I didn't really look at that tag, but now that Texas! mentions it; he's absolutely right.  That is not a tag from a '60s era Ford axle.  They all had the Ford logo in the oval stamped into them.  That also mounted using a single bolt; not two. 

The 6 cylinder cars used a 7.25" ring gear, Salisbury type rear (integral carrier) instead of the Hotchkis style (drop out carrier) that the 8" and 9" rears used.

BUT, this isn't one of those rears just based on that tag.  That tag decodes as 3.73 gear ratio (open, or it would have an "L" between the "3" and the "73"), 7.5" ring gear.  The "8 H02" is a date of manufacture, the "8" is the year (1988 or possibly 1998), "H" is the month (August), and the "02" is the day (the 2nd).  The top number "A S804F" decodes as "A" revision (not sure if this means there was no revision or if its the first revision, not that it really matters its all internal Ford mumbo jumbo that has no real effect on anything), "S" tells you its a Sterling built rear, and "804F" is a model number (probably corresponds to what vehicle and weight rating the rear is from, but that info is not easily found).  Based on the ratio I'd say its likely a Ranger or Explorer rear. 

wow! you guys are great..great advice ..long story short I spent a couple days in vegas thinking about this(which my wife didn't care for lol)...anyway I went with bolteds advice..and I practically had to remove the sway bar all together so I can get some wiggle.after that I did as you supposed to and go front to back then middle and I got those little suckers to drop right in the hole..sure enough with some determination..i did them on my other mustang a couple years ago and was a breeze..this not so much..im still P.Oed lol..well at least now I can go get the alignment tomorrow..as for the rear end I have no idea where it came from but yea I suppose it could be a later year..i think I saw a stamp on there somewhere but I aint planning on going down there anytime soon...1 im to upset with it hahha and 2 now that its lower im to fat to fit..vegas didn't help the fat part either hahhaha..thanx again guys..reading all your comments got me on the right thinking path to get this done!

hhahahaha...to funny!

Bolted to Floor wrote:

Glad you got it all together.
You're not the only one to get busted thinking about the car when you're supposed to be paying attention to the wife. More than once Sheryl has looked at me and told me to stop thinking about the car or work, and in that order. And she is correct about 98% of the time.

Actually I've come to the conclusion that if something doesn't want to fit there's something wrong, and that's God's subtle way of letting you know. 

"8H02" would be either '88 or '98 built August 2nd (H 02).  I would bet that "804F" would tell you what year and what it came from if you could find a breakdown of what those numbers mean, but near as I can tell its an internal system used by Ford and/or Sterling and I've not been able to find that information on the web for vehicles built after the mid '60s. 

Given the gear ratio it must be from a 4X4 application, and given that its a 7.5 it must be from a Ranger or Bronco II.  I thought possibly an Explorer at one point (Explorers and Rangers shared a lot in common), but all Explorers had the 8.8, and they didn't build them yet in '88. 

I always thought...if it don't fit your just being tested...so ive come to the conclusion instead of getting so upset..just come back to it...and you've passed the test ..but I kinda like your conclusion better

TKOPerformance wrote:

Actually I've come to the conclusion that if something doesn't want to fit there's something wrong, and that's God's subtle way of letting you know. 

Vicfonz wrote:

ok I will..just to be correct you want a measurement from the soindle in the front all the way to the back?...can this be done say from middle of front rim to back rim?

6sally6 wrote:

Vic.................just to "humor-me".........take a measurement from front spindle to rear hub on BOTH  SIDES and compare the two.
Let us know.
If its right......the measurements will be equal(pretty much) IF one side is greater than the other.....the springs are worng.
Just concerned for your safety.
Sometimes we can "make-it-fit"...even when it ain't right.
6sal6

 

It would be more accurate from the front spindle(grease cap on the front wheel) to the center of the rear wheel hub.
Compare the two.....
6sal6
 

132"? Mine is 108", but I think Sally was asking to measure BOTH SIDES to see if they are close to the same, because you used the  leaf springs that had the center bolts in different locations.

rpm wrote:

132"? Mine is 108", but I think Sally was asking to measure BOTH SIDES to see if they are close to the same, because you used the leaf springs that had the center bolts in different locations.

^^^^^^^ what RPM Bob sez!^^^^^^^