[more4u2c]

I have found a guy on Craigslist claiming he has a T/C rear end for sale that he ordered back in 1995 and then never used it. but the pic of the rear end looks like a standard mustang rear end with drum brakes. So my question is did the T/C's only come with disk in the rear or did they have drum options as well? If they had a drum option then would the rear end still be wider than the mustang or were the drum option basically the same as a mustang just with better gear ratios? here is the link to the ad...

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/pts/4834382556.html

 

[FoxChassis]

Ad does not say it is a TC rear. It says it was ordered from the (FMS)SVO catalog and was in a TC

 

[Smurf stang]

Fox is correct.

Plus there were no TC in 1995 as they were SC.
Plus they had ind. rear suspension as they did away with the live axles also.

 

[EJthePJ]

Yep…all of the above from Fox & Smurf is correct.
Not that it matters but yes, the 1986 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe came with rear drums…the 1987 & 1988 T/C's came with rear disc. 1988 was the last year of the T/C…(just a history lesson, most likely not pertinent)

 

[more4u2c]

ok so I got some more info from the guy and y'all were right lol It was a stock T/C rear end out of a 86 that he rebuilt and only put 15k miles on it until he got t-boned.

So does anyone know if this can be used in a 88 mustang? is the 4 lug bolt the same, is the drums the same, brake lines the same, ETC. Ive tried to look this info up but everyone only talks about the 87-88 T/C rears cuz of the disk brakes those come with is a more popular swap. I dont really care for the brake swap im just looking for an easy cheap way to change out my rear end.

 

[EJthePJ]

Oh!
If it's out of an '86 T/C then great! It will definitely bolt right in suspension & driveline wise.
The lug pattern is of course the same…I can't remember if the track width is the same or not (the '87-'88 disc rear-ends are not), but it should only be a 1/4"-1/2" difference from your stock rear-end. Take some measurement before you do the swap so you can plan a course of action if needed. If you running close to stock size rims & tires then you won't have any issues…at most maybe some 1/8"-1/4" spacers.

As for the brakes, the soft (brake) line from the chassis to the rear-end is different (longer). If I remember correctly, the mounting bracket it's connected to is also different.
When I preformed this type of swap, I scavenged any parts I could from the Mustang rear-end that was being discarded.
[On the '87-'88 T/C disc brake rear-ends this is very important due to the anti-loc brake system on these cars]
You should be able to swap any parts, like your Mustang rear-end's hard lines, soft line & brackets if needed.

Another thing I would suggest that you confirm that he rebuilt the differential & what type of rebuild he did.

I hope this helps!
If you have any questions let me know.

 

[FoxChassis]

1986 Thundebird rear is 7.5", even the T/C

 

[more4u2c]

Ok so here is some pics of the rear end help me figure out if this is a 7.5 or a 8.8 rear end? And also my brake line doesn't bolt to the axle tube like it does on this one is that gonna be a issue or a sign this is not a 8.8?

 

[ALMOST STK]

It's a 7.5.

 

[FoxChassis]

Yes, that is a 7.5".

The engineering/casting number on the passenger side upper control arm mount tell you what it was originally designed for, and the date code tells you when it was cast. I can see an incomplete engineering number of "__DW-B_" in the pic you posted. The date code should be right below it.

 

[more4u2c]

Thanks everyone that's what I thought but this dude was sure it was a 8.8 lol think I'll just say screw it save up some cash and upgrade to a 31 spline rebuild kit. I have been looking at getting this kit from LMR but when I showed a rear end shop this kit http://www.latemodelrestoration.com...ine-Severe-Duty-Rear-Axle-Kit-4-Lug-373-Gears and asked how much it would be to have it installed the guy was sayn this kit if a bunch of cheap China parts which confused me it looks like it says it's all ford racing parts so I'm assuming this rear end shop is tryn to discourage me buying this that way they can sell me their parts at a higher profit for them. What are your thoughts on this kit is it good or is there better out there for the price?

