At my wits end, I'm trying to decide what diff to put in my '50 Ford Coupe. Stock axle width is 57.5". Since "good" (and not so good) 9" diffs are almost impossible to find, I've been researching the Ford 8.8. Cripes, its way worse than modifying a 9", not to mention the c-clip eliminator kit adds 1.5" to the axle width (read "new axles"). Then, "yippee", I find a blog saying '92 and earlier Rangers are 57" wide - just about right. Then the other shoe falls and I find they have an off-set pumpkin. No info on how much of an off-set. I suppose the easiest thing to do would be cut 3/4" off each end and re weld the ends on, but that still leaves the off-set. And what about the 4 lug dilemma? I'm a dedicated hot-rodder but, good god, how much dicking around does one have to do to have a decent diff at a decent cost? Hey - that's it! Mopar! I'll narrow that 8 3/4" that's been gathering dust under my bench. BIG axle bearings standard, BIG diff bearings standard (read "equal to the rare 9" Daytona bearing") and even the smaller pinion shaft version is bigger than the 8.8. And no yoke swap. Just shorten and re-spline those super-beefy C-body axles and I'm done. There, that was easy! But, I still want Ford stuff in my Ford. Has anyone out there got any solid info on an 8.8 model that will fit?
Sometimes being that die-hard is waaay more trouble than it's worth. Like you said, the Mopar is gonna be better than the 9-inch, but if you're hellbent on a Ford rear end under your Ford, why not keep looking for a 9-inch then? -Brad
so what would be the problem with an offset pumpkin? do you want the pinion centered or the pumpkin centered?
I feel the same way about 8.8's as I do about the old GM 10&12 bolts, JUNK. Everything I build is 9 inch Ford but I would rather have a 8 3/4 Mopar than a 8 inch (because of gear selection and availability) let alone anything that doesn't have a drop in third member, or has C-clips, or bearings that run on the axle surface. My.02.
Based on experience of a couple, I dislike 8 3/4 Mopar rear ends - big end play, oil leaks despite new bearings and seals - they just feel really sloppy. I have an 8.8 in my '40 Ford and had one in another '40 Ford and they have been great - if a little on the wide side at 59.5". Mine came out of a Mustang - way cheaper than building a 9" as they came with disc brakes and it was just a matter of cuting off the coil spring perches and welding on spring pads for the leaf spring set up. They are pretty bulletproof and the rock crawler guys seem to like 'em.
8.8 out of an explorer should work and you'll get rear discs but be carefull alot of them have 4:10's some have 3:55's If you want drums the older explorers have them Check out the jeep forums like 66 nova 383 said. Jeep guys are tearing out their danas and using the 8.8 Explorer is 33 spline
I've never seen an 8 3/4 that was set up right have 'big end play.' Maybe you had a bad u-joint. Oil leaks? Again, maybe someone nicked a seal or something. I have built many 8 3/4's and never had a problem with the first one. The only draw back is putting real horsepower and sticky tires behind a cone type posi. Even after machining the cone and pocket it still slipped and cost me a round win at the Winternationals! Clutch style or spool from now on. If you have the rearend laying around I would make use of it. The 8 3/4 is a tough SOB! After you have your axles shortened have them press on a set of green bearings. They are sealed bearings with no adjuster. Just stick them in and your done!
Buckeye, I agree with everything you said about the mighty 8 3/4", except the green bearings - they are great on a drag car, but don't last too long on the street, especially if you like to turn corners fast. The tapered timkens are the way to go, adjust them properly and forget them.
I was looking at Exploder rear ends for my Mustang. The pros are Disc brakes, Trac Loc, good gears, cheap, and easy to find. The offset is about 3 3/8" to the right side by my tape measure. Not a problem if you have room in the tunnel for the driveshaft.
explorer rearends are 3.73 and 4.10... usually a great rearend, never had any problems with an 8.8.. seems like i remember the pinion being offset 1 5/8 you could always put 9inch ends on the 8.8 and get some aftermarket axles.
I have a 8.8 for my 52. Stock mounting surface to mounting surface is 57 1/4. Stock explorer with 31 splines are good for just around 300 hp but are 59 1/2 and offset. If you have the long tube shortened 3 inches, you end up with a centered pumpkin and a width of 56 1/2 mounting surface to mounting surface. By shortening the long tube, you can go to a junk yard and get the other short shaft from another explorer axle and slip it in without having to shorten the shaft. I'm having a pro do mine with jigs, but if I was cheaper and better skilled I would do it myself. If you are bone yarding it, you can get 31 spline axles with 3.27, 3.73, 3.55 and 4.10 ratio stock. A little more looking and you can find a limited slip in the explorer as well. Any more than 300 hp and you are going to need to weld the tubes to the housing, c-clip eliminators, etc. I have a Ranger axle (7.5, good for 100 hp flathead for now) in the back yard that I was going to use in the interim which is real close to the stock width. It didn't look offset last I looked but I have a broken ankle and can't go outside so I can't help you there.
