I have a 94 Mercury Cougar xr-7 v8 and i''m looking to do a 5 speed conversion. I''m in search for parts off of a super coupe which i''m told will bolt right up with minor modifications. My main concern is however the rear end. Wondering if anybody had specs on 94 cougar xr7 rear end. Don''t think its geared right for the swap. Was thinking a ford 9" but not looking to get rid of irs. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks

the stock rear end should be able to handle a manual trans no issue if you drive it like a regular street vehicle. if you intend to be heavy footed, you may want to just replace the gears in the differential that''s already on the car with a stronger set and get a performance clutch plate for the trans. If you''re looking to eventually build a quarter-mile demon, then the 9" would be useful once you got above 500hp (especially if you''re planning on going above 800hp). I think most of the stock stuff can handle most stuff below 500hp. I don''t know for sure so don''t quote me on it. One thing that will need to happen, of course, is to cut out the floor to allow for the manual shifter (but you probably knew that already). Of course if you can find a super coupe in a junk yard that has a good trans and rear end, just get it all (including the drive shaft) and swap it out. then there will be no issues.