1999 SS

iTrader: (3)

whats the deal on the 10 bolt 8.5 inch rear ends? what car are the on and can they fit f bodies?

keliente

iTrader: (22)

They come under impalas & the like. IMO not worth the time.

Carter Hays

Torque arm and 8.5" no workie

rocketman442

iTrader: (8)

Good rear ends, just don't even come close to fitting a f-bod.

Nightrida

they are in 2nd gen fbodys also. they are strong but not worth the swap. go with 9 or 12.

8a8mfh

iTrader: (3)

I don't know why people bother with the ford 8.8 and won't consider using a GM 8.5.
I guess because 8.8's are still in use in a useable width, and the 8.5/8.6's are either not close enough in width or not readily available.

RaNsOm

iTrader: (2)

They come in 2nd gens (had one in my Firebird), '94-'96 Impalas, and Grand Nationals I believe? No Torque Arm mount and too much cutting require to make them fit. Idea has been brought up time and time again...

8a8mfh

iTrader: (3)

My point is that there have been several 8.8's made for fourth generation f bodies. There is no advantage to using the 8.8 over the GM 8.5.
So if someone wasted all the time to get an 8.8 to work, then an 8.5 can be made to work if one wanted to waste the time.

96lt1m6

iTrader: (31)

yes it can be done,has been done many years ago and i am gonna do it again when i get to that end of the car!its not as difficult as many make it out to be most people just think too hard!thats the true waste of time....

8a8mfh

iTrader: (3)

I remember Gale Banks used to make a kit to bolt a torque arm to the 8.5 to use in the third gen f-bodies. It didn't require welding to the cast iron either. Seems I'm the only one who has seen one of these.

slow

iTrader: (7)

there are HUGE reasons to use a 8.8 over a 8.5 Gm rearend.

Parts, 8.8 parts are a dime a dozen, full rearend for $200 or so
GM 8.5's get good money, $600 for S10's and $1000+ For GN 8.5's.

Exploerers, Rangers, F150's, all get the 8.8, some with 31 spline axles stock. (maybe some 33's too)

Ryan

Armyman2445

iTrader: (17)

I asked the same question earlier in the week and im currently building an 8.5 Im in the process of cutting and welding brackets, aligning everything, and tackling the torque arm issue. I should (would like to) have it done (built and mounted) by the end of the month. All I do know whats going in that rear. Auburn mini spool, 4.56 gears.

96lt1m6

iTrader: (31)

yeah cause people look for the expensive stuff all the time. virtually every salvage yard has f-bodies from 74-81 and they all have 8.5'' rears and they usually go for 45.00-100.00 for a complete rear end.the gears are 160.00-180.00 new,posi units from 290-500.00,axles by M/E are 300.00.....as for the mounting bracket for the tq arm global west had them,herb adams,strange and if you are creative you can make a tq arm that is more like a ladder bar and fab mounts to the rear end housing.the reason for the hi priced GN rear is because it has upper control arm mounts and will mount in any G-body car but it was designed for a car that is still worth a ton of cash.so you may luck out and find a rear from a 78-81 z28 that had a 4spd that came factory with 3.42s,3.73s,trans ams were known to have crappy gears like 2.41-3.08 but still you are right at a 1000.00 if you replace a bunch of stuff however it all can be done for 500.00max..we have options,to me a FORD 9'' isnt logical nor practical,not talking crap about the 9'' its an awesome rear but definately not the only solution to a small problem!

Studytime

iTrader: (15)

I agree, plenty of good reason to go with a 8.8" over a 10-bolt (8.5" GM).

Ben T.

8a8mfh

iTrader: (3)

Depends on where you get it from. A junkyard around me sells all rears for $250 no matter what it is. An 8.5 out of a 2 wheel drive S10 is very rare and the price is high because the V8 S10 guys seek them. The GN's are also rare.
The 8.8's came in rangers and are 28 spline, the explorer 8.8's are 30 spline. Both of these are 58-59". You can bolt your dual pattern weld wheel right to these. Or have the axles redrilled.
The f150 8.8's are wide and have a big bolt pattern.
One good thing is the gears are all interchangeable, no different series carriers to worry about.

Studytime

iTrader: (15)

Only the 4x4 trucks got more splines, and it's not 30. It's 31-splines by the way. I don't think a Ranger EVER got 31-spline axles.

You DO NOT want an 8.8" out of an explorer. They are HUGE. Ford used several different housings for the 8.8" of which the truck/Explorer is the LEAST desirable.

As for 8.5" vs. 8.8", compare posi and gear prices. The decision will be clear, 8.8" for the win.

Ben T.

96lt1m6

iTrader: (31)

its a good thing to have many options and opinions of what would be the best option and cost effective solution for each individual.

8a8mfh

iTrader: (3)

yea, the explorers got the 31 spline axles, I was thinking of the late model GM 8.5's with the 30 spline axles.

A few years ago I had a 4x4 ranger with 32's and 3.27 gears. Also had a V8 S10.
I ended up getting a 31 spline 3.73 posi rear and front 'chunk' out of an explorer in a junkyard for the ranger. Then I took the ranger 8.8 out and put it in the S10, had the axles redrilled and put camaro wheels on it to make up for the 3" wider rear.

I also had a 1994 S10 Blazer with 36 x14.50 super swampers on a 31 spline explorer 8.8, I put 4.56's in that rear.

Yes they are huge but aren't the 12 bolts? What about the Dana 60's. I don't think the exploerer 8.8's are any bigger, the center section on all are the same size, they have bigger 3" axle tubes and are more narrow than f-body rears.

slmdLS1

iTrader: (8)

8.5" 10 bolts also came in 88-98 fullsize trucks. very common vehicles to find parts for.

forgot to add, the latter years are a 31 spline version, but these rears are almost all open diff. they can handle the power, i had a LS1 in my 98 silverado with an Auburn posi and stock everything else and it was good to handle the LS1, even with the F13 and heads i wasn gonna throw on it.

firefighter

I got an 8.5" out of 1500 C/K pick up for $125 30 spline axles with 3.42's posi rear. I can get it narrowed for a couple of hundred and bolt bolt it in to my Blazer easy. But me being the nut that I am I'm gonna go all new schizz with a TruTrac I'll finish it for about 1-1.5K. If properly built it can handle the power that most of you are puting out. Now the torqe-arm you guys have to deal with is a different story. but it is a cheaper and viable option. If you ask me I'd rather be broken down on the side of the road than run ANYTHING Ford. If you are really looking for something that can take a beating look into the Dana 60 from Strange that will handle the power you are trying to make and it'll be cheaper than a 12 bolt. Look into it.