Ford 8.8 Junkyard Score

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HellCuda

HellCuda

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Austin, TX
I found this little gem in the junkyard over the weekend. I need to upgrade my existing 7.25 as part of my Gen3 Hemi swap and this unit checks all the boxes: 3.73 gears, limited slip, disc brakes, 5X4.5 bolt pattern, and the stronger 31 spline axles. She may not look like much, but like any fat girl she's beautiful on the inside. I figure total all in will be $700: $130 for the unit, $150 for the shop to narrow the long side, $120 for the new axle shaft, $150 for bearings/seals kit, and $150 for new rotors and calipers. Now I have a plan all that's left is to stray from it.

88 rear.jpg
 
I am also going this direction with a couple of my cars. You just can't beat it with the vast availability of gear changes, service parts and strength.
 
Rainy Day Auto said:
You just can't beat it with the vast availability of gear changes, service parts and strength.
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And you can't beat the price. I spent some time trying to figure out how to do this with the 8 3/4, but it was going to cost 3 times as much.
 
HellCuda said:
I found this little gem in the junkyard over the weekend. I need to upgrade my existing 7.25 as part of my Gen3 Hemi swap and this unit checks all the boxes: 3.73 gears, limited slip, disc brakes, 5X4.5 bolt pattern, and the stronger 31 spline axles. She may not look like much, but like any fat girl she's beautiful on the inside. I figure total all in will be $700: $130 for the unit, $150 for the shop to narrow the long side, $120 for the new axle shaft, $150 for bearings/seals kit, and $150 for new rotors and calipers. Now I have a plan all that's left is to stray from it.

View attachment 1715313536
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She's a beaut clark!
 
HellCuda said:
I found this little gem in the junkyard over the weekend. I need to upgrade my existing 7.25 as part of my Gen3 Hemi swap and this unit checks all the boxes: 3.73 gears, limited slip, disc brakes, 5X4.5 bolt pattern, and the stronger 31 spline axles. She may not look like much, but like any fat girl she's beautiful on the inside. I figure total all in will be $700: $130 for the unit, $150 for the shop to narrow the long side, $120 for the new axle shaft, $150 for bearings/seals kit, and $150 for new rotors and calipers. Now I have a plan all that's left is to stray from it.

View attachment 1715313536
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What was it in?
 
txstang84 said:
Explorer? Can’t recall which years off the top of my head, but they’re all over the place
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Yeah, from a general sense I know that but i was wondering what "model/trim" to maybe make it easier to spot.
 
HellCuda said:
I found this little gem in the junkyard over the weekend. I need to upgrade my existing 7.25 as part of my Gen3 Hemi swap and this unit checks all the boxes: 3.73 gears, limited slip, disc brakes, 5X4.5 bolt pattern, and the stronger 31 spline axles. She may not look like much, but like any fat girl she's beautiful on the inside. I figure total all in will be $700: $130 for the unit, $150 for the shop to narrow the long side, $120 for the new axle shaft, $150 for bearings/seals kit, and $150 for new rotors and calipers. Now I have a plan all that's left is to stray from it.

View attachment 1715313536
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Word of advice, replace the pinion bearings while your in there. Mine failed about 500 miles after I put it in
 
Theres an 8.8 buildup sticky. Read thru it. I narrowed the left side tube on mine myself. Not too hard to do at all. Data plate on diff cover will also tell you ratio. Yours being a locker the tag should read 3L73 if it was an open differential it would read 3 73
 
Easy to know how much to cut out of the long side since you need 2 short side xploder axles. Just stand long and short next to one another and measure the length difference between the 2. Thats what you have to remove from the long side tube. I think it was 2&1/16" that you take out of the tube, but dont get me lyin. Check it yourself before you cut.
 
moparmat2000 said:
Easy to know how much to cut out of the long side since you need 2 short side xploder axles. Just stand long and short next to one another and measure the length difference between the 2. Thats what you have to remove from the long side tube. I think it was 2&1/16" that you take out of the tube, but dont get me lyin. Check it yourself before you cut.
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Appreciate the advice. It was that 8.8 sticky thread that got the thinking about the swap, but I definitely don't have the welding skills to do the job myself. I'm trusting this one to the local rear end shop. They can do it faster and better than I ever could.
 
HellCuda said:
Appreciate the advice. It was that 8.8 sticky thread that got the thinking about the swap, but I definitely don't have the welding skills to do the job myself. I'm trusting this one to the local rear end shop. They can do it faster and better than I ever could.
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It's good to know ones limitations. My brother says, and I agree, a tradesman, will do the job better on their worst day than I will on my best day, in that trade. If they will do it for $150, knock it out and get it done. You can save some cash by going back to the bone yard and finding another axle tho and taking the short side one. No need to buy a new one.
 
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Cuda416 said:
Yeah, from a general sense I know that but i was wondering what "model/trim" to maybe make it easier to spot.
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Guess I should've just waited to post until after I read the 8.8 sticky...that's where all the relevant info is. But, if you want to go looking, I believe 96-05 is about the right year group, trim level would probably be XLT or better, when all else fails, crawl on the ground and verify the back cover...
 
cawcislo said:
How much HP is the ford 8.8 capable of handling? How much stronger is it than the mopar 8.75?
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...as much as it takes to put a Fox body Mustang in the 8s...so somewhere north of 500? It's not any stronger really...just easier to get parts for. You can purchase a new 31 spline LS diff for as little as $250, they make buttloads of upgrades for the housings and they're all over the place so you don't pay the price of admission like you would for a banjo...
 
Mine came out of a 99 XLT 5.0 4x4 it was a 3L73.

99 is a changeover year for rear disc brakes too. They are one type of rear caliper and pad to sometime in march 99 after that they switch to a different rear disc setup. If unsure get the build date out of the donors doorjamb. I didnt and had to play match up the pads at the autoparts store to figure out if i had a before or after march 99 built axle.
 
Had i known about this when i pieced my 8.75 together for my 67 i woulda bought an 8.8 for it as well.
 
moparmat2000 said:
Actually i think a fully loaded 8.75 mopar is a touch heavier than the ford 8.8
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That is very likely, I've read that the axle tubes on the 8.8 are thinner than others which is a big problem for the 4WD/Rock crawler folks. When we do it, it's going to be an upgrade from the stupid 7-1/4 in my son's valiant that does NOT push 500 hp so we'll be good to go.
 
The tube i cut was close to 1/4" thick. I will mic the chunk i cut off to shorten mine and post it. Its freakin thick.
 
moparmat2000 said:
The tube i cut was close to 1/4" thick. I will mic the chunk i cut off to shorten mine and post it. Its freakin thick.
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I'm certainly curious. I read that info on a 4 wheeler thread so no first hand experience yet. but when I have watched videos it didn't "appear" to be 1/4. but closer to 3/16. Now that I think about it, for some reason .20 comes to mind...
 
If you use a used short side axle, be aware that it may have set in a slight twist from prolonged usage. Sometimes, used axle shafts do not take to well to having the direction of rotation reversed and will break under long term usage.
 
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