Unless my 7.25 can handle the 302 up front, I was planning on swapping to a 8 inch. However, I'm not quite sure what ALL I would need to do this conversion. I plan to do a disc swap on the front, and the kits include the v8 spindles so as far as that goes, it is no concern. Any idea how much it would cost to get an 8 inch / get it installed, and is there anything else I need to get?
4 To 5 Lug Swap
- Thread starter stangbang65
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The last guy I saw buy an 8 inch rear end had to give $250 for it. Another option you'd have for that price is an 8.8. It's easier to find an 8.8 with limited slip and the later Explorer rears come with disc brakes. I'm in the middle of putting an Explorer 8.8 in my 68 coupe but I'm not finished with it yet.
Would the rear fit without any modification? I'm very far away from being mechanically inclined, so that would require outsourcing the work and digging deeper into my budget. Any idea what sort of power the 7.25 can handle? I'm only assuming it won't hold up to a 302 but I haven't found much in the way of power ratings.
Wether or not it will hold up to the 302 depends on how you want to drive it. If you don't plan on having sticky tires or hard launches and you just want to cruise, the 7.25 may last a while. I had to buy new leaf spring perches (@$40 ) and although I ground the factory spring perches out of the way myself to save some money, I had a local machine shop weld them on for me for $50. When I got the rear end home, it sat perfectly on the leaf springs just like it was made to be there. I'll have to find a way to hook the parking brake up and take care of hooking the brake line up, but that isn't a huge deal for me because I am putting all new brake lines in my car anyway. New brake lines are probably not a bad idea on any car that is almost 50 years old anyway. I really wanted to go to 5 lug and I'm having to redo everything on my car anyway. I'm not sure what I'd do if I were you. If your $$$ and mechanical inclination is thin, I guess you could keep the 7.25 and see how long it lasts, but you'll still be stuck with 4 lug and small brakes as long as you have it. An 8 inch should be a complete bolt in as long as it comes out of the right car. If you aren't picky about the rear gear ratio or having positive traction, that may be the way for you to go. I didn't want too low ( numerically ) of a gear because I plan on using an AOD transmission.
horse sence
15 Year Member
You will have to change the drive shaft no mater what you use .An 8 inch will bolt right in but you will need the drive shaft for , i assume, 65-68 .A 67 -68 8 inch is wider than a 65-66 so you need the rear end for the year of your car .65-68 drive shafts are the same length for the small block but the 67 -68 drive shaft is better . You will also need the rear end U bolts and pads for the 8 inch ,65-66 have a smaller axle housing where the pads bolt with 67 -68 larger tube so you need the bolts and pads for the year of the rear end also .
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