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rearend option's?

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Old Jan 23, 2007 | 03:13 PM
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Default rearend option's?

I know alot of guys opt for the 12bolt rear upgrade but at around $2500 thats a little steep on alot of our pocketbooks! I have seen a fe times but what will it take to put in a Ford 8.8?
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Old Jan 23, 2007 | 03:28 PM
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Start saving sadly, I just had a nice tech talk about some low cost ideas and most fall short and or are debatble if they even work.
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Old Jan 23, 2007 | 04:42 PM
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Well, don't save sadly. But sadly, you must start saving. Just kidding, Ace.
But you are correct, we have no choice. Curse GM bean counters, curse them.
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Old Jan 26, 2007 | 08:13 AM
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so.................... nobody has done the Ford 8.8 swap?
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Old Jan 26, 2007 | 08:29 AM
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you could find a used 12 bolt for under 2k. its rare but they are out there. i got mine for cheap and it only had 800 miles on it and under 10 passes on it. granted hes a good friend of mine but some guys just want to sell them. keep looking.
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Old Jan 29, 2007 | 12:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Omega Doom
so.................... nobody has done the Ford 8.8 swap?
anybody?
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Old Jan 29, 2007 | 03:42 AM
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They're is no reason to do the 8.8 swap really if you're wanting a cheap strong rear end. I had one that i bought and it was a piece of junk. The 9" is so much stronger and can be built really pretty cheap. I'd say one could be built for $12-1500 and hold 4-500rwhp pretty easy.
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Old Jan 29, 2007 | 11:57 AM
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Not all 8.8s are junk. The ones I have built are all still going 100% without any failures to date. It took me a while to iron out a torque arm braket that would hold up, but I think I have it nailed... and I also don't have pictures of it on the internet either. I don't want someone stealing my idea and hard work.

It is doable, but it's not a DIY type of project. If a shop wanted to do it and build the appropriate fixtures/jigs it's not bad, but for an individual it's well worth it to do a budget 9" Ford. If I didn't have my alignment fixture and patterns for the torque arm bracket, you can gaurantee yourself I would NOT be building any more 8.8"s. With those things it's not that bad, but it's still no walk in the park to get everything lined up correctly and to have the torque arm mount where it doesn't destroy the cast 8.8" housing if it fails.

I suggest a budget 9" Ford.

Ben T.
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Old Jan 29, 2007 | 11:59 AM
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Oh, and welding on that nodular steel Ford housing is asking for trouble... just ask the people who had an Extrem Chassis 8.8". He also didn't have any means to align his 8.8" hybrid, and I think that's why Z95m6 eventually wound up putting a 10-bolt back in his car and removing his old 8.8". His made rediculous noise if I remember correctly.

Ben T.
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Old Jan 29, 2007 | 12:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Studytime
Oh, and welding on that nodular steel Ford housing is asking for trouble... just ask the people who had an Extrem Chassis 8.8". He also didn't have any means to align his 8.8" hybrid, and I think that's why Z95m6 eventually wound up putting a 10-bolt back in his car and removing his old 8.8". His made rediculous noise if I remember correctly.

Ben T.
Mine made some noise but there were several issues. One the axle housing was a little to narrow so i had to use washers to get the calipers positioned right and the calipers could flex during braking. The second reason was one of the axle tubes wasn't put on correctly and was turned downward. You could see that the spring perches weren't at the same height. Lastly and more importantly extreme chassis just tried to weld the 10 bolt tubes to the old 8.8 tubes and mine had begun to crack. This was on a daily driver that had never been to the track or been on anything but street tires. Studytime put a "bushing" over his joint and welded it on both sides so its a much better design. I wasn't trying to bash your 8.8 i know your setup is working well. I just meant that if you're trying to build a budget rear end a 9" blows it out of the water unless you can do all the work yourself, which most of us can't. If you wanted a great rear with lots of gear and posi options with little power loss then an 8.8 definitely wins, but its gonna cost you.
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Old Jan 29, 2007 | 12:27 PM
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My suggestion:

If you want to go a cheaper route, get an F-body specific 9" housing, and piece the rest together yourself. Get a used center section, some axles, bearings, etc. The housing is the most critical part of the rear end...it needs to be perfectly aligned, and the torque arm mount MUST be solid. Skimping on that part, IMO, is asking for trouble.
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Old Jan 29, 2007 | 12:35 PM
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Originally Posted by MeentSS02
My suggestion:

If you want to go a cheaper route, get an F-body specific 9" housing, and piece the rest together yourself. Get a used center section, some axles, bearings, etc. The housing is the most critical part of the rear end...it needs to be perfectly aligned, and the torque arm mount MUST be solid. Skimping on that part, IMO, is asking for trouble.
This is the right idea. You can get the housing and 31 spline axle packages for about $900. Then you can buy used Ford 31 spline posi center sections with 3.50+ gears all day long for $150-350. It may not be the best setup but it'll get you by until you can afford the big boy stuff. Also being that its setup by Ford its probably gonna be whisper quiet.
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