How to make a 8.8 fit. please help
07-23-2010, 01:34 PM
#1
Staging Lane
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How to make a 8.8 fit. please help I have a friend that has an 8.8 out of a rustang, is it worth trying to make it go in my 00 SS, and what has to be done in order for it to fit.
07-25-2010, 12:25 AM
#4
One option to making these work is buying the same perches we use on out fabricated housings. It comes in raw form so someone with fabricating skill and a welder will have to help you out with this if you can not do so on your own.
You could also look into our torque arm and cross member and we send you the tabs needed to weld onto the housing. Again fabricating and welding skills will be needed to do such a thing but we have had customers do this in the past.
You could also look into our torque arm and cross member and we send you the tabs needed to weld onto the housing. Again fabricating and welding skills will be needed to do such a thing but we have had customers do this in the past.
08-16-2010, 12:27 PM
#5
Because I understand the search function isn't all it's cracked up to be, I'll offer my thoughts on my latest 8.8 build:
It really comes down to cost and level of expertise (or access to friends with tools/expertise.) I just finished building my 8.8, and I built it with everything I wanted. I have about $1600 in mine (including some specialty labor costs and various "extras). Many would say, "why not just spend a little more and buy a used 12-bolt or 9?" Personally, I don't like 12-bolts...never have. Generally loud, have poor T/A mounts, and are not as strong as some people say. Go to the strip and see how long the 12-bolt will live behind a M6 with 4K clutch dumps on slicks...not long. I love the 9"...but they are heavy and have 3% to 5% loss, when compared to other rears (not including the S60). The S60 is out of the question for me...definitely beefy, but is way too heavy and has more parasitic loss than a 9"...it's better left to 4-wheel drive trucks, in my opinion. If you're willing to "go the distance," the 8.8 will be stronger than the 12-bolt (nearly as strong as a 9"...especially if you use solid pinion spacers to eliminate the crush sleeve,) yet weigh considerably less than the 9". Plus, if you press in your old 10-bolt axle tubes into the 8.8 center section, it will also weigh less than the 12-bolt. If you don't believe the hype about the 8.8, see how many Fox Bodys (or Mustangs in general, for that matter) are running in 10s with the 8.8...it's pretty impressive, really.
Here are some common dilemmas when dealing with the 8.8:
31 Spline vs 28 Spline:
GO 31 SPLINE!! If you're going to spend the time/effort/money to build one of these, build it correctly. 31 Spline Trac-Lock carriers can be found in mid to late 90s Explorers and Mountaineers, in 3.55, 3.73, and 4.11 gearing. 3.55s are hard to find. 3.73s are the easiest. 4.11s are in the middle. The Trac-Locks are very tough for stock carriers and are very economical; HAVE IT REBUILT WITH THE KEVLAR/CARBON FIBER CLUTCH DISKS. These are the same disks that the blown Cobras used in the IRS version of the 8.8. You'll need the carrier out of a truck, but the housing from a Mustang.
Torque Arm Mount:
Some people choose to fabricate and weld a bracket to the diff, so they can use the stock style torque arm. Some people have had great luck with this, and others have had marginal luck. Welding steel to cast iron is tricky, and requires lots of pre-heating, nickel rod, and lots of cooling back to room temperature. Even if this is done correctly, the cast iron can crack during welding/cooling. If the welding is done by a qualified welder, it can be done. Another option is adapting either a Griggs Racing or Maximum Motorsports Ford Mustang Style torque arm to the F-body. This is what I did, because it required ZERO welding to the diff. Instead, all I had to do was fabricate the front torque arm mount (which mounts in the stock tunnel brace location.) Some would say that this was an unnecessary cost. However, if you sell your stock style torque arm and don't have to pay for specialized welding of steel to cast iron (or fabrication of the T/A mount,) the cost is nearly the same...especially if you had planned to buy an after market TA from Spohn/UMI etc.
