need help with rear end identification

what rearend is in a 97 mercury cougar?I have a 41 ford coupe and am wondering if this rear end would hold up to 450 ft lbs of torque?,also width,size of rear brakes,gear ratios,5-lug?,etc.any help would be appreciated. coupe is not a drag racer,just a cruiser
. guy with rearend says its a independant rear suspension. is it?

there are a few guy's building up the irs T birds for street rods. some have disc brakes most were drum brakes in the bone yard i saw, I think the merc is the same the guy with the t bird t bucket setup said the center section was 8.8 and the the hd stuff for the mustang 8.8 would fit