rear end rebuild

[2003 marquis]

i want to move to alloy usa 8.8 31 spline axles, a 3.73 ford trac-loc, and im going to use an aluminum pi driveshaft from adtr. are there any miscellaneous parts that go in this mix? and is it an accurate swap, as in does it all fit correctly or do i need to do any adjustments? any feedback would be great, thanks, ryan.

[jaywish]

You need carrier bearings, pinion bearings, axle bearings, axle seals, pinion crush sleeve. The axles must be the correct size for the axle housing you are using. Reusing the abs tone rings? Which carrier are you getting? Buying this all new?

Are you doing this yourself? If so you might need some tools. What is your skill level, experience?

[2003 marquis]

Thank you for getting back to me and I apologize for posting and following up so late. I have a very skilled mechanic and I want everything new. And I think I know what you mean by carrier, I want the 31 spline ford racing trac loc

[2003 marquis]

Wouldn't the kit from american muscle inlclude all the bearings/seals?

[pivichot]

Thank you for getting back to me and I apologize for posting and following up so late. I have a very skilled mechanic and I want everything new. And I think I know what you mean by carrier, I want the 31 spline ford racing trac loc

To set up the new gears make sure you have a dial indivator to set the correct backlash and gear marking compound. The one that comes with ford kits is not so good and flows too much.

[jaywish]

I have never put a 31 spline into what was a 28 spline housing. Not saying it won't work. I suspect it should but maybe someone who knows can confirm that.

You buy the gears separate from the carrier. There is more then one carrier which "I BELIEVE" are interchangeable. One is the standard unit and the other IIRC is for a late model mustang GT or better. Probably the Mustang clutches are the kevlar ones. Which ones you want are a matter of choice. The standard ones are ok for normal use and I would suspect the kevlar clutches give a bit less slip which is good or bad depending on what you want. Might give more tight turn wheel slip then you like.

There are many install kits out there, FRP and probably American Muscle included, which have all the bearings, races and seals, some don't include the axle set, you want those. Again you need pinion, carrier and axle bearings/races plus pinion and axle seals and a pinion crush nut. Plus 3 qts synthetic fluid and good rtv for replacing the cover. And marking compound as mentioned.

Make sure the axle length is correct going from 28 to 31.

Might as well redo the complete rear regular and parking brake setup while you are at it.

You need a press, bearing spliter, inch lb. torque wrench, ft. lb. torque wrench, dial indicator, a good long pipe for tightening the pinion nut and it would be good to have a pinion flange holder, some guys make their own holder. You can get lucky and not need a bearing spliter but if you have a press might as well get the spliter.

Some folks don't measure everything out and go by feel.

The biggest PITA is the pinion depth. There are tools for that too but generally people reuse the original pinion shim and are usually sucessful and get the correct setting with the original shim. It does not always work though. That is where the marking compound comes in to verify that. If it does not work then you need another crush sleeve for each correction so you may want to pick up a spare.

A good service manual will take you through it all.

Have fun.

[2003 marquis]

Wow I know some people who changed it but I thought it was fairly simple lmao. My mechanic will be doing all the work. Thank you pivichot and jaywish, looks like I have more homework to do, I'l have to get something done with the rear because need traction lok like and Ethiopian needs food

[turbo2256b]

yOU will have to order 31 spline axles from Moser Best to send them one of yours for measurements .Recommend ford racing gears easier to set up pinion depth.

Moser, strange, Mark WILLIAMS ALL sell bearing kits using USA timkin and or KOYO.

[jaywish]

The easiest and by far the cheapest is just to find a used 28 spline carrier and get a new set of carrier bearings. Might as well replace the axle seals and brake components while you are there. You may or may not need shims. There is a pretty good chance your axles have already been replaced. The early 03 cars had soft axles.

Unless you are going big power and need the 31 spline axles.
It is hard to find a NOS 28 spline carrier but there are numerous used units out there.

[pivichot]

Finding a 8.8 28 spline limited slip is not difficult. Here is a link to one. http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-TRACTIO...BWGWKQ&vxp=mtr

I will say you could buy alloy usa axles which are 10% stronger and have a 10 year warranty. Not that bad, Those are the one I am running on my 92. With 4.10 gears I have launched the car and no issue or noise. Unless you are going 350-400 hp and doing neutral drive shifts, I don't think you will need 31 splines.

[SVT98t]

I picked a used unit out of a CVPI for $20 and rebuilt it.
Check with Moser for axles. They make them for the Marauder, which would be a direct fit for your 03.
All the axles from American Muscle are for Mustangs and are too short.


-ryan s.

[pantera77]

Just find a 05+ CVPI with 3.55's and a trac-lok and swap the axle. 31 spline axles, decent gears and a limited slip for ~$200.

[2003 marquis]

yea i wasn't sure if they would've been the same size because they're different vehicles, and yea i made up my mind to go the FI route so i will need those axles. thank you all

[jaywish]

FI route?

[mrltd]

Forced Induction.

Oh, and don't forget the $500 for a tune to fix the speedometer!