• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Independent Rear


stmitch

March 2011 STOTM Winner
MTOTM Winner
2011 Truck of The Year
Joined
Jan 29, 2010
Messages
2,286
Reaction score
647
Points
113
Location
Central Indiana
Vehicle Year
2000
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Manual
That's my plan too, whenever I get around to it. Like I said before, if you need measurements, let me know. Also, have a plan for the increased width, a new exhaust, and probably a different fuel tank or fuel cell. Maybe a different driveshaft too. I haven't looked at that yet.
 


dannyboy3141

New Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2016
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1992
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0L
Transmission
Automatic
Let me know whatever you find
 

stmitch

March 2011 STOTM Winner
MTOTM Winner
2011 Truck of The Year
Joined
Jan 29, 2010
Messages
2,286
Reaction score
647
Points
113
Location
Central Indiana
Vehicle Year
2000
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Manual
I'm not sure what else you'd like to know. The tech library here says that your stock rear axle on your 92 is 56.5 inches wide. Roughly measuring the Cobra IRS, it looks like it's around 63 inches from wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface. Like Don said, it's about 6 inches wider than what you have under there now. I'm assuming you'll want to run some pretty wide rear tires when it's all done, so you'll need to figure out how you want to mount the IRS, determine the tire width you want to run, and you may need to modify the bedsides depending on the offset of the wheels you choose.

If you mount the IRS with something like the Truckirs.com kit, it will force you to run the wheels further out. Doing it like the Trucks! Guys did, and removing the stock mounting ears will give you much more space under the bed for tires, and gives you more options for wheel offsets, but will require more measuring/fabbing on your part.

The stock exhaust won't work behind the muffler, so you'll have to do something else with it. Dump it, run it out the side, reroute it under the IRS dif, etc.

I haven't checked the driveshaft to see if the pinion flange Will bolt to the Cobra IRS or not. That's something that I'd address down the line after the hard work of installing the IRS is done. Custom driveshafts are fairly cheap/easy to source.

You'll also have to decide if you're going to use the stock coil springs and shocks, or convert to coilovers. Coilovers will increase the cost, but mean you only have to fab 1 set of mounts. Keeping the stock coils and shocks means you have to fab spring pockets as well as shock mounts, and have less adjustability than the coilovers would.

A lot of this is going to just be up to you, and you'll have to figure it out as you go. There's no recipe for this, or easy-to-follow "how-to" in the tech section. If you're serious about it, do lots of planning, lots of measuring, and fix the issues that come up as they come up. I'd start by setting the wheelbase and ride height you want. Mount the IRS cradle where it needs to be for that, and everything else will be easy from there. Route the exhaust where you need to so that it's out of the way. Pick the wheel/tire that you want, and adjust the body to fit (bulge the bedsides, add wheel flares, etc).
 

bobbywalter

TRS Technical Staff
TRS Event Staff
V8 Engine Swap
TRS Technical Advisor
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
Ugly Truck of Month
TRS Event Participant
Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
23,470
Reaction score
4,668
Points
113
Location
woodhaven mi
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
FORD mostly
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
BIGGER
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
sawzall?
Tire Size
33-44
My credo
it is easier to fix and understand than "her"
modify an explorer chassis and fit a ranger body to it.
 

dannyboy3141

New Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2016
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1992
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0L
Transmission
Automatic
Stmitch, I am planning on using aftermarket flared bedsides to adjust for the new width. For the exhaust, I was thinking of putting in a Magnaflow system (with a few little customizations to get it to fit). For the suspension, I was thinking about just sport coils, so I will definitely be doing some fab work there. And Thanks for pointing out about the driveshaft. I'll look into that.
 

stmitch

March 2011 STOTM Winner
MTOTM Winner
2011 Truck of The Year
Joined
Jan 29, 2010
Messages
2,286
Reaction score
647
Points
113
Location
Central Indiana
Vehicle Year
2000
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Manual
Sounds cool. Keep posting as you make progress.

I should also point out that I think the stock fuel tank (at least on my 2000 regular cab) is going to need to be moved. It definitely will if you keep the factory Cobra IRS mounts. If you mount it like they did on Trucks!, then you might have just enough room to keep the factory tank. I'm planning on moving mine to behind the axle anyway for better weight distribution when the time comes.
 

Joel Shields

New Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2017
Messages
20
Reaction score
2
Points
1
Location
Edgewater FL
Vehicle Year
1999
Make / Model
Mazda
Engine Size
2.5
Transmission
Manual
I know this thread is old but if you haven't done the conversion yet but still want to. Use a Miata subframe with protege front hubs in place of the Miata hub that way you keep the 5x4.5 bolt pattern
 

Attachments

Joel Shields

New Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2017
Messages
20
Reaction score
2
Points
1
Location
Edgewater FL
Vehicle Year
1999
Make / Model
Mazda
Engine Size
2.5
Transmission
Manual
There's threads on the Miata forums how to add a 8.8 Also this keeps the ride hight relatively the same.and using after market shocks for the Miata gives adjustability. Add a airbag system and you will still be able to tow.
 

my77cobra2

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
Messages
71
Reaction score
1
Points
8
Location
Commack, NY
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9L V6 [5.0HO Carb swap in progress]
Transmission
Automatic
Joel shields any chance you can post what year or generation Miata?
 

sgtsandman

Aircraft Fuel Tank Diver
TRS Forum Moderator
U.S. Military - Active
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
Ham Radio Operator
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Mar 11, 2017
Messages
12,860
Reaction score
12,648
Points
113
Location
Aliquippa, PA
Vehicle Year
2011/2019
Make / Model
Ranger XLT/FX4
Engine Size
4.0 SOHC/2.3 Ecoboost
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
Pre-2008 lift/Stock
Tire Size
31X10.5R15/265/65R17
Joel shields any chance you can post what year or generation Miata?
He hasn't been on since December. So, he may be back to let you know or he may not.
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Month


Shran
April Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Top