 

[FoxChassis]

What kind of power are you putting to the ground that makes you think you need 31-spline differential and axles?

 

[more4u2c]

Nothing really I'm pretty much stock at the moment but would love to get the motor as built as possible or maybe even do a coyote swap in the future. My thought process is this I have a rear end that's making a whine noise so idk what is causing the noise could be gears, could be t-loc, could be bearings? So what do I do just change out the gears And bearings and hope its not the spider gear or axle bearings causing the whine or seeing how the entire rear end has 150k+ miles on it and it has a whine i should just replace everything and rebuild the entire rear end? But then comes do I stick with 28 spline or got to 31 spline? Well I've only found 31 spline complete kits if I stay 28 spline I'll have to piece it together one by one and doing that causes the cost to be the same as this complete 31 spline kit. Honesty I'd love to find me a turbo coupe rear end and just be happy with that with the disk brakes but the only ones I can find are on the i tenet sites asking 700 bucks for them for that cost I might as well just keep mine and upgrade it to 31 spline. I figure once it's upgraded to 31 spline I'm good to go on tranny/engine mods and will not need to worry about my rear end again.

 

[Scrounger]

First I would search this site on the axel swap. I have done the TC disk rear swap, and it wasn't easy, but not all that rough. The track width issue is more trouble than you are led to believe. That .75 inches on each side are huge when you are trying to keep all but the skinniest rubber under your fenders. The TC brake lines need to be switched over to Mustang friendly fittings (lots of bits) but in the end you have great brakes, and while you are in there the trac-loc should be rebuilt (more forum research, pack it tight). Keep looking. I had my choice of rear ends in the Detroit area for $200 last year. Sand blast, and get to work!

Cheers!

 

[FoxChassis]

There is a 1988 TC rear 95 miles from your zip code at:

Rosecran's Used Auto Parts
Paramount, CA
562-633-7067

There is another 148 miles from your zip code at:

Pearsons Auto Wrecking
Ridgecrest, CA
1-800-446-5865

 

[shakerhood]

You can always get a 94-98 SN95 Rear and do a 5 lug conversion.

 

[more4u2c]

Thanks foxchassis I'm gonna hit them up. What would be a decent price to pick one up for you think? Also I need to stay 4 lug because my fox is a ascmclaren and it still has the stock mclaren rims which are 4 lug, obviously lol. I also found a online junkyard company that will sale a t/c rear end for 750 includes shipping which I think is very very expensive but it comes with a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty. I just did my taxes and I'm getting plenty back to do whatever I want now I just need to decide if a rebuild my current rear end with new parts keep the drums vs getting a tc rear end and the caliper brackets that move it in for the stock axle length plus all the other bs to complete the job. My m/c I think is bad to begin with so it needs replacement anyways.

 

[FoxChassis]

I would not spend more than $150 for a used TC rear. $750 is outrageous, BUT that does include shipping. A "warranty" is just fluff to sell you on it. Ford 8.8" rears just don't go bad. About the only thing you might have to worry about is axle bearings going bad and wear on the axles there.

 

[EJthePJ]

Oh!
"If it's out of an '86 T/C then great! It will definitely bolt right in suspension & driveline wise.
The lug pattern is of course the same…I can't remember if the track width is the same or not (the '87-'88 disc rear-ends are not), but it should only be a 1/4"-1/2" difference from your stock rear-end. Take some measurement before you do the swap so you can plan a course of action if needed. If you running close to stock size rims & tires then you won't have any issues…at most maybe some 1/8"-1/4" spacers."

Hey guys! Sorry I didn't pay close enough attention to this thread…I didn't mean to post incorrect info.
Mnay years ago I pulled a rear-end out of an '86 T/C that was an 8.8 drum, & never thought about weather it was original or not. Thinking in back on it, I should have known better…the car had a lot of other work done to it.
Sorry for the bad info guys.