Going RWD and how I think I’ll go about it.
Since I have decided to go RWD on the Stealth, I will need to find a suitable rear suspension. There was an AWD version of the Stealth that I could use, which will only require modification of the two front mounts on the car. If I go with the AWD rear end, I will be stuck with either a 3.08 or 3.545 gear ratio. It will work, but it isn’t quite ideal for the speeds that I would like to drive at in each gear. I also am not sure how much torque this rear end will hold up to since it will be driven as just RWD and not be dividing up the abuse it takes between the front and rear diffs as in an AWD setup.
I would like to stick to an independent rear suspension for the ease of installation and handling characteristics that I am looking for. I have been looking at using a IRS setup from around a 1990 to 1997 Mercury Cougar or Ford Thunderbird, they easier to come by, cheaper, and probably stronger. I can get the carrier in the Ford 8.8 inch ring gear and change it out to a number of gear ratios, which can get me into the speed range that I am looking for in each gear. From what I can tell, the width of the Cougar is slightly wider than the widthof the stealth, but the wheels on the Cougar have different offsets, which I think makes the hub to hub measurement of both cars about the same. I will also need to re-drill the hubs from the Cougar to match the 114.3mm bolt pattern like the Stealth. I have located a Cougar rear end assembly, but I still need to measure the mounts and width to see if I can make it work on the Stealth.
If the Cougar rear endwon’t work, I’ll just need to buy the Stealth rear end and deal with the possible draw backs by using it.