Ford 8.8" Rear... Should I do it?

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jrlegacy23

jrlegacy23

68 Barracuda
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First off, let me say that I am a die hard Mopar guy and have always had a dislike for fords. But saying this I am actually considering a Ford part for my Dart!!!!!
On my local craigslist I found a guy parting out a 1999 Ford Explorer. I was curious because of the talk I have heard about the rears being ideal for Mopars. He read me the axle code, I looked it up, and it is a 4.10 Gear, disc brakes, a limited slip differential, and he is giving me the driveshaft with it. All for $150.
I thought this was a hell of a deal and I get disc brakes and limited slip. What are everyones thoughts on this? Should I try it out, or just stay mopar in a mopar?
 
It sounds like a great band-aid if you plan to build an 8.75 or a Dana 60.

I don't blame you for considering this route. I will soon be $2k into my really nice, but really $$$, 8.75. That's near Strange 60 territory in dollar terms.
 
unknownsnake said:
isnt the 8.8 the one where axles are two different lengths?
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Yes, it is offset 2". But, the Dana 60 at stock mopar pinion offset also has two different length axles, to give pinion offset. And the 8 3/4 has equal length axles, but the pinion is offset 1 3/8". I am just putting a warmed over 340 in the car, so I will not have gobs of torque trying to tear it up.
I have a set of aftermarket 30 spline axles and a C-body 8 3/4 to cut up, but it is open diff and drum brakes. I have seen high 10 sec mustangs running 8.8s, so I am thinking the 8.8" will hold up with ease and will save me quite a bit of money.
 
unknownsnake said:
isnt the 8.8 the one where axles are two different lengths?
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anyone can feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, but pretty sure the truck version does have one axle/tube that is shorter being the pumpkin is offset...most ppl buy 2 short side axles and hack the tube on the long side
 
johnnymac2k6 said:
anyone can feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, but pretty sure the truck version does have one axle/tube that is shorter being the pumpkin is offset...most ppl buy 2 short side axles and hack the tube on the long side
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This is true, truck and SUV do have different lengths, the car one is centered.
 
True, not a Mopar unit, but the 8.8 has a pretty good reputation as a strong unit with a heck of a lot aftermarket options too.
 
hey if 150 bucks can get you a rear with 410's and disc brakes to boot for a season or whenever you find a properly built mopar unit I say go for it. Get it in and be done with it. Because ur not going to find an 8.75 or dana for anything close to what u can grab that for....Providing it fits.
 
I figure that it has to be a stout rear, they put them behind the Rousch mustangs and the turbo stangs with 500+ HP. Plus the $150 is less than I would pay for just the disc brake conversion on anything else.
 
Have you actually measured it to see it's even close to the width needed? From everything I've read their a lot wider so you'd need to have it cut down.
 
fishy68 said:
Have you actually measured it to see it's even close to the width needed? From everything I've read their a lot wider so you'd need to have it cut down.
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the explorer rear is 59.5" wide, I can have the long side cut down for $100 and it will be 57" wide. Just an 1/8" narrower than a stock A-body. Also, the exloder rear has 31 spline axles.
 
jrlegacy23 said:
the explorer rear is 59.5" wide, I can have the long side cut down for $100 and it will be 57" wide. Just an 1/8" narrower than a stock A-body. Also, the exloder rear has 31 spline axles.
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That's a good price on getting it narrowed. Is that dimension axle flange to axle flange or housing end to end? What o.d. is the axle shaft splines?
 
Keep Ford On Ford & Mopar On Mopar! Go Dana 60.
 
KP said:
Keep Ford On Ford & Mopar On Mopar! Go Dana 60.
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Isn't a Dana 60 originally a Ford rear? The Dana 60 rear axle was first introduced in 1955 as a full floating axle in Ford F-250.

The dimension I gave are wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface. And the axle spline diameter is 1.31"
 
jrlegacy23 said:
The dimension I gave are wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface. And the axle spline diameter is 1.31"
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That's surprising to hear it's that narrow. They sure look a lot wider than a Ranger and a Ranger 8.8 rear is nearly exactly the same width of an A-body rearend. 1.31" is pretty good.
 
Here Is A Photo On The Dana When I Imstalled It Under My Duster.
 

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orangetwist said:
I say just donate the 8.8 to me for my jeep build im planning.
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Ya, right. Go to your local junk yard and look around, its amazing what you may find. What is nice about the Ford Exploder is there is a tag on the drivers door that has an axle code. Which tells you if it is limited slip and the gear ratio. They are as follows:
:director:
43 Open 3.08
41 Open 3.27
42 Open 4.10
46 Open 3.73
45 Open 3.55
D4 Limited Slip 3.73
D2 Limited Slip 4.10
L73 Limited Slip 3.73
 
Go buy the darn thing.

I spent 600 bucks on a sure grip rear then like 300 on bearings and axles and i still have drum brakes. Even if you decide not to use it in your mopar, I'm sure you can find something to put it in. Or sell it for more money.
 
SirDan said:
Go buy the darn thing.

I spent 600 bucks on a sure grip rear then like 300 on bearings and axles and i still have drum brakes. Even if you decide not to use it in your mopar, I'm sure you can find something to put it in. Or sell it for more money.
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Ya, I bought it. I am pulling it on tuesday and bringing it home. I will take some pics and post it up.
 
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