5.0 explorers use a 31 splne diff

 

OK, here goes:

Turbo Coupe rears are 4 lug, not 5.

SVO's are 5 lug, but you'll never find them in the junkyard and they actually have a 7.5 rear.

Lincoln Mark 7's use the same brake and axle setup as the SVO, but are much more common and use an 8.8 rear.

All the above mentioned setups are about 1.5" wider than a standard Fox body rear end.

Shortly I will be modifying an 8.8 rear and Lincoln Mark 7 caliper brackets to use 2 left side Ranger axles (9-10" unimortant, they are the same) and Lincoln Calipers, to get a 5 lug disk brake 8.8 with stock Fox body width. Stay tuned.

Oh, and while the lugs may not be stronger on a 5 lug than a 4, the fact there is one more lug present surely means it is a stronger setup. OK, so a lug breaks regardless, but I'd rather still have 4 than 3.

 

not stronger, just shorter. Basically, the rear end is offset in a Ranger to clear the gas tank. So the longer of the 2 axles is the same length as a mustang axle but its 5 lug. People also use the Ranger axles with Ranger drums to go to 5 lug drums in the rear. I personally despise drums plus they look silly behind big wheels so I'm moving to disks.

 

Right side Aerostar axles or Left side Ranger axles are the same.

 

If you want stronger axles call jegs and pay the $200 or so for the Strange axles