8.8 swap

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anybody have part numbers or companies where they got their spring perches? just do a search for ford 8.8 into mopar swap or what?
 
Rockatansky said:
anybody have part numbers or companies where they got their spring perches? just do a search for ford 8.8 into mopar swap or what?
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Any 8.8 perches will do, there's tons out there at online retailers. I chose the longer style with three spring pin holes so I could move the axle forward an inch.
 
pretty cool, i think i'm convinced on this swap now considering the cost of building a 8 3/4, especially considering if i buy a used one i will most likely have to shorten it anyway. or the $2,600+ it would cost to do a dana from Dr. Diff.

plus with the 8.8, should it not prove strong enough for some reason, the aftermarket is there with mustang parts. and like it or not, there's not a cheaper way to build a street/strip car than a fox body mustang.
 
one other question, because honestly i didn't read all 15 pages, only about half of them, how does the switch to discs in the rear affect stock brakes? i haven't done any disc swap in the front. not yet anyway. and i was wondering does the disc brake caliper capacity or movement affect the stock brake system? are there any issues with the rears locking or anything like that?
 
I was already better than halfway into an 8.75 rear end buildup, so i decided to go ahead and complete it for my 67 notch. However i am sourcing a complete xploder sport trak 8.8 rear $250, and extra RH axle for my sons 69 notch. Gonna run dippy M body brakes up front, xploder discs in the rear. I like that aerostar driveshaft. If thats a dart length, it would need shortened for a cuda 108" WB.
 
Deceus said:
Here are some pics from my install. This thread was definitely a big help in all this. I left the rear at stock length and went with 275/60 on 15x8s with 4.5 BS. I got the look I was going for. A little more backspacing would have been ideal but it looks good to me.

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Took me forever to realize the driver side caliper brake hose, the Y-fitting and the hose going to the master cylinder hardline are all one assembly. I had a tab welded to the inside of my new spring perches to mount it.

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Where did you get the spring perches from? Will a set of mopar performance ones fit?
 
I know the 8.8 that everybody seems to want is the xploder sport trak. However is the 8.8 under the ranger narrower? Anybody ever concider a ranger or mustang 8.8? What are the plusses, Minuses of using a ranger or mustang 8.8?
 
the ranger is a bit more narrow, but they used 28 spline axles as opposed to 31 in the explorer. and as far as i can tell from shopping around, the biggest majority are open carriers, where the explorers are mostly limited slip.

as far as i can see, some early 2000s fx4 models used 31 spline axles, 4.10 gears, and a torsen limited slip, but you have to do some research and be specific when youre shopping.

explorers aren't the only diffs you can use, it seems they're just the most common when it comes to finding the whole package of desirable parts all together. if you can get the beefier axles, good gear ratio, limited slip, plus a disc brake upgrade all together for a couple hundred dollars its pretty much the best deal even if you do wind up having to shorten an axle.
 
also, for what it's worth, the mustang axle is set up with coil spring perches, but i guess that doesn't really matter too much since you kind of have to torch off the perches and put new ones in the right place anyway
 
Rockatansky said:
also, for what it's worth, the mustang axle is set up with coil spring perches, but i guess that doesn't really matter too much since you kind of have to torch off the perches and put new ones in the right place anyway
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I guess the mustang rear could be worth it probably if it was out of a GT, even with cutting all the brackets off it. Those come standard with limited slip and disc brakes and often with a popular ratio. Not sure if those are the right width without shortening them. Also wondering if the GT has the heavier duty splines. Not opposed to cutting and welding the tube. If i go that route i will be making the weld seam where the spring perch on that side will straddle the weld on either side of it to reinforce it a bit. Just asking the questions since I am now shopping for one of these for my kids car as it makes more economical sense.
 
actually the mustang gt's came with pretty tall highway gears, i believe somewhere in the range of 2.60:1 or something, but don't quote me. definitely in the 2's. i had a 97 gt and had aftermarket richmond 3:73s in it because the stock ones are pretty undesirable especially in a mustang not known for being a torque monster haha. another reason to go with the explorer unit
 
ok a less than thorough google search says the 90s mustangs were either 2.73 or 3.27, neither of which is too impressive haha. i'm almost positive the later post-facelift fox body cars of the early 2000s were even higher in the 2.60 range.

i know not everyone wants to build a street/strip donut and burnout machine, so you may want those gears. but it seems that the majority of guys prefer to at least be in the 3.55 and lower range, maybe not necessarily 4:10. trust me, 4.10 gears sound cool when you're chatting about how your car is built, but with a 3 speed auto and no overdrive, it's going to be less than ideal when you get on the highway and want to do 70+ with everyone else!
 
