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Thanks for the awesome thread. Any issues/ vibrations with the driveshaft angle?
Haven't driven the car yet. I'm on a military deployment. I'll post results when I get back in a couple months! Anxious to try her out, as well as the manual swap which I did at the same time.
Here’s a look at what the ford explorer caliper brackets look like. They bolt right up. These are explorer discs as well that my machinist re-drilled to 5x4.75. Still have to get the calipers, but they are supposed to clear 15 inch wheels. These are the studs I used as well.
First time rebuilding a diff, I gave her a full bearing job while I was at it. Some of you could maybe chime in on this portion if you’ve ever rebuilt an 8.8 with success. I set the backlash within spec which was .008-.012 in. but it sounded a little loose especially since there’s new bearings which will break in and possibly loosen up. I read somewhere that for a stick car that will see track time, it’s best to be on the tighter end even a little tighter than spec? Anyhow I set it tight and we will see what happens. I have the luxury of being able to take it apart again to check it out fairly quickly so worst case I’ll just reshim.
Also welded the lsd carrier. Was looking at different options but this was the cheapest lol. Running a spool would of required c-clip eliminators which are only available for the smaller variant of 8.8. I’d have to weld on 9 inch ends to run a spool. Lockers are just a lot of money. We will see how she holds up…
So first road test yesterday, no weirds sounds, no vibrations so far (low speed around the neighborhood). I will be breaking in the trans as well as the new diff bearings etc in the coming few weeks and will post back up here. Only complaint so far one of the tires squeaks when I go around a tight curve at low speed. Nothing too bad though. This is of course with regular street tires. I will post a couple videos on YouTube. More to follow…
Something to watch out for, upper driver side corner of torque arm will slightly hit tunnel. Once it clearances itself, it won’t knock again. Another view Problem I ran into was when I mocked up the Antiroll bar brackets I didn’t account for the very thick diff cover, so when I hit a bump it kissed the bottom of the cover. Spaced it out with nuts but will get spacers made. Closer view 1995 ford explorer brakes are bolt on. I will do a hydraulic e-brake eventually. I believe they will clear 15” wheels.
So could I chop maybe 2 inches off the driver side of the rear end bringing the diff housing closer to being centered? Would that solve the issue with the torque arm clearance?
So could I chop maybe 2 inches off the driver side of the rear end bringing the diff housing closer to being centered? Would that solve the issue with the torque arm clearance?
Well you could but then you’d have to get custom axles made. It’s not a big issue, it only hit the first ride, it basically clearances itself. This was also when my coilovers weren’t dialed in to stock ride height it was lower.
The explorer 8,8 is a big go-to for Jeep rear axle swaps. The 8.8 is roughly a Dana 44 and more available.
Lot of Jeep guys running 35" tires on them with ARB lockers.. They are the last level before jumping up to Dana 60 axle conversions.
The explorer 8,8 is a big go-to for Jeep rear axle swaps. The 8.8 is roughly a Dana 44 and more available.
Lot of Jeep guys running 35" tires on them with ARB lockers.. They are the last level before jumping up to Dana 60 axle conversions.
More road time so far and only good things to say. Very stout feel, 4.10 is a great ratio for the 6-speed. No weird sounds, no vibrations, and the explorer brakes do great back there. Next step will be to work on a hydraulic handbrake setup but that’s for this winter.
04-20-2023, 09:10 PM
