geek49203 wrote:
Wasn't that in some sort of Mustang show car?
Yeah, after researching it a little further it was the 1999 FR500 Mustang concept that Ford Racing brought to SEMA that year.
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Another thing that occurred to me last night (I often can't sleep at night 'cause my mind is pondering this car) -- the bearings are the same part for the LS as well as the Mark VIII platform.
While the part numbers aren't actually the same, 513058 for the MN-12 and 511032 for the LS, the bore on both is 1.6535. However the width of the 513058 is 1.5354 and the width of the 511032 is 1.8110, which could potentially be problematic for playing hub bingo, which could in turn be problematic for playing axle bingo. Unfortunately the only way we'll probably ever know for sure is if somebody goes out and tries all the possible mix-n-match options.
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I assume the mounting flanges on the diff are the same as well. I see that the half shafts for the early LS, the later LS, as well as the Mark VIII are different. Could we now have 3 half shafts of varying length to use in fabrication?
All MN-12 (7.5" and 8.8" diff) and early Mustang Cobra IRS use the same 28 spline inboard and the same 28 spline outboard, each using a slightly different length. The later 2001+ Mustang Cobra IRS switched to a 31 spline inboard, which I believe is also what the Exploder uses. It would appear that the Lincoln LS also uses a 28 spline inboard and 28 spline outboard, and my intuition says it's the same spline but not necessarily interchangable due to the possible different fittment design for the different hub designs. Again, there is going to be only one way to find out for certain. While there is a little difference in axle length across the various alternatives, I don't recall it being more than ~.5" per side.
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If only A-1 CARDONE or one of the other half shaft manufacturers would have a chart w/ measurements....
The two best sites I've found for this type of dimensional data on specific parts, depending on what specifically you need, are Autozone and Rock Auto. Amazon also does a pretty good parts interchange list.
geek49203 wrote:
And on the other hand, I can save $300 or more by going with a low-mileage, disc brake'd, LSD rear end out of a S-10.
An affordable, readily available, and well equipped stick axle that's been proven to work pretty well a number of these cars...Not sure how much they weigh, but that doesn't sound like a terrible option at all!
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'Cause that LS rear assembly is going for $450 or so (for the later series, with the 8.8, cause the cheaper earlier ones have the 8" rear that has precious few parts, including LSD options), and you still need to add LSD.
Keep an eye out on Craigslist for people parting cars out, for whatever vehicle (IRS or not) that you want the rear end out of. Occasionally it pays off. I lucked out and picked up my Mk. VIII complete rear end for $100, and hope to get $50 or so back out of it when I sell the aluminum lower control arms to somebody with a Thunderbird. Of course while I got the aluminum diff case with it, I do need a LSD too. You can find Thunderbirds with the Trac-Lok in their iron 8.8, which probably would have been a nice starting point too, but I'm planning to spend the extra on upgrading to a helical unit eventually anyways. If you plan to go helical, another option would be the the 7.5 thunderbird diff, which while having less parts support than the 8.8, still has the essential bits available, is lighter than the iron 8.8 (similar to the aluminum 8.8 ), has a little less parasitic loss than the 8.8, and is a little narrower than the 8.8 if you're looking to shave the width down any way possible...Shortest axles plus narrowest diff could save an extra incho or so. Of course the Mustang Cobra units with the included LSD and aluminum case are the most difficult to find, and are correspondingly more expensive.
Final 8.8IRS thought: The rear cover on the Exploder 8.8 uses a different, and somewhat improved looking, mounting style to the frame and should be capable of use with the other 8.8's too...Just another little thing to consider if you decided to go that way.
Sorry to ramble on so much about the details of the MN-12 bits...Not trying to specifically push you that way over any other, as
all of the options have both pros and cons, but that's just the specific parts that I am most familiar with at the detailed level and I figure at least
some of what I've learned about them is relevant to the decision you're trying to make.
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the Explorer and the Mustang won't cross over? 