Not sure about the late 90s early 2000s mustangs as far as standard gear ratios, however i have a 2007 GT with 5 speed. I ordered the car as a special order with spoiler delete thru the dealer. Standard gear ratio listed for this car was 3.23. I ordered it with the optional 3.55 ratio.
 
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yeah i know by the time the new body came out they offered better gears because i think they realized customers got a bit more picky or demanding about how the car performed from the factory. people wised up haha. the older fox body cars had pretty much junk for gear ratios.

but i'm sure buying the rear from a car that much newer would be a lot less cost effective also. maybe i'm wrong, i haven't looked. but i doubt you're going to get a rear from a car that new with low miles for $150 ha
 
Your probably right. I was wondering about the options on 8.8s. Your prob right, the xploder seems to be the best choice. Sport trak being the one to grab.

My local boneyard has a bunch o xploders none are sport traks. Guess i better bring a jack and take a few hours to jack em up and pick one. Gotta look 4 the diff tag.
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On the flip side 2005 GTs are now pushing 12 years old. They are now used cars many on their 3rd or 4th owners. I am sure more than a few have center punched a phone pole by now making those available. I have a few years time before i need an axle for the 69 notch. If a good xploder rear pops up between now and then for a fair price i will nab it. , however as the newer 05 and up GTs get used up they may become the next swap rear.

I will be taking a tape measure to my 07 to get some measurements just in case. Its garaged. Currently its only got 8,800 miles on it so i wont be stealing the rear out of it lol.
 
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i'm definitely not the experienced one here when it comes to this swap, so whatever advice i can give is just based on what i've found online and my own experience with fords and mustangs in particular.

but if you're interested here's a cool page i found that may have aready been posted here, but since this thread has been going for so long it's worth showing again i guess. it has pretty much every dimension and spec for every year 8.8

Ford Ranger/Explorer 8.8-Inch Axle
 
did we ever find out if that aerostar driveshaft worked?

or has anyone used the explorer shaft?

can the aluminum one be shortened?

and if you have one the right length, does the transmission end of the driveshaft work with the mopar trans?
 
Is there any particular model that has a greater pinion offset than normal. Looking at one locally but the images make it look like the long side is around 6 inches or more longer than the short side.
 
check out that link i posted, it has every length and dimension listed for every year in a couple different charts. plus it has a link to decode the axle codes and tags. it should have all the info you could want
 
well i'm taking the plunge, i found a whole explorer sport with a seized motor for $100. going to pull the axle and haul the rest to the junk yard. the guy who sold it said the tranny only has 80,000 on it, that i should pull it and sell it separate, but i don't know if i want a transmission laying around my yard haha.

the only downside is the rear is an open carrier, but it is 3.73 so i'm going to just get the ford performance trac lok carrier that comes with the carbon fiber clutch plates. its a little over $200 online versus just under $100 for the rebuild kit, so i'm going to be just over $100 more than i hoped. but the upside is the new carrier is complete with new spider gears and everything. so i figured between the money i get for scrapping the explorer, plus the peace of mind knowing all the parts are new will make up for it. i couldn't argue with $100 right?

so now i just have to get it home and pull it apart and start collecting parts

anyone who has done this is welcome to add to this, because i want to make sure i have everything.

i need spring perches, u bolts, new axle for the shortened tube, the install kit for the carrier, which includes all bearings and seals and crush sleeves for the rear end. plus i want to do the leaf spring relocation. plus decide how i want to go with a driveshaft.

does anyone know if i have the explorer shaft shortened does it mate up to the mopar tranny? or does the stock mopar driveshaft work as long as i get the conversion u joint.

the one thing i havent gotten totally clear from this thread is what people did for the driveshaft
 
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