Axles/TCS/ABS/etc:
Personally, I want TCS and ABS. Even though I have my TCS defaulted to "off" instead of "on," it's nice to have if I get caught in a rainstorm with my slicks on. Ditto with the ABS. With the 8.8, it's either TCS and ABS or nothing. You can't have just ABS because the Ford sensor is different. Maybe you could adapt it to work, but I haven't heard of anyone doing that. In order to retain your stock Chevy bolt pattern, you'll need to have axles made. Since you're having the axles made, you might as well have them machined with reluctor rings (for TCS and ABS,) and have them set up for the Ford 9" axles ends. (Buy the 9" ends and special bearings at the same time...for Moser, the ends are part#7900FM...if you use the 10-bolt axle tubes) The 7900FM ends will allow you to retain your stock disk brakes, ABS, and TCS (if you got the axles machined with the reluctor rings.) Clear as mud? Of course, if you choose to keep the 8.8 the factory Mustang width, you won't need different axles...you can re-drill your current wheels and use wheel spacers/wheels with different backspacing...this is cheaper, but not the route I wanted to go.
To Sleeve, to Press, or to Fabricate:
Okay, how do I get all of my shocks, springs, panhard rod, etc to line up properly? Some people recommend fabricating all new axle tubes and welding all new perches, shock mounts, etc on the rear. Not the best option, in my opinion...lots of time, lots of fabricating...just a lot more work than is truly necessary. Some people have a sleeve machined; one end fits over the Ford 8.8 axle tube, and the other over the 10-bolt axle tube. Again, not necessary. All you need to do, is cut the 8.8 axle tube off, leaving about 4" of the 8.8 tube. Using a die grinder, grind down the "seam" inside the 8.8 tube flush with the tube. Drill 4 or so equally spaced holes in the 8.8 tube around entire diameter. Cut your 10-bolt axle tubes off right at the diff, trim the 10-bolt tubes to the correct length, taper the 10-bolt tubes a little bit, then press them inside the 8.8 tubes. Use a jig/torch to straighten everything up, and weld them in place. Fully weld around each seam, and plug weld in the holes you drilled earlier. The 10-bolt spring perchs are at 0-pinion. I believe the distance from spring perch to spring perch is 40" (don't quote me...I don't have my measurements with me at the moment.) It's really not that difficult...just make sure to take into account the 9" ends for the overall length.
C-Clip Eliminators or 9" Ends:
Speaking of 9" ends...BUY THEM!! C-Clip eliminators work great for a drag-only car...not so good on a street strip car because they will start to leak. Again, if you're going to spend the time/effort/money to build one of these, do it right the first time. Buy the 7900FM ends. They eliminate the C-Clips, allowing your axles to bolt in with the backing plates. (don't forget the bearings and T-bolts...buy them when you buy the ends!!)
Feel free to email or PM me if you have any more questions. I did a LOT of research on this stuff before I got started. In fact, Cam can build you one of these things all ready to go. I debated it, but decided to build my own.
Here's a link to my build:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/gears-axl...8-project.html
Jon
It really comes down to cost and level of expertise (or access to friends with tools/expertise.) I just finished building my 8.8, and I built it with everything I wanted. I have about $1600 in mine (including some specialty labor costs and various "extras). Many would say, "why not just spend a little more and buy a used 12-bolt or 9?" Personally, I don't like 12-bolts...never have. Generally loud, have poor T/A mounts, and are not as strong as some people say. Go to the strip and see how long the 12-bolt will live behind a M6 with 4K clutch dumps on slicks...not long. I love the 9"...but they are heavy and have 3% to 5% loss, when compared to other rears (not including the S60). The S60 is out of the question for me...definitely beefy, but is way too heavy and has more parasitic loss than a 9"...it's better left to 4-wheel drive trucks, in my opinion. If you're willing to "go the distance," the 8.8 will be stronger than the 12-bolt (nearly as strong as a 9"...especially if you use solid pinion spacers to eliminate the crush sleeve,) yet weigh considerably less than the 9". Plus, if you press in your old 10-bolt axle tubes into the 8.8 center section, it will also weigh less than the 12-bolt. If you don't believe the hype about the 8.8, see how many Fox Bodys (or Mustangs in general, for that matter) are running in 10s with the 8.8...it's pretty impressive, really.
Here are some common dilemmas when dealing with the 8.8:
31 Spline vs 28 Spline:
GO 31 SPLINE!! If you're going to spend the time/effort/money to build one of these, build it correctly. 31 Spline Trac-Lock carriers can be found in mid to late 90s Explorers and Mountaineers, in 3.55, 3.73, and 4.11 gearing. 3.55s are hard to find. 3.73s are the easiest. 4.11s are in the middle. The Trac-Locks are very tough for stock carriers and are very economical; HAVE IT REBUILT WITH THE KEVLAR/CARBON FIBER CLUTCH DISKS. These are the same disks that the blown Cobras used in the IRS version of the 8.8. You'll need the carrier out of a truck, but the housing from a Mustang.
