8.8 swap

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Hey guys, i just wanted to pop in and say thanks for all the great info on swapping in An 8.8. I just finished mine and love it. Altho i did not cut mine down or move the springs inboard. Im shooting for more of a pro touring car thab anything.
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Does anyone have an 8.8" long side axle laying around? I know some guys have narrowed them and run 2 short axles.
 
I scored an 8.8 from a 97 explorer code 4L10 today for $200 gonna get started, any good advise?
 
Do it right with all new bearings and races, mark your carrier bearing caps as to which side is which and their orientation, note which side the shims came from, keep track of the pinion shims. clean the inside of the housing really well. Grease your new bearings well. Rebuild the limited slip clutch pack while you're at it with new clutches. When you get the axle tube shortened and rewelded, go ahead and have the axle tubes welded to the center section housing. Invest in a 1/4" drive in-lb beam style torque wrench so you can measure your pinion preload once it's reassembled. Get a machinists dial caliper and magnetic base if you don't already have one, so you can check your backlash while assembling. If you think you're gonna want different gears, do it now. Lastly, it never hurts to get a new diff cover, especially one with a magnetic drain plug to catch metal particles and make changing fluid easier. Use a limited slip additive with your regular fluid when you fill it.

The rear end is the cheap part, be prepared to spend another $400+ on new bearings, clutches, races, seals, fluid, etc. Having just rebuilt my own 8.8 to prep it for install, I'd say the biggest piece of advice is take your time, do it once and do it right. If something doesn't seem right, do not move forward until you are confident you've resolved the issue. It's much easier to do everything correct now, than to fix a mistake later.
 
Hope this isnt a Dumb Question. But if you do the 8.8 Swap is it possible to Use the Driveshaft out of a Explorer or mustang with the 8.8 Rear? I think some of them are aluminum. I know the Trans Yok would'nt work but Aluminum Driveshaft is a Good plus.
 
Yeah you should be able to and that's my plan as well. I think another user in this thread used one from an older Ford police cruiser. The trans yolk could work with an adapter U-joint but I plan on buying a 904 yolk made to work with the 8.8 U-joint because I need one anyways. I'm just waiting to get my transmission from John Cope so I can get an idea as to how long it needs to be before I pull the trigger on that plan.
 
i remember seeing a chart that showed how much weaker conversion joints are than regular joints. I wish I knew where I saw that.
 
I imagine a conversion joint is only as strong as whatever the smaller size is. You're probably fine as long as you consider you can't rely on the strength of the bigger side. I'm a big fan of overkill when it comes to things that can result in my rear end being vaulted out the back my car though lol.
 
This is out of a Aerostar and it looks Probable that it can be made to work. But what the hell do i know.

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I wish I remember where I saw it. From what I remember the conversion joint was like 30% weaker than the smaller joint
 
is it really needed to grind off the old brackets does not look like they will be in the way.
 
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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Peyote said:
What shock mount plates did you use out of curiosity
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Just regular 8 3/4 plates from Mancini, didn't even have to drill them surprisingly, I used Pro Comp U Bolts 50050. Everything fit pretty well.
 
So, I was at a U-pull last weekend and thought I'd check out the 8.8 situation over in the ford area.

My findings were:

All of the explorer "sport-trac" vehicles were missing their rear axles.
Must be more likely to have limited slip.

About half of the regular explorers were missing theirs, and about 1/3 of the rangers.

Most rangers, including the later rounded body styles had 14" wheels, many with white letter tires!

Some rangers and explorers had the same style alloy wheels, but the ranger version was 14" and the explorer version 15"

The aforementioned wheels along with some others could be a fairly cheap way to get decent wheels in 5 on 4.5 with a favorable RWD back spacing (yes I know about the potential register hole issues, but I've seen ranger 14's on Dusters before.
 
If your cutting the axle tube, you may want to look into cutting it more toward the carrier as the bearings are in the end and that is where most of the weight is biased to, does that make sense? I sectioned mine about an inch from the carrier thinking there would be the least amount of sheer force there. You can also use the axle as the jig to weld it back together as well as using a piece of ID pipe to back the weld joint for more sheer force protection.
 
pishta said:
If your cutting the axle tube, you may want to look into cutting it more toward the carrier as the bearings are in the end and that is where most of the weight is biased to, does that make sense? I sectioned mine about an inch from the carrier thinking there would be the least amount of sheer force there. You can also use the axle as the jig to weld it back together as well as using a piece of ID pipe to back the weld joint for more sheer force protection.
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There is a drawback to doing that. The further in towards the carrier you cut and weld, the more the warpage will effect how far the axle bearing end of the tube moves. As far as using the axle as a jig, that's not going to do a very good job either. If you get a chance try sliding an axle in without the bearing on it and you'll see even when its slid into the splines it can be moved a lot. Whenever an axle get narrowed its always best to do it as close to the end as possible to limit warpage. A good weld in a V'd tube connection so you get good penetration is plenty strong so shearing is very unlikely. Using a pipe cutter puts somewhat of a V in the tubes but if a chop saw is used its best to chamfer the ends without going all the way to the inside. Without some kind of V and letting flat tube ends butt together then laying a weld on top of the joint is much weaker and should be avoided.
 
pishta said:
If your cutting the axle tube, you may want to look into cutting it more toward the carrier as the bearings are in the end and that is where most of the weight is biased to, does that make sense? I sectioned mine about an inch from the carrier thinking there would be the least amount of sheer force there. You can also use the axle as the jig to weld it back together as well as using a piece of ID pipe to back the weld joint for more sheer force protection.
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I think you are thinking a little backwards on the leverage part. Closer to the carrier would allow more leverage to bend that area with the weight at the ends.
 
Good to know about the axle jig procedure. I just did that one on the fly and figured with my less than stellar weld skills, a weld farther from the bearing would be in a less stressed area. When i put the axle in and seated the splines, the tube was bubble up on my level and I had the carrier on a cradle and the axle flanges on identical height scissor jacks. forgot to mention I had the ends supported. Came out straight but I still was a little leary of my welds. Buddy sold the car with rear in tow before we could get everything installed. Id do it again. It was easy as 1-2-3: 1 cut, 2 perches, 3 welds.
 
pishta said:
Good to know about the axle jig procedure. I just did that one on the fly and figured with my less than stellar weld skills, a weld farther from the bearing would be in a less stressed area. When i put the axle in and seated the splines, the tube was bubble up on my level and I had the carrier on a cradle and the axle flanges on identical height scissor jacks. forgot to mention I had the ends supported. Came out straight but I still was a little leary of my welds. Buddy sold the car with rear in tow before we could get everything installed. Id do it again. It was easy as 1-2-3: 1 cut, 2 perches, 3 welds.
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Agreed. It it really is a easy thing to do, even with minimal skills.
 
How about using the speedway motors shock plates if you cant find factory mopar ones. These may work as well.

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Any pics of the uncut installs and the driveshaft to tunnel clearance? I run a 3.5" diameter aluminum driveshaft.
 
I have a 3.5" aluminum driveshaft. With hotchkis rear springs and dropped an addition 1.5" from DoctorDiff's offset kit, I would barely rub at the rearmost part of my tunnel on hard bumps. I am running a cut 8.8" rear with it moved back 1 3/8" back from stock.
 
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