Irs
 

What years and models did the t-bird and cougar have irs, I have heard 89-92 but am not sure, also is the Fox front suspension the same as the mustang?

89-98 lincoln,t-bird,and cougar had Irs but there were two dif sizes and some had disk brakes and some had drums. check the FAQ section on the ffcobra.com website they have that kind of info. Patrick

thanks, I have been looking at some of your build pics and am giving serious thought to doing a scratch build rather than a kit for 2 reasons,1st is I can pull the best of them all into my car and 2nd is the initial layout is easier to handle on a retires income. The welding skills I have and the mechanical and body/paint I am real good at, the upholstery will be my expensive part for labor.

By the way I thought your build looked fantastic and will be going back to it for more info. Thanks again, Carl

I am also retired and am building a Ford based Lotus 7 since cost does matter. Here is a good refference file:///c:/Documents%20and%20Settings/~/Desktop/7/rear%20suspension/irs.html

What I have wound up with is 92 Lincoln Mk VIII diff housing, 03 Explorer rear cover this allows 4 point mounting and eliminates a known weak point, the rear mount. The internals are standard 8.8, almost, I intend to use the Torsen T2(OEM) carrier since it has spring preload so if a wheel gets off the ground it won't smoke when it comes back to ground it is also 31 spline. There is a problem with the Torsen T2(OEM) in that it is not machined for the IRS stub axles, my hope is to be able to remachine the C clip groove to allow for this problem. What I have found in an attempt to convert to 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern is that the Cobra hub can be pressed into the rear knuckle, 04 4x4 Escape front rotor are the right size to allow the original MN12 rear caliper to be used. The front knuckles can be used by cutting the top part of the knuckle off at the sway bar mount and suing that for the upper BJ. These can be converted to 5 on 4.5 by using 99 Mustang GT hubs and rotors. I am going a step further to lighten unsprung weight by performing more surgery on the knuckle and adapting 99 to 03 GT aluminum PBR calipers, this setup weighs 40 lb for knuckle and brakes though I think there is a bit more I can cut off the knuckle to reduce weight further. Hope this helps feel free to pm if more info needed I will try to help.
http://wrangler.rutgers.edu/gallery/...e+with+GT+PBRs
http://wrangler.rutgers.edu/gallery/...2/DSC00346.JPG
00 Cobra R, 03 explorer, 92 MK VIII with explorer rear cover

http://wrangler.rutgers.edu/gallery/...2/DSC00348.JPG

Is'nt an irs in a Lotus 7 going to be to heavy?

Not nearly as heavy as the 351.

With the aluminum diff housing and knuckles it shouldn't be any heavier than a solid axle, less unsprung weight.

Look at it as a FFR(IRS) minus the body

A bit more info. The rear knuckles can be converted to 5 on 4.5 by using a Cobra hub and front rotor for an 04 Escape 4x4 (Duralast 54093). Correction the stated rotor is the same as SN95 GT front rotor which is about .5 too large, I have traded for Gt front rotors and will probably make a simple adapter to move the caliper out a bit.

One other rear end that can be used is Nissan 300zx from 1989 onwards.
Wheel stud pattern 5 on 4.5"- alloy multi link rear hub carrier- vented rotors with drum h/brake. Crown wheel is 230mm ( 9" ) several ratios for various models and viscous LSD. Or you could twist my arm for a 9" housing & make your own.

Jac Mac

Jac Mac
...great thought on the Nissan 300zx rear! I took a look on ebay and there were a couple of incomplete units there. The pictures of the center section look very similar to the T-bird units.

Does anyone out there have dimensions on the tread width? How about pictures of the whole assembly with those alloy control arms, etc.

There appeared to be a couple of different versions - one with tube axles (like a Jag) and one with splined shafts (like the t-bird).

With a 9' ring gear and the correct lug bolt pattern that could be a real time saver for us scratch build folks if the tread width is right.
TWM .

Terry,
I have a couple out back of the shop, will measure hub face to hub face & post tonite. All the ones I have here are CV / Solid shaft approx 1.25" dia.
One note of caution- while they are relatively inexpensive out of a wrecking yard, the reverse might apply if you have to overhaul one.May pay to check out some parts costs at your end. I have been paying around NZ$200.00( US$150.00 approx ) for the whole assy on local auction sites. Have enough now to see both the cobra & daytona out ( Along with me probably);)

Jac Mac

Jac Mac
Thanks for checking into the tread width on the 300zx rear. Interestingly, the parts on ebay seemed fairly costly for what they had - $300 U.S. "buy it now" price on the center section and axles only. They were from a twin-turbo model and that may make some difference. I still want to look into this further before I go much further on my t-bird IRS.
Terry

Terry,

63" from hub face to hub face- Pinion Flange is 13" in front of Rear axle C/L.
LH Axle is approx 2" shorter than RH so if two LH axles were used the 63" could be reduced to 61". Would suggest that if that was done that you use a 'new' axle- old axles dont like being reversed in load direction. New Zealand has had an influx until recently of older japanese second hand cars which may explain the price difference- I have watched the 300zx on Ebay and your prices appear to be slightly above ours.

Jac Mac

I told a small lie in that the Escape rotor is a bit big diameter and I M going to look into relocating the caliper a bit to suit. I want all wear parts to be off the shelf.

Jac Mac
Thanks for the numbers on the 300zx tread width. ...big help
Terry1

63 Mercury
Regarding your question about the t-bird center section. The ID tag has everything you need - assuming it is still attached to the rear cover by the top bolt.

The second line has the most important info - reading left to right on mine it is 3L08 8.8 3E06. The 3L08 means it is a locking 3.08 ratio. the 8.8 means it has the 8.8 inch ring gear. ...don't know what the last four digits in the line mean nor those on the first line. It seems as if I got the info off of this site a couple of years ago and a search of the posts might turn up everything you need. ...tried to get a photo of the tag tonight, but I can't keep focus and still have it close enough to read. ...sorry.
Terry1