We do it all of the time,Moser is the one I use for cut down axels or new short axels,8.8's are easy,I would like to see that guy press that tube out of the cast housing,I milled out the 3 plug welds,heated the housing red hot & the press would not move it,There is no way to press on the end of the tube inside the housing,it ****s up against the housing tight no lip left to get a bite on,I welded A piece of steel inside the tube to push against,I s****ped the idea & cut the tube.
FWIW, I run a 28" tire also with a 3:73. (2250# rocket) Now I have an O.D. for the top end so that part is different. With a 1700# car and 500+ horse power on tap, I would drop all the way to a 2:73 if not a 3:07. There's no way your hooking up at all with a 3:73 and you don't need a lot of HP on the top with 1700#. Fasttoys
I know this is an old thread....really old. But want to be sure that ANY year Explorer differential will work and has the 31 spline axles. Did they all have limited slip differentials? Thanks Marty
No to the limited slip question. Here's a picture of a non-limited slip tag. You want to find one WITH the "L" they mention. I THINK they are all 31 spline. I've had 4 and they all were 31 spline and all limited slip. 4:10 gears more common in the 2 door "sport" version.
Thanks It seems the newest Explorers may have had a differential change? Just doing a search on Ebay to look at them, I find they are aluminum with no axle housings? I'm trying to figure out what year range exactly to be looking for the solid rear axle.
Easy to shorten the 8.8 the 3 "...just take your time and square up the cut ends...I have done a couple and have used the 8.8's in my last 2 builds. For the money they are the answer...local parts cheap and plenty strong. My buddy collects them. He has a dozen on hand at any given time. I use the 3:55 rears in 3 speed autos and 3:73 in the 4 speed overdrives. $250.00 for the rear end and another $25.00 for another short side axle..The 3:73 and 4:10's have the Locker..hard to find the 3:55's with a locker around here. Explorers have 31 spline as stated earlier.Door post has the build code as does the axle tag shown earlier.
Thank you. So I can look at the door and see which axle it has? I have NO problem doing the mod. I would section the housing, machine a steel insert as a backer and weld up the housing. Piece of cake. This is the route I intend on going. I think because I am using a T5 manual transmission, it may be better to go with the higher gear ratio differential would it not? Great bunch of guys taking the time to help others. I try and give back as well. Marty
It's on you tube....step by step. Unrelated but Currie sell u-bolts and 65-66 Mustang shock mount plates for their 9" conversion which looks to work for a lots of 8.8 conversions also.
The shop that did mine cut the big cast iron boss off the top and also included a standard 9" Ford style yoke to the nose getting rid of the flat bolt on one. I'm also using 11x2-1/4 drum brakes which are the same diameter as the original 56 Ford. The emergency brake is a stock bolt on.
with a T5 I would go 3:73, then you have it all...good takeoff and overdrive in 5th. the door code will work unless the rear has been swapped out...pretty rare. it saves time when you are in the boneyard scrounging. Most auto yards will sell you a short axle for $30 or so around here.
If you are going to a junk yard, pull a (different) short axle and pull the long one out while there. Stuff the shorty into your housing / no reason to pay for a long axle. Here's how I mounted a panhard bar to the 8.8 in my model A, utilizing the big flat mount area on the 8.8. I did not narrow the one in my A sedan / it would have been too narrow. The tires would have rubbed the body under the fenders.
I took the u-bolts and spring plates off a 90's Explorer (they are flat where they touch the housing) at a Pick-a-part today and that flat spot you mounted to for your panhard bar went to a shock absorber mount and went to the frame. Not familiar with that but I don't know much a 4 WD's. Most of the 8.8's have low gears since they are mostly in OD cars but a 2.73 and 3.08 are available just not new. Mines got 2.73's and no OD trans.
If you shorten one axle tube (driver's side) and use another short axle, it'll be about right width. My DD 97 Explorer is 3.73:1, 31 splines with traction lock and disc brakes. Swap the OEM tin cover and upgrade to an alloy rear cover. The 3.73 is good with an OD transmission. OEM track, wheel mounting to wheel mounting surface width: 59.5" Drivers side axle shaft length: 30.688" P***enger side axle shaft length: 27.813" Axle shaft length difference: 2.875" This means cutting 2.875" out of the driver's/long side axle tube, resulting in an overall axle width of about 56.5". Conventional pinion flanges and other ratios are readily available. Plenty of information out there, http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Ford-8_8-axle.shtml
Are you talking factory alloy cover? Because after looking at Gale Bank's videos about aftermarket ones I would definitely not use one!
Redirecting this thread for some axle shaft info. I just bought a 65 Ranchero with an 8.8 in it. It’s had the axle swap done, but is way too wide,it currently has Explorer wheels which despite having 12mm off set, the tyres are really close to the fender lips, which have been ‘modified ‘ for clearance by a PO. I tried to fit some 6x15 ARE’s, but they stuck out past the fender. Looking underneath I could easily loose 2 inches each side, but axles appear to be a stumbling block as it appears stockers can’t be re machined at this length. Has anyone found a ‘cheap’ work around? I’ve gotta get rid of these wheels..
@neilswheels Is the 8.8 axle ***embly from an Explorer? If it is, and you can source another ‘short side’ axle shaft, the long side of the housing can be narrowed about three inches. That would reduce the axle width to about 56.5” to 57.0”. That ‘should’ be narrow enough for your Ranchero. Of course, the location of the spring pads would have to be changed too, but that is the easiest part of the mod.
Don't put too much stock on those posted videos...the guy did it the worst way if doing it by cutting the tube in the middle . If you aren't going to pull the tube, you cut it just a couple inches inboard of the bearing end, cut your 3" out, and align and reweld the housing bearing end back on. I do not know of any shop that does the cut out there in the middle of the tube, that just makes for a weaker ***embly. I jig and fixture all of the ones I do, and only pull the tubes if they are going to be replaced with stronger chrome moly tubing in place of the factory mild steel tubes. I never pull the tube and shorten that end and press it back in Correct fixture is a long 1-1/8" diameter shafting bar, with replacement pucks to take the place of all the carrier and axle bearing, and the bar p***es completely through the axle housing...the hack channel iron and clamp fixturing he used is not really very accurate. With the bar, you maintain all the bearings in a straight line. Any pro rear end company, and any good ch***is shop all does this with the alignment bar through the housing type fixture....they cut the housing end of, shorten the end of the tube, align and weld the bearing end back on, either a new end or the cleaned up used end. Nobody like that uses two chunks od channel or angle iron and a C-clamp to do the job, that's for sure. You can see that ****er wobble in the video just as he is turning it on the stands to weld it....that's not aligned worth a damn and has a very good chance of having rather short axle bearing life, and be hard of the stock axle that is in effect the inner roller bearing race. That's the trouble with YouTube vids....any hack out there can post his hack way of doing things and make it sound legit, leaving guys who don't know any better to follow their instructions and run the risk of screwing their stuff up because of it.
Here's the right way with carrier and axle flange pucks with a mandrel through the centre, see attached Mittler Br instructions. Do it once, do it right
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