Hi from Ontario Canada

[johnunit]

Nice, 3.55's are pretty unusual. That alone will make it quicker than 99% of the box panthers out there. At least until 60-70km/h.

[79lincolnlover]

Welcome! Take some more pics when you can.

[RyPow]

It popped off pretty easy though and the code was V018A - which according to this list: http://www.fordification.com/tech/rearends_ford16.htm I have 3.55 gears! And I think the L means locking (anyone familiar with this list feel free to tell me I'm wrong).

There's also a sway bar under it too.

First I determine it's carbed and now this! This car gets cooler and cooler. I will no longer be doing a 3.73 gear swap. 3.55 stock is good enough for me!

You can cross-reference with the door sticker - if it says "K" under the axle column then you definitely have a 3.55 Traction Lock (posi) rear end which makes it a towing package car. The axle tag should also say "3L55" at the bottom left corner, although it may have snapped somewhere in the middle of those numbers. Did your wife's parents have a trailer? You're lucky that it was one of the years that included the sway bar in that package (my '87 towing package CV does not have it). Does the car have dual exhaust? If not, it was probably swapped out for a single setup at some point, since duals were included with the tow package.

3.55s are a good balance for city and highway driving. I love them in my '87, and that engine is still bone stock. With the plans you have for your engine, those gears will do an awesome job.

[SeanP]

You can cross-reference with the door sticker - if it says "K" under the axle column then you definitely have a 3.55 Traction Lock (posi) rear end which makes it a towing package car. The axle tag should also say "3L55" at the bottom left corner, although it may have snapped somewhere in the middle of those numbers. Did your wife's parents have a trailer? You're lucky that it was one of the years that included the sway bar in that package (my '87 towing package CV does not have it). Does the car have dual exhaust? If not, it was probably swapped out for a single setup at some point, since duals were included with the tow package.

The door sticker is too worn out to read (the main reason why I ventured under the car and vandalized my axle tag). Here's a photo of the tag:



It doesn't appear to have the standard 3L55 on the bottom left like most... in fact, it doesn't look like any of the example tags I've ever seen. There is something that looks like '.55'. Maybe the 3 is still under the bolt?

I'm thinking it is the tow package, though I'm not sure if my wife's grandparent's used it for that. According to the owner's guide, if equiped with the package, the car is good for towing 5000lbs! Makes some of today's full sized sedans look like underachievers in the utility department.

Curiously, there isn't any dual exhaust. Just the standard y-pipe to single. I will correct this! It makes sense if it used to have duals, since my father-in-law swears it had dual exhaust when his parents bought the thing.

[SeanP]

Oh! I'm also going to start a thread in the Member Rides section (or whatever the section is). There'll be some more photos there.

[RyPow]

It doesn't appear to have the standard 3L55 on the bottom left like most... in fact, it doesn't look like any of the example tags I've ever seen. There is something that looks like '.55'. Maybe the 3 is still under the bolt?

....

Curiously, there isn't any dual exhaust. Just the standard y-pipe to single. I will correct this! It makes sense if it used to have duals, since my father-in-law swears it had dual exhaust when his parents bought the thing.

The 3 is still under the bolt, since the 3.55 was the only rear end ratio that ended in 55. The first digit is always quite close to the bolt hole. I imagine the L is right next to the 3, since the L is much closer to the first digit than the last two on any tag I've seen, and V018A crosses to a Trac-Lok rear (unless that chart in the link is wrong).

Something to keep in mind, however, is that the '85 MGM I just picked up apparently has a 3.55 open rear end (code '2' on door sticker). I've never seen such an animal in a box. I'm wondering if the Canadian carb 302 cars (regardless if tow package or not) got 3.55 gears to offset the dull performance of the carb motor (a la high-altitude or California Fords of the '70s). It's a bit of a mystery....I'm going to double-check the axle tag to be sure it's 3.55s.

Another way to confirm the towing package is to look at the water pump. It will be the HD version with a different number of bolts than the standard unit. I can't remember the numbers, but a quick search will likely turn it up.

[SeanP]

The 3 is still under the bolt, since the 3.55 was the only rear end ratio that ended in 55. The first digit is always quite close to the bolt hole. I imagine the L is right next to the 3, since V018A crosses to a Trac-Lok rear (unless that chart in the link is wrong) and the L is much closer to the first digit than the last two on any tag I've seen.

Something to keep in mind, however, is that the '85 MGM I just picked up apparently has a 3.55 open rear end (code '2' on door sticker). I've never seen such an animal in a box. I'm wondering if the Canadian carb 302 cars got 3.55 gears to offset the dull performance of the carb motor (a la high-altitude or California Fords of the '70s). It's a bit of a mystery....I'm going to double-check the axle tag to be sure it's 3.55s.

Another way to confirm the towing package is to look at the water pump. It will be the HD version with a different number of bolts than the standard unit. I can't remember the numbers, but a quick search will likely turn it up.

The list I referenced has the code for the open rear diff as V019A (might be slightly different as I'm going from memory... main point is 18 = L, 19
= NL). So I'm hopeful that means I have the Trac-Lok! I don't want to have to source and install one if I can avoid it... I'm all about saving work, time and money! If need be I'll install it though!

The performance of the carb may be blah, but she starts right up and runs smooth! The idle is a little high sometimes though. Today I chirped the tires shifting into drive while she was revving a bit. Made me feel powerful though... if only for a split second. Layed down some rubber on my garage floor and everything:



I'll check the water pump to see when I have time next.

Cheers.

[RyPow]

So I'm hopeful that means I have the Trac-Lok! I don't want to have to source and install one if I can avoid it... I'm all about saving work, time and money! If need be I'll install it though!

You almost certainly do have the limited slip. Whether or not it's a towing package car is still debatable, but the swaybar is a strong indication.

The performance of the carb may be blah, but she starts right up and runs smooth! The idle is a little high sometimes though. Today I chirped the tires shifting into drive while she was revving a bit. Made me feel powerful though... if only for a split second. Layed down some rubber on my garage floor and everything:

I'll check the water pump to see when I have time next.

The '85 MGM I have also idles high for what seems like a disproportionate amount of time, even after giving the throttle a kick to let the choke open up. I imagine it's either a sticky choke linkage, or just the nature of the beast. There was rudimentary cold engine emissions control strategy in the idle/choke/spark advance on carbureted Fords - hence all the vacuum line spaghetti across the intake manifold on '70s 460/400 etc.

Don't push your luck with neutral dropping that old AOD too much

[SeanP]

You almost certainly do have the limited slip. Whether or not it's a towing package car is still debatable, but the swaybar is a strong indication.



The '85 MGM I have also idles high for what seems like a disproportionate amount of time, even after giving the throttle a kick to let the choke open up. I imagine it's either a sticky choke linkage, or just the nature of the beast. There was rudimentary cold engine emissions control strategy in the idle/choke/spark advance on carbureted Fords - hence all the vacuum line spaghetti across the intake manifold on '70s 460/400 etc.

Don't push your luck with neutral dropping that old AOD too much

The idle goes back down after giving her some gas. And just for the record, the rubber was laid down without any effort on my part! That's what happens when you shift it when she's revving high (all on her own!) while sitting on a slippery pavement surface. I lack the basic coordination and badassery to pull off any tire shredding on purpose.