 9 personally and they are solid rears done right.
Are any of the 9's from 80's model trucks worth anything if it is narrowed? I've got an old 85 F150 with a 9 under it.

 

[speed1972]

2A Fighter Avionics. I used to teach, now I'm behind a desk... Sweet deal. But we are getting away from the real reaon we are on this thread... Sorry bout that.
So I guess a 351 punched out to a 408 or 427 with EFI will be ok with a built 8.8 will be ok? Anyone know?? I'm not going to go full racing with this car, it will be a street car with the occasional street racing (beat up on the rice burners and some of the newer v8's). I'm still not quite settled on the stroked 351 yet. Considering a BB...

Use aftermarket 31 spline axles, new carrier and axle girdle cover and you'll be good to go.

As far as engine, I'd go stroked 351. It takes up less room, weighs less, and still makes a ton of power. And if you are wanting to go EFI, I'm sure you can convert a 5.0 type setup for minimal cost compared to a stand alone system for a BB. Either way, it will be quite a bit of work to add EFI. I considered EFI but decided against for simplicity and cost, of course, I do have a 5.4 complete setup sitting there that I'm really torn about whether I should use it or not......

LB