Got the 8.8 shortened today, well tacked in place at least. I cut the first end off with a large HF pipe cutter. I moved in 3 1/2" from the flange since it starts the taper at 3" and wanted a flat surface. This took a lot of effort and on the second I was frustrated trying to get the cut lined up so I went with a recip saw instead. I scored a line using flashing metal and was happy with the result. A little touch up with a machinist square and file and it came out nice.
My welder pro friend emphasized good metal prep especially with gear oil around so I sandblasted the weld areas inside and out.
Dutchman warned me to check for a bent diff as one axle had a slight bend (they did a little touch up on the bearing area so it runs true). Sure enough you can see the tube is off. Both sides. I used a heat and quench method that I found here (http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46369) and got them close enough to satisfy me. The small remaining imperfection was corrected using the outer bushings to ensure the bearings will run straight.
I plan to have a pro do the final weld, just because he offered and his welds are always pretty.
One near goof up was forgetting to make a mark for alignment. Turns out there's a weld line on the inside of the tubes that saved my butt.
