Ford 8.8 Rear buildup questions
06-10-2010, 02:35 PM
#121
Just picked up my 8.8 from a 95 mustang the other day. Got a 3.55 gear too. The 8.8 needs a new s-spring tho. Paid $100 for rear and $50 for the gear.
Now I gotta make a torque arm mount! And get the proper bushing/collar to weld the axle tubes on.
Now I gotta make a torque arm mount! And get the proper bushing/collar to weld the axle tubes on.
08-26-2011, 05:23 PM
#122
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Old thread I know -- but for the benefit of others....
I've been in the process of making some major modifications to my TA and I've been researching rearends for the "best bang for your buck" options. I've read through this whole thread and have seen a lot of questions and doubts about the Ford 8.8 rear. But, through my research I've found that the Ford 8.8 is basically an equivalent to the Chevy 12-bolt. The Ford 8.8 is lighter than a 9" and just as strong and durable as the 12-bolt once you've made a few modifications (i.e. axles, larger axle bearings, c-clip eliminators). The benefit of the Ford 8.8 is that most come factory with the Traction-Lok Limited slip diff. As Car Craft put it (link is posted at the bottom of this post):
"The truth is that the Ford 8.8 is virtually a clone of the Chevy 12-bolt and therefore almost as strong. Most rear axles are described by their ring-gear diameters, with larger being better. A Ford 9-inch has a ring-gear diameter of, you guessed it, 9 inches closely followed by the 12-bolt at 8.875, with the Mustang rear at 8.80 inches. Another strength consideration is pinion-shaft diameter. Here, the 8.8 and the 12-bolt are identical at 1.625 inches and in fact use the same pinion bearings. By comparison, the Ford 9-inch pinion shaft measures only 1.313 inches."
According to this write up the true weakness of the 8.8 is the 28-spline axle which was upgraded to 31-spline axles in the 94-99 mustangs. Additionally, as stated previsouly in this thread, the Explorer rear ends came stock with 3.73 or 4.10 gears, Traction-Lok LS, and 31-spline axles. Now I'm not saying that the 8.8 is stronger than the 9". The 9" is still the standard for performance, but the 8.8 can stand it's ground and take some abuse. So say what you will and dog on the Ford 8.8, but as for me I think they're up to the challenge.
Just wanted give my $0.02.
Here's the link to Car Craft's write up on the Ford 8.8:
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...d/viewall.html
Here's some of the info on what I'm running:
The car will be street driven some and has been designed to run off e85. I'm in the planning stages now for frame and chasis modifications to hold and direct my power output. My shift RPM is going to be some where in the 6k to 6500 RPM and the engine can rev to around 8k RPM safely for sure. I've yet to get this all dialed in and completely tuned as I still have the stock rear end in and it will not handle that engine so those numbers are still semi-theoretical. I'm going to be pushing some serious TQ and HP so I need a good rear end and I have no hesitation in using the 8.8 rear end after the research I've done.
I've been in the process of making some major modifications to my TA and I've been researching rearends for the "best bang for your buck" options. I've read through this whole thread and have seen a lot of questions and doubts about the Ford 8.8 rear. But, through my research I've found that the Ford 8.8 is basically an equivalent to the Chevy 12-bolt. The Ford 8.8 is lighter than a 9" and just as strong and durable as the 12-bolt once you've made a few modifications (i.e. axles, larger axle bearings, c-clip eliminators). The benefit of the Ford 8.8 is that most come factory with the Traction-Lok Limited slip diff. As Car Craft put it (link is posted at the bottom of this post):
"The truth is that the Ford 8.8 is virtually a clone of the Chevy 12-bolt and therefore almost as strong. Most rear axles are described by their ring-gear diameters, with larger being better. A Ford 9-inch has a ring-gear diameter of, you guessed it, 9 inches closely followed by the 12-bolt at 8.875, with the Mustang rear at 8.80 inches. Another strength consideration is pinion-shaft diameter. Here, the 8.8 and the 12-bolt are identical at 1.625 inches and in fact use the same pinion bearings. By comparison, the Ford 9-inch pinion shaft measures only 1.313 inches."
According to this write up the true weakness of the 8.8 is the 28-spline axle which was upgraded to 31-spline axles in the 94-99 mustangs. Additionally, as stated previsouly in this thread, the Explorer rear ends came stock with 3.73 or 4.10 gears, Traction-Lok LS, and 31-spline axles. Now I'm not saying that the 8.8 is stronger than the 9". The 9" is still the standard for performance, but the 8.8 can stand it's ground and take some abuse. So say what you will and dog on the Ford 8.8, but as for me I think they're up to the challenge.
Just wanted give my $0.02.
Here's the link to Car Craft's write up on the Ford 8.8:
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...d/viewall.html
Here's some of the info on what I'm running:
The car will be street driven some and has been designed to run off e85. I'm in the planning stages now for frame and chasis modifications to hold and direct my power output. My shift RPM is going to be some where in the 6k to 6500 RPM and the engine can rev to around 8k RPM safely for sure. I've yet to get this all dialed in and completely tuned as I still have the stock rear end in and it will not handle that engine so those numbers are still semi-theoretical. I'm going to be pushing some serious TQ and HP so I need a good rear end and I have no hesitation in using the 8.8 rear end after the research I've done.
Last edited by JDS86TA; 08-26-2011 at 05:29 PM.