Torque Arm Mount:
Some people choose to fabricate and weld a bracket to the diff, so they can use the stock style torque arm. Some people have had great luck with this, and others have had marginal luck. Welding steel to cast iron is tricky, and requires lots of pre-heating, nickel rod, and lots of cooling back to room temperature. Even if this is done correctly, the cast iron can crack during welding/cooling. If the welding is done by a qualified welder, it can be done. Another option is adapting either a Griggs Racing or Maximum Motorsports Ford Mustang Style torque arm to the F-body. This is what I did, because it required ZERO welding to the diff. Instead, all I had to do was fabricate the front torque arm mount (which mounts in the stock tunnel brace location.) Some would say that this was an unnecessary cost. However, if you sell your stock style torque arm and don't have to pay for specialized welding of steel to cast iron (or fabrication of the T/A mount,) the cost is nearly the same...especially if you had planned to buy an after market TA from Spohn/UMI etc.
Axles/TCS/ABS/etc:
Personally, I want TCS and ABS. Even though I have my TCS defaulted to "off" instead of "on," it's nice to have if I get caught in a rainstorm with my slicks on. Ditto with the ABS. With the 8.8, it's either TCS and ABS or nothing. You can't have just ABS because the Ford sensor is different. Maybe you could adapt it to work, but I haven't heard of anyone doing that. In order to retain your stock Chevy bolt pattern, you'll need to have axles made. Since you're having the axles made, you might as well have them machined with reluctor rings (for TCS and ABS,) and have them set up for the Ford 9" axles ends. (Buy the 9" ends and special bearings at the same time...for Moser, the ends are part#7900FM...if you use the 10-bolt axle tubes) The 7900FM ends will allow you to retain your stock disk brakes, ABS, and TCS (if you got the axles machined with the reluctor rings.) Clear as mud? Of course, if you choose to keep the 8.8 the factory Mustang width, you won't need different axles...you can re-drill your current wheels and use wheel spacers/wheels with different backspacing...this is cheaper, but not the route I wanted to go.
To Sleeve, to Press, or to Fabricate:
Okay, how do I get all of my shocks, springs, panhard rod, etc to line up properly? Some people recommend fabricating all new axle tubes and welding all new perches, shock mounts, etc on the rear. Not the best option, in my opinion...lots of time, lots of fabricating...just a lot more work than is truly necessary. Some people have a sleeve machined; one end fits over the Ford 8.8 axle tube, and the other over the 10-bolt axle tube. Again, not necessary. All you need to do, is cut the 8.8 axle tube off, leaving about 4" of the 8.8 tube. Using a die grinder, grind down the "seam" inside the 8.8 tube flush with the tube. Drill 4 or so equally spaced holes in the 8.8 tube around entire diameter. Cut your 10-bolt axle tubes off right at the diff, trim the 10-bolt tubes to the correct length, taper the 10-bolt tubes a little bit, then press them inside the 8.8 tubes. Use a jig/torch to straighten everything up, and weld them in place. Fully weld around each seam, and plug weld in the holes you drilled earlier. The 10-bolt spring perchs are at 0-pinion. I believe the distance from spring perch to spring perch is 40" (don't quote me...I don't have my measurements with me at the moment.) It's really not that difficult...just make sure to take into account the 9" ends for the overall length.
C-Clip Eliminators or 9" Ends:
Speaking of 9" ends...BUY THEM!! C-Clip eliminators work great for a drag-only car...not so good on a street strip car because they will start to leak. Again, if you're going to spend the time/effort/money to build one of these, do it right the first time. Buy the 7900FM ends. They eliminate the C-Clips, allowing your axles to bolt in with the backing plates. (don't forget the bearings and T-bolts...buy them when you buy the ends!!)
Feel free to email or PM me if you have any more questions. I did a LOT of research on this stuff before I got started. In fact, Cam can build you one of these things all ready to go. I debated it, but decided to build my own.
Here's a link to my build:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/gears-axl...8-project.html
Jon
