working on a project which includes an 8.8 inch rear end. The rear is out of a later mustang and has this 5-6lb weight attatched to it under the pinion. It is mounted with two bolts that go through a rubber bushing. Was wondering if the "weight" could be removed without ill affects. Seems like it might be a dampener of some sorts i suppose.?.?
Thanks
Reuben A

It's made to counteract any harmonics back there. I've removed it on every Mustang I've ever had. In my eyes, it's 5 lbs of dead weight that can be chucked in the trash.

great door stops. I've pulled several over the years and never saw or felt a difference. Years ago I heard that they are all a little different depending on which ring and pinnion your running (different harmonics)...

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FE's, Thunderbolts and single malt scotch.

...remember all the OEM Mustang parts (428 Thermactor pipes, air cleaner intake parts, etc.) that everyone threw away, and now are like gold? You might also want to read from the post below http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/thread/1239195421/O-T-+Toploader+Maintenance+Question) about driveline vibration, which is what the weight is about.

but save it for another potential OEM Mustang owner in the future. And yes, we've all thrown away OEM stuff we thought at the time was junk....only to find it adverstised today for big $$$!.

Keep in mind though that it should not be used in a modified application. Ford installed these vibration dampners in many vehicles to absorb 2nd or 3rd order harmonics and avoid shaking or vibrations that drivers would notice and could lead to parts failures in extreme instances.

However, the 'dogbone' or Mott bar (see patent) as installed on a 8.8 Mustang rear is specifically 'tuned' to a combo of gear ratio, tire size, driveshaft size and length and a few other parameters. Look at an Explorer's Mott bar and you'd see a much different shape and weight. Since you mentioned a modified project that more than likely has changed a few (or all) of these OEM parameters, the dogbone should be left off.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7252060.html