Driveshafts

Anyone here done a swap from a smaller axle to an 8.8? My stock driveshaft worked with the AOD and stock axle, but with the 8.8 it is too long. I have a Fox T-bird one around somewhere that i haven't looked at in forever, but might be the right length.

What has anyone else used?

i know that driveshafts on v8/c4 cars are longer than 4spd cars. i had to learn this the hard way. i also know that ford aerostars have aluminum driveshafts and are supposed to be the same length as fairmont driveshafts.

Interesting! 2 or 4 WD?

i would think 2wd since a awd aerostar has the axles at a different position

There should be no difference at all with the 8.8.... You sure the yoke is all the way in the tranny?? Sometimes its kinda stiff going back in, I normally lube it up with tranny fluid . When i swapped from a 7.5 to an 8.8 in my stang the stock drive shaft worked perfect. Same with my fairmont(although its a 4 door)

As far as the aerostar drive shaft, you want the 4wd version, but it is exactly the same length as your current drive shaft, just aluminum. I got one along with my car but it wouldnt work for the longer 4 door, so i sold it to a buddy and he put it on his stang and it worked fine.

I'm not so sure the stock axle was a 7.5. it did not have a round diff cover. and it's REALLY small.

The 7.5s are super small, and not quite round. If it had a diff cover it had to be a 7.5, the only other diff it could be is an 8" and they look like small 9"s. Also they didnt come in foxbodies.

Do you have any pics of it???

Revolution909 wrote:

The 7.5s are super small, and not quite round. If it had a diff cover it had to be a 7.5, the only other diff it could be is an 8" and they look like small 9"s. Also they didnt come in foxbodies.

Do you have any pics of it???

Heres some pics of your diferent ford rear ends
7.5 inch

8.8 inch

9 inch

10.25 inch

The 7.5" and 8.8" axles are supposed to be dimensionally the same and so driveshafts should interchange between those two axles. However I've read somewhere that some early 4 and 6 cylinder fox-chassis cars used a 6.75" axle that was based on an axle previously used in Mustangs II's, Pintos's, etc. Maybe your car had one of those axles and used a different driveshaft than the 7.5" and 8.8" axles?

Revolution909 wrote:

There should be no difference at all with the 8.8.... You sure the yoke is all the way in the tranny?? Sometimes its kinda stiff going back in, I normally lube it up with tranny fluid . When i swapped from a 7.5 to an 8.8 in my stang the stock drive shaft worked perfect. Same with my fairmont(although its a 4 door)

As far as the aerostar drive shaft, you want the 4wd version, but it is exactly the same length as your current drive shaft, just aluminum. I got one along with my car but it wouldnt work for the longer 4 door, so i sold it to a buddy and he put it on his stang and it worked fine.

trust me. i measured all three in my garage and they were not all the same.

All three what?? He didnt swap trannys or anything so i am not sure what you are talking about?


IF, and thats a big if, he took out a 7.5 the drive shaft will fit.

jnorth8 wrote:

The 7.5" and 8.8" axles are supposed to be dimensionally the same and so driveshafts should interchange between those two axles. However I've read somewhere that some early 4 and 6 cylinder fox-chassis cars used a 6.75" axle that was based on an axle previously used in Mustangs II's, Pintos's, etc. Maybe your car had one of those axles and used a different driveshaft than the 7.5" and 8.8" axles?

one guy I talked to said it was a six point (something), so I wouldn't doubt that's what it is. I'll post a pic when I can, but the car is not at my house anymore and there's a blizzard today. I don't think it looks like the 7.5 pic above, it's more oblong.

Revolution909 wrote:

All three what?? He didnt swap trannys or anything so i am not sure what you are talking about?


IF, and thats a big if, he took out a 7.5 the drive shaft will fit.

all three driveshafts i had. all from different fairmonts.

Ah, well if thats the case grab a drive shaft out of any fox body stang, I am unsure which other foxes drive shafts will fit but if you have a thunderbirds one just measure it up and if its shorter then yours you should be in business

Fox Stangs have a five inch shorter wheelbase than the Fairmonts, so the drive shaft will be too short. Around here, it's very hard to find a decent D/S in the junkyards because EVERY ONE OF THEM picks the cars up with a forklift from the side, which dents/bends the drive shaft 99/100 times. Really annoying, because so many aluminum Aerostar shafts just go to waste. I believe they are too long, but not a big deal to shorten them to fit whatever you are working with. Ford Motorsport/FRPP made a dandy aluminum shaft for the Foxstangs, but as stated earlier, they are too short for a Fairmont. Crown Vic police cars (CVPI's) also have an aluminum shaft, also too long, but nice large diameter and can be shortened to suit.

-Mike S.

Ok shit, i was wrong.... I went out and measured the one out of my buddys 2 door and it is indeed 5 inches longer... Well you should be able to find another 2 door around to pull the D/S, if you were from around here i'd tell you to see Zephyr Mike lol.

Also saying that the 4WD aero star ones will not fit then, they are to short, but i think the 4 door D/S will fit, becuase mine was 5 inches longer then the mustang one, and the 2 doors is also 5 inches longer.

Yeah, i think F/Zs all have the same wheelbase.

ZephyrEFI wrote:

Yeah, i think F/Zs all have the same wheelbase.

that they do , but when you throw in an 8.8, a t5 and a windsor motor lengths of the driveshaft may vary.

I've been through a few drivetrain swaps in the 20 years I've had my car.

Original: 302/4-speed SROD, 7.5" open

First mod: Replaced stock 302 with '93 HO

Second mod: Replaced SROD with T-5. Required replacement of bell housing, and I had to grind a flat on the washers that go on the studs where the trans mount bolts to the crossmember.

Third mod: Replaced 7.5 with 8.8

All of these combinations used the same driveshaft. At one point, I replaced the driveshaft with one out of an '82 Granada 4 door, which had a 6-cyl/auto. It fit fine.

Hope this helps.

Later,
Mike.

My car was the 4Cyl with C5. After doing the 5.0 and AOD, the stock driveshaft was too long by about an inch. I have a bastardized shaft in the car now that came out of some wierd lincoln 2 seater that i've never seen before. It had a double ujoint at the rear end, and I had to saw some material off in order to run a single so it's way out of balance. Someone on the old board said that a Fox Tbird TC shaft will fit, and I saw one at the bone yard this summer so I bought the driveshaft. I haven't tried to put it in yet, but it measured up fine so I think it will fit.

Is anyone actually using a T-bird driveshaft?

I did a follow up post this morning. The tbird turbo coupe driveshaft was about 3 inches too short. I ended up using an aluminum driveshaft out of a 2WD Explorer 4door. I had to swap the front and rear yokes from the turbo coupe shaft, but it fit perfectly.

Good to know, thanks!

Which tranny crossmember do you have? the wide mount or narrow mount? I don't know what year they went to the wider mount. That's about the only other thing i can think of that might make driveshaft length vary.

I have the wide mount cross member.

Thanks. I'll see if i can find an Explorer next time i'm at the junk yard. 2WD ones are rare here though.