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I used my stock length (PST shaft) with a solid spicer 1330 joint with a Ford large pinion yoke flange and the length is fine. The Ford large pinion yoke flange uses a 1330 joint..
I agree they can be overlooked, but many of these 8.8s aren't the money savers that most of the people who swap them claim them to be. If you can do it on the real cheap I think it's a no brainer on the 8.8.
If not it's hard to overlook an s60/ 12 bolt for around the $2100 USD mark (35 spline ready to rock). Another thing to keep in mind is the mustang guys aren't utilizing a torque arm, which twists the **** out of the housing, making them more prone to be noisy than others.
Typically a 12 bolt will take any abuse you can throw at it, without a piece of **** posi unit inside of course.
Anyone **** talking the 12 bolt more than likely haven't owned one, or know nobody using one. Lord knows everyone on this site has to praise the rear they chose, which is always far superior to every other.
Keep it in the budget, do what you're happy with at the end of the day.
You're missing my point. Regardless of budget (you can take a 12 bolt, 9", S60, or any other rearend and put it up against) I would choose a 8.8 over other rearends as being the best all around rearend for a powerful streetcar. When you look at all criteria (cost and size of aftermarket, reliability, streetabilty, weight, size, strength for its bulk, availability, efficiency, gear options, differential options, how proven it is, etc) IMO the 8.8 just wins out over other rearends. It just has a huge resume of being an excellent rearend for powerful cars not looking to make 2000 HP. Its been used in much more potent factory vehicles than any of the other rearends that Fbody guys consider. Many of Foxbody/SN95 guys convert their POS 4 link setups for torque arms, and the S197 uses a 3 link setup that's inferior to a torque arm setup and these guys don't complain about weird noises coming from 8.8's in powerful manual cars. Plenty of GT500 and Coyote guys have clicked off tons of single digit passes on bone stock 8.8's with zero issues. Others opinions may differ but in my honest non-bias option I would rather use a 8.8 for what I would want my car to do than any other rearend that has been developed. It excels at being an excellent rearend for DR'ing, DD'ing, being used on a car that handles, etc. It has very few compromises setup correctly. (using a 31+ spline setup)
Let me put it another way. Not taking in to account price if given an option for any rearend people run in a Fbody and they're all built using the same component I would rather use a 8.8 unless I was running a powerful car build for hardcore DR'ing. IMO the 8.8 is that good so when I see people acting like they're getting some inferior rearend for the price if they don't get a build 8.8 for less than $1,200 I call BS. There is nothing wrong with spending $2,300+ on a 8.8 as you will likely have a nice rearend built with better components than other rearends you pay that same price for.
I agree with you that you should build your car how you want to build it. You're modding it because it's something you enjoy. If you don't want to put a Ford rearend on your GM product I get it. There's nothing wrong with that just like there's nothing wrong with a Ford guy not wanting to use a GM motor in a Ford regardless of the benefits that come with it. I use to have the bias even though I don't anymore. Still acting like a 8.8 is an inferior rearend to other popular performance rearends is incorrect when talking streetcars. They're not the best rearends for everything, but compared to other rearend there's many benefits to them. I understand that the hybrid 8.8/10 bolt is somewhat a compromise as the smaller 10 bolt axle tubes limit the axle diameter if I'm not mistaken, but even a 31 spline axle is pretty stout and the largest ever offered from the factory. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the 33 or 35 spline axles will fit a hybrid 8.8/10 bolt?
I would also agree that people shouldn't look to overpay for a 8.8 either as they are generally cheaper than other rearends and why spend more than you have to for something?
So a little update I finally for around to putting in the AFCO's shocks, man what a pain, I have to grind the bolts that held on the umi Shock relocations and the back side of the shocks (ever so slightly).
But I got them on and going to run it at the track to night fingers crossed that the car holds up. I'll be updating after the track outing.
So I got to make a couple of test run and this run was the best I could manage, a little upsetting to say the least but it's a stray for the first time out at the track with the car. With any new set up there will be some growing pains, having the ability to adjust the rear shocks has help a lot. I'm still learning about then and how to adjust the setup to maximize it. Also I found that the car had some hidden issues, when shifting in high RPMs in to fourth it locks you out, what do you want from a tranny that has 165k on it right? So it could use a full rebuild to get that up to par.
Bringing this back from the dead i'm in the process right now to do this conversion. The guy from TNT Fabrication in O.K. is doing my fabricating of the 8.8 to the 10 bolt tubes. Got a 8.8 out of a Mountaineer for $95, a buddy had a spare set of 4 channel tubes from a 10 bolt that he gave me. The rear i bought has 3.73's like my car currently has with a TrackLok rear diff. I've got a Motive Gear rebuild kit coming and a Ford Racing carbon clutch kit for the rear. I'll be getting the 31 spline Dutchman axles via the builder as well
me? yes i will be doing so. The axles can be bought to be ready for the rings. Just press off the ones i have off my 10 bolt axles and press them on the new axles. i want to retain all stock suspension and drivability. Well i should say locations and mounting.
One thing i wanted to know about was brake lines. Do i need to redo them or will the stock lines, sway bars etc all bolt in just fine
If it is the stock length you probably can get away with using the stock brake lines, mine I narrowed, but you can go to any parts store and buy brake line pretty cheap and just bend it up
Bringing this back from the dead i'm in the process right now to do this conversion. The guy from TNT Fabrication in O.K. is doing my fabricating of the 8.8 to the 10 bolt tubes. Got a 8.8 out of a Mountaineer for $95, a buddy had a spare set of 4 channel tubes from a 10 bolt that he gave me. The rear i bought has 3.73's like my car currently has with a TrackLok rear diff. I've got a Motive Gear rebuild kit coming and a Ford Racing carbon clutch kit for the rear. I'll be getting the 31 spline Dutchman axles via the builder as well
Why are you using Dutchman axels and not Moser or Strange?
04-24-2016, 08:33 PM
i'm in the process right now to do this conversion. The guy from TNT Fabrication in O.K. is doing my fabricating of the 8.8 to the 10 bolt tubes. Got a 8.8 out of a Mountaineer for $95, a buddy had a spare set of 4 channel tubes from a 10 bolt that he gave me. The rear i bought has 3.73's like my car currently has with a TrackLok rear diff. I've got a Motive Gear rebuild kit coming and a Ford Racing carbon clutch kit for the rear. I'll be getting the 31 spline Dutchman axles via the builder as well 
