80/TA/LT1

iTrader: (2)

Any chance you have a build thread on your 8.8 rear? Getting ready to do mine and want to do some more research, i've googled a million of them but it never hurts too see other ways or ideas, thx. Kick *** run btw...

rybern

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the explanation about your bumper.

I'm really impressed that you were able to drop E/T even though you increased weight and parasitic load. No doubt that tires and gears helped, but still impressive.

Hardtop Brian

I dropped 21# switching to the centerlines in back from the factory 16x8 trans am wheels and 19# removing the rear bumper beam. I'm not sure how much I added with the 8.8, but I'm close to being the same weight I was before the swap. My 1/4 mph did go down slightly, but I picked up in the 1/8th. I'm now crossing the finish line at 6,100 and shift to 3rd at mid track. So i'm basically over-revving the stock cam for the last 3rd of the track. I'm thinking about throwing in a baby cam with ls6 springs to at least make enough power to shift at 6400 so I can then add nitrous.

Hardtop Brian

This is the cliff notes version:
99 explorer 8.8 with 3.73 and lsd.
Hiltsy Mount
Spohn 3.25" sway bar brackets
Cobra carbon clutch kit

I wanted to do it on the cheap and without a truing/alignment bar. I decided that I would widen the 8.8, use 2 long axles, use 10 bolt brackets, reuse the bearings, and keep the 8.8 brakes so I could clear 15" wheels. I didn't care about abs or traction control because this is mostly a track/weekend car. The only things that I didn't do myself were weld the mount kit to the housing and machine down the tubing. Here are the pics:

I welded the kit myself, but had someone tig it to the cast housing. Had them cover the sensor hole and weld the tubes to the housing:


12" long 3.25" OD .500" wall DOM turned down to slide inside the short axle tube. This needs to be a tight/interference fit to keep your alignment so you won't need an alignment bar:






Took angle and distance measurements off the 10 bolt before I cut the brackets off.


Use this RottenLeonards drill jig to change the ford axles to chevy pattern.



assembled. I swapped the calipers from side to side and rotated them to the front so I could reuse the camaro brake lines.


I used a Midwest Chassis tunnel mount torque arm.



All said and done, the rear was done for around $900. Adjustable lca's, panhard, and torque arm added $600. So $1500 under the car.

346only

I love my 8.8. I like running 6.7's @106 (soon will be better) in the 1/8 with only a 346 with a baby cam and 5.3 heads on a car with full interior and body. I've made a good bit of 6 sec passes with it with 1.4-1.5 60ft times and the gears don't make any noise on the way home. Most people don't believe my car is still a stock cube mild car, I feel like it's faster than most because I'm running a 8.8 and th350 instead of 9" and 4l80. Next pass with good DA I'll be looking for 6.5-6.6's. yours is looking good so far.

80/TA/LT1

iTrader: (2)

Thx a bunch for all the info ! Much appreciated

80/TA/LT1

iTrader: (2)

Oh btw, what swaybar brackets are those ??

gesto

Great job! I would love to see you hold off on the heads/cam and instead run a 28' tire, go to a Fast intake and take out more weight. That should put you sub-11.50's.

Hardtop Brian

I might shoot for a sub-11.50. I looked at the videos of the runs and noticed a few things that need fixed like getting the speedometer calibrated. I had it calibrated for the 3.42 that I had in it, but never re-did it for the 3.73 thinking it wouldn't affect anything. Looking at the videos, 2nd gear holds and shifts at 6500, sometimes bouncing the limiter. I didn't understand why until I read that the pcm requires rpm and mph to be met before it shifts. So at 6200 rpm I have met the rpm's to shift, but not the mph. No point in spinning the stock cam to 6500 and i'm sure it's costing me a little bit.

gesto

Mine does that too on the 2-3 shift. It shifts at about 6400 - 6500 and it's the stock tune. Can you adjust the mph requirement in your tune?

How did you decide on the 6200 shift point?

Firebirdmuscle

iTrader: (16)

Great job running the times. Boy I love some good running bolt on cars.

Hardtop Brian

I can't change the requirement because I don't have tuning software.

It's a Frost bolt on tune and he set it to 6100-6200.

Hardtop Brian

spohn 3.25" brackets

Firebirdmuscle

iTrader: (16)

Hardtop are you going to make a track outing this weekend any?

Hardtop Brian

I'm done for the year. Tracks here close after this weekend. I did fix my fuel pressure issue with a ractronix pump, hotwire, and new regulator. Probably run a bit quicker, but nothing crazy. Currently elbows deep in it:

rybern

iTrader: (5)

Whatcha doing there Brian?

Hardtop Brian

02 ls6 cam, timing chain, and ls6 oil pump, then spray into 10s. I would love to do a big cam only setup but I'm getting married in April and this was the cheapest way to go 10's.

rybern

iTrader: (5)

I'm surprised that is the cheapest way to 10's. I'm feeling pretty ignorant. Is it because you would have to upgrade intake, TB, injectors and heads to do it?

You keeping stock valve springs and pushrods?

BTW, congrats on getting married. Marriage can be a wonderful thing.

Hardtop Brian

Thanks!

Ls6 springs and hardened pushrods. From what I just measured, the ls6 cam base circle is about .050" smaller so I'll probably need 7.425 pushrods.

I could probably do 10s cam only with a 230+ duration cam. But then I need injectors, dyno tune, etc. Dyno tunes run $600 around me. I need to send the pcm to frost to get it calibrated for the 3.73 rear to fix my 2-3 limiter bump/6500 rpm shift. I figured I might as well throw the ls6 cam in which won't need injectors, and get it all mail tuned for $250. It will probably only get me down to 11.4x at 116-117, but now I'll be in the cam's power band and not over-revving it. Throw a 75-100 shot on top for easy 10s. Under $1500 this way vs $2500+ for h/c/I.

rybern

iTrader: (5)

Gotcha. I appreciate you breaking it down for me. I am a bit of a tightwad and can certainly understand your reasoning.