Well, the first time that it went out, the dealership said "they usually go out at 70,000 miles on Mustangs". This time, the indy shop said the reason it went out again was because the dealership installed the wrong part, that they charged me for the correct part, but installed a different part and it took 30,000 miles for it to wear out. The indy shop said my GT takes the same rear end as the Shelby, but they installed a rear end that would go into a normal Mustang (or maybe vice versa).

 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over.

The S197s all have 31 spline axles, and use Ford 8.8" differentials. The ring and pinion install isn't rocket science. The gears can be swapped over to different Fords as long as they use the same differentials. My 2000 Crown Vic is using the OEM Traction-Lok taken off a 1998 Mustang GT (both vehicles have Ford 8.8" setups with 28 spline axles).

 

That dealer needs to close it's service department.