cam

iTrader: (9)

Hey guys. I was knee deep into doing this up here in Canada about four months ago when someone told me about another guy in Texas making f-body 8.8's so I found this forum and obviously you all know the rest. Anyway here is what I made up. Ford 8.8, 31 spline Moser bolt on axles, LS1 brakes. No abs required for my car but it would have been a breeze to add it on. We made up a jig thats very accurate and all the tubes and brackets bolt right up with no fitment issues at all. What do you guys think?

steelsnow

looks good. mine sould be here in a week or 2 (hopefully)

2 SLOW

how much?

steelsnow

edited

2 SLOW

i think the guy made his own

SUX2BU

iTrader: (14)

This looks ALOT like Craigs 8.8's mainly because of the torqu arm mount and the tubing used to brace it. If he did make the housing and this is going in an M6 make sure you reinforce the bracing on the torque arm mount or it will rip the top tube in half and crush the bottom tube. In an auto it "should" be ok.

cam

iTrader: (9)

Yeah I made this rear I did not buy it. If you look closely at the photos you will see that the bracket has been welded right into the actual housing along with the reinforcments and is not hanging in the breeze at all so it will not fail as unfortunately I noticed yours did SUX2BU. There are reinforcments on the other side of the braket also that you cannot see in those pictures. I got the idea for using pipe reinforcing from Currie as I was going to do a 9 inch but swayed from 12 bolt to the 8.8 for the obvious reasons of weight and strength combined with good parts availability and especially how QUIET these rears are. There is not much bad you can say about the 8.8 IMO.

SUX2BU

iTrader: (14)

His was welded into the actual housing too. but those welds broke as well.
I like that you used extra reinforcements(the ones you say you can't see in the pic). What wall tubing did you use for the reinforcements?
I admit the 8.8 are very strong we just gotta have the outer fabrication to match.

Spooln

Hey Cam,
You did an excellent job on the 8.8. Is it already installed and how did it fit with an aftermarket cat back. Also i have a 3 channal rear how would i be able to mount the speed sensor and what ring sensor gear would i use if i went this route?
Thanks

taqwache

Cam, what welding rods did you use to weld the steel to the cast iron? i wanted to do this to a 8.5 rear but i have never welded to cast iron before and i am not to sure if i am confedent enough to do it.

SUX2BU, arent you the one that reinforced your 8.8 rear? looks like you do more metal work then me. what do you reqamend on welding steel to cast iron. i dont have a problem welding steel (i took a class for it in college) but i never got experince on cast iron. let me know guys as i wanted to try it.

SUX2BU

iTrader: (14)

Actually i don't think these housing are the "cast iron" your used to. there more like cast steel. cause i've tried to weld cast iron and it didn't work. but this welded up just fine with a regular MIG welder.

m1key99WS6

iTrader: (1)

Here is where my Extreme Chassis ripped the welds off at (I used your picture if you don't mind) just as an example. I think your stock 8.8" tubes come out a lot further though so it'll be a lot stronger than the Extreme Chassis PIECE.

cam

iTrader: (9)

This rear is fully jig welded so all the welding takes place within the jig bolted from all ends to ensure accuracy and quality. We chose the location for all the welds because we felt they would be strongest there and also keep exceessive heat away from all bearing journals to remove any potential for distortion. We also utilized a triangulated design to the TQA bracket to aid in strength. The welder I work with is UA licensed and has over 18 years experience so I am very confident in the strength.

Yes its bolted in the car and working great. I use a 3" Flow master cat back with no fitment issues at all.

As far as welding the cast I know that some guys have been using mig and I don't mean to pee on what certainly seems to be working but mig welding cast is not really advisable (do a google for more info). There are MANY different types of cast and the biggest thing is to get the pre heat and cool down process controlled to avoid cracking it. There are a ton of electrodes available for welding cast and the stuff I use costs $200.00 for ten pounds. Speak to your supplier or call Lincoln's tech center they will be able to advise you best. Cast iron shares similar properties to glass... its strong yet brittle so proper care must be taken or you will weaken it.

Thanks for the compliments guys I really appreciate it.

taqwache

SUX2BU, and cam thanks for your help. i have a mig and an arc welder. so for the TA mount, do you reqamend useing the arc welder with sticks that the welding supply store reqamends? and then only welding like an inch at a time to avoid over heating and cracking it. as far and the center section being cast iron, thats just what i tought. i am not really sure as to what Corprate makes them out of, but it looks like cast iron. do yall know.

thanks again, Steve.

cam

iTrader: (9)

Yeah the centers are cast iron. There are so many different methods to weld these that you really should follow the recomended process that your supplier advises with whatever electrode they sell/feel is best as each rod type will have different charecteristics. Obviously there are guys migging them up too with great success so it may be a little trial and error on your part to see what works best for you with that housing. Good luck!

trubo

yeah that looks ALMOST EXACTLY like my old set up that i built over a year ago and had a couple of break, looks nothing like the new set up for sure, but good luck with whatever you're planning on doing with it.
craig

taqwache

thanks again man, i am going to go ahead and pratice on another junk differential for a while before i do this one. i will post up how it goes.

cam

iTrader: (9)

trubo I see you have had some quality issues with yours and that truly is unfortunate and its to be expected that there will be some hiccups when creating something new and kudos to you craig for having the insight to use these great rears. I have commented on a couple of threads re your diff in the past and offered nothing but support and I appreciate your respectful comments with regards to mine. Cheers!

As far as weld quality on my work did you not read below that my welder is UA licensed pipe certified? It takes five years to get that cert and that license is recognized throughout North America. Have no worries about our welds. Only the best materials were used.

cm02WS6

Excellent job! Are you planning on making any more? Taking the time to make a jig like you've described makes me think this is not a one-off job. Nice pictures, too.

Oh, and I liked your response above.

cam

iTrader: (9)

Thanks man. Yeah I kind of went to town on the jig... You guys should talk to my family... they think I'm obsesssive compulsive or something or another but I try to explain that I just like things to be done right the first time and... blah blah... well you know what I mean.

More info coming soon. Thanks again guys.