All that being said about the Mopar rear, I do feel the need to point out that the 8.8 is a GREAT rear end from Ford. The really fast Mustang guys use them for a reason. Basically, if you like the Chevy 12-bolt, you should like the Ford 8.8: carrier and pinion bearings are the same, and ring gear diameter is the same. It looks like Ford engineers copied the 12-bolt. The big difference is the number/diameter of the carrier bolts: one of them has few bolts but larger diameter, the other has more bolts, but smaller diameter. I forget which is which. It's a good rear end--though the C-clips are a bitch to deal with. Still, if it was me, I'd go with the Mopar. -Brad
A 5 lug Maverick is almost a direct bolt in. and they are 56 inches wide wheel mounting flange to wheel mounting flange ... A Mercury Comet of the same year is basically a fancy Maverick ) Around here they are cheap and easy to find. Hotrodprimer came down from the upstate and we went to my favorite junk yard. He had at least 8 or 10 5 lug Maverick rears to choose from within the first 20 minutes of looking. We picked out a low mileage one ( 88,000 miles ) with a 3.00 gear ... told the man which one we wanted and went to our favorite Bar-B-Que place. Returned less than a hour later and paid the man $200 dollars and were on our way. Complete V8 Maverick rear end with good brake drums, and the parking brake cables not cut so they can be used again. SIMPLE ... Ford rear end for a shoebox
LOVE my 8 3/4 mopar! Got it in my Ford Falcon gasser. 9's are great for staying ford and if you want super availability. 8INCH fords suck 8.8's are VERY capable axles and might go into my lifted cherokee for cheaper gears and better brakes....
My friend does the low buck c-clip eliminators on 8.8's. Cut the ends off the 8.8, weld on 9" bearing ends, then use 9" axles, and brakes. The 28, and 31 splines on 9" axles are the same diameter, and pitch as the 8.8 axles.
What's the advantage? If he's using 9-inch bearings ends, axles and brakes, why not just use the whole 9-inch rear? -Brad
Seriously, go to a 4x4 board. The explorers use more spline and a larger axle shaft than both the f-150 and mustang. Get a disc brake rear and quit crying about a c clip eliminator kit. The disc brake brackets and assembly do it for you. An explorer is the single most popular POS turned in to cash for clunkers and the yards should be full of them. They are narrow enough to go in any jeep ever made with a width difference of less than an (58 to 59) inch. I can't imagine a 8.8 exploder rear being too wide for anything if you know how to measure offset( usually 3/4 to 1 inch l-r) . The pinion offset should not harm driveline harmonics.
check out how much power the mustang guys are puttn to the ground on the 8.8's lighter and less drag than any of the others you mentioned...disc brakes use the 9" ends & go with atleast a 33 splined moser axle they are one size dia. "no taper!" use the ranger rear and cut it to fit!exploder rear disc!aftermarket parts are plentiful parts are cheap junk yards have them etc...etc... i am using the 8.8 in my wagon it has 35 spl gun drilled mosers,4.11 gear,spool! my buddies stang had 8.8 still had 4 lug pattern mosers going 5.20 in the 1/8th who says thats not strong!!!
This is what I did as well and ended up with a nice rear end with 31 spline axles, 3.73 gears and a trac-loc for less than $125. I picked a rear out of an earlier Explorer so I could have rear drums and picked up another short side axle all for just under $125 from the local pull-a-part with a warranty and core charge. It wasn't too difficult to cut the right amount out of the housing. We did it in the backyard garage and didn't use a jig. We just took our time.
If you can find one, a mercury monarch about an 80s model comes with a 9 inch, and the measurement is just shy of 58 inch, wheel mount, to wheel mount. About 1/4 inch less the a lincoln versaille 9 inch. and it comes with drum brakes. The only draw back is it's a 28 spline, and the gears are usually high 200s.
An explorer rear is offset to the right 2.5". They are 59.5" wide and have 31 spline axles. To make them handle 550hp, you have to weld the tubes to the center section and put either a billet cap on the right side carrier bearing or one of those aluminum rear covers that preload the stock caps. I picked up a 95 explorer rear for 100 dollars complete, but a T/A rear cover on it, moved the spring perches and painted it black. I have 300 in it with the cover and the paint and lucas oil. It is posi with 3.73 gears. Do you have 550hp and slicks with a hard launching car? I doubt it. The thing to watch though is wrong gears or incomplete rear. Gear changes are expensive to have done or require special tools and jigs to do yourself. Calipers are 150 each plus core. They have a flange on the pinion instead of a yoke, so you have to get the adaptor or buy one. Pull it yourself so you make sure you get the rotors, calipers, brake hoses, and emergency brake cables, and the stock adaptor (which takes a 1330 spicer so it's plenty strong). And the gears you want, which went all the way from 3.27 to 4.10 stock. The V6 rears are identical to the V8's. 95-01 have the good disc brakes with the little drum parking brakes. 90?-94 are the same only drum brakes if you prefer them. As has been said before, search the 4x4 forums. Lots of good info on these rearends. I have one in my 56 chevy. It has 3" drop springs and a 3" driveshaft no thunking in the rear. I didn't touch the driveshaft tunnel.
I scored an 8.8 out of a 95 explorer and it dropped in to my 57 f100 with NO alterations to the mounts. Of course its flipped on top of the springs but that was gonna happen anyway. Kool thing is its 373 geared and factory disk brakes. I do need a locker for it if anyone has one......
It does not look like these 2 axle charts have been offered: http://www.rosevillemoparts.com/refe...etrans.php?SID http://www.differentials.com/pdfs/39.pdf ...just in case you need more info... .
around me 9 inch ford rearends are getting hard to find, and can be kind of expensive.. these last couple times scrap steel prices went up , alot of stuff got crushed, and i mean alot.. ive had several 8.8's given to me, and they had 3.73 gears already installed in them (out of wrecked gt's).
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