I went to pick and pull looking for an 8.8, they (Explorers) all have what looks like to me, a casted rear housing, I thought the 8.8's dropped out and would bolt into a 9inch housing? I can't weld to a castiron housing...lol
Question on that, when all say "if you can get a socket on the bolt...it's not a 9 inch"...then what rear is that you can use a socket on the bottom bolts, where a 9 inch takes a wrench? Maybe better to ask what chunk drops out like a 9 inch?
Well, you can but you need nickle rod which is expensive, and it might warp and/or mess up the carrier bearing preload. Or it may be cast steel not iron and you can weld with normal rod. But the caution about bearing preload and warping is still a concern. I just finished a cast iron clutch housing mod. Welded up some areas to create enough thickness to drill and tap for trans bolts. putting an A833 OD on a 60 Dodge pickup housing. Nickle flows great!
The old 8" like in falcons, mustangs comets etc look just like a drop center 9" except the lowest bolt on the center section can only be removed on a 9" by using a wrench. Thats a fast way to tell the 8 or 9" apart if they are just laying out in the open.
I believe I saw on a thread here on the HAMB, very recently, where someone welded a piece of tubing from one axle tube to the other up over the cast center to have a place to attach the upper links of a triangulated 4-bar.
Take a look at the 8.8” from a Mustang 5.0. .......already uses triangulated four bar setup.....no welding (on the carrier housing) required. “Ears” are cast in place like the GM four bar housings. Ray
Appreciate that, and although I fancy myself as a good weldor, I'm not wanting to go that route...I like steel
‘86 thru ‘93 are 59.5” wide and have 9” drum brakes and are 4 lug hubs. 94 up are 2” wider but have disc brakes and 5 lug hubs. You can use 10” drum brakes from a Ranger pickup (some are 9”....some are 10” and have 5 lugs). I am building a pre ‘94 Mustang 8.8 for my ‘37 Chevy coupe and converting to Ranger axles and 10” brakes. Mustang units are centered pinion and use same length axles both sides. Check out www.therangerstation.com for a lot of info on 8.8 axles. For more info you can PM me. Ray
Sorry for my poor grammar. An 8.8 rearend housing can be welded on by anyone who has access to a mig welder and the skill to weld. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Im curious as to how a centered pinion can have equal length axles ?. My 8" monarch diff is centered pinion but the axles are different lengths ....
I suppose technically you are correct. I thought about that very thing when I posted. The axle shafts are the same length and the pinion relatively centered. What I should have stated is the carrier housing is centered, the axle tubes and axle shafts are same length, left and right. The pinion offset is minimal. I will have to measure the exact offset and post it here later today. I started with a ‘90s Ranger 8.8 axle assembly (58.5” width) that most definitely has an offset pinion/carrier housing......about 2.75 inches. For my application, that was unacceptable due to floor pan and driveshaft tunnel considerations. At first, I considered modifying the Ranger axle housing tubes and changing axle shafts length. Then I discovered the Mustang 8.8 has the equal length axles and tubes and ‘minimal’ pinion centerline offset. Though it is 1” wider hub to hub at 59.5”, that too is okay for my purposes. I will measure the offset and post. Ray
I would consider several things when deciding what/which rear end you want to use. First consideration would be is it capable of handing more power than you will throw at it. Second is whether it has a gear ratio that you want/need. Third is whether it already has some type of positraction in it. Fourth is whether the it has the wheel bolt pattern you need to match your front wheels. Last is whether it is the correct width for what you are building. The point here is that you don't want to find that you bought a rear end that is going to end up costing a lot of money for upgrades and then be insufficient for the power it has to absorb. Take the 8" Ford for example. Its a pretty strong rear end and usually comes in narrower widths. Harder to find these days and parts may not be as available. It does have the drop out center section which is a real plus for changing ratios. What I'm trying to say is that often an inexpensive choice ends up costing as much as a better choice by the time you have to redrill axles and add posi. Personally, I only use 9" Ford units, but I have several of them out back. They are a little harder to find, you can find them. If on the other hand you only plan lightfooted cruising and don't need a strong rear end or posi, there are lots of rear ends that will work. Just be sure you don't end up dropping $2k to get a rear upgraded that doesn't have the strength you may need later. I decided long ago that finding a 9"rear end that had posi in it was mostly a waste of time . They want a lot more money for it , and they always need rebuilding. So when I buy one I just figure on upgrading with one of the newer positraction (lots of other variations) type units that are much better. Its easy to waste the clutches in a real posi if you do any water burnouts when testing your car at the strip. Some newer units are much more durable. Figure about $500 for the unit. If your rear came from an old truck, there is a much better chance of having a good gear ratio. Since you are a good welder, narrowing the rear is pretty simple, but you need to have the axles resplined. Anyway, you get the idea. There is a lot more to consider than just the right width. Also if you ever sell the vehicle, you can pop the removable center section out and replace it with a cheap open drive (non posi) and save the high dollar unit for your next build.
Here is some good info on the differences in "traction control" units. May have newer ? since this was written. Sorry about that first page...........
So about 10 or so years ago I had Currie make me a 9in narrowed rearend for my '36 Ford PU. The plan at that time was to do a small tub in the bed and run some real wide tires I have maybe an inch + between the backing plates and frame...wasn't an issue for what I'd planned at the time. I've since changed my mind and the intent of the truck, I'd still like the tri-4 bar setup, but could live without it I guess and "thought" the 8.8 was a drop out rearend like the 9in is, but obviously I was incorrect. An 8in would be fine for what I want to do now, but as mentioned there are not a lot of them to be found at the local P and P's anymore. I'll find something that will work, having new axles made or having a bolt pattern redrilled will be less costly that having another housing made.
@2OLD2FAST ........as promised, I measured the pinion offset on a Mustang 8.8” housing. I used a drywall ‘T’ square to get a good reading. The offset is 1.250” ( +/- 1/8”). While the Mustangs thru ‘93 have a 59.5” track and ‘94 thru ‘98 are 2” wider, hub to hub, they use the same width axle housings. The ‘94 up have rear discs, the axle shafts are 1” longer per side to allow room for the caliper bracket.