LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

ford 8.8 into camaro

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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 09:04 PM
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Default ford 8.8 into camaro

i was wondering, i want to get rid of the crappy 10 bolt in my 96 z28 on a budget. i know of a few ford 8.8s that i can get for dirt cheap. what would i have to do to get this to bolt up and work with my car? my suspension and brakes are stock as is right now.

i am asking this because i have heard of someone else doing this.


thanks, Fred
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 10:03 PM
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youd have to either make a torque arm mount or weld clips onto the axle tubes to the lower control arms. youd also have to cut and weld on the spring pirches and control arm mounts. also youd have to reuse the 8.8's brakes and it will be 4" narrower then a stock 10 bolt. you would also need new axles from moser to get the bolt pattern right
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 10:23 PM
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thanks. i was pondering. you think it would be worth while?


and would the width range depending on the year mustang the 8.8 is out of?
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 10:31 PM
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i forget the exact years but its from a fox body to 97 i think.... theres a post about a guy who did the swap on his car.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/gears-axl...8-8-build.html

i think its a great swap. id be willing enough to do it. but i would much prefer to keep my stock with rear and brakes. not to mention idk how much handling would be affected by not running a torque arm. go through that all the answer you need will be there
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 11:12 PM
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thank you for your help
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 11:21 PM
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It's been done before.

If you get a 28spline carrier your stock axles will work, assuming you make the 8.8 the same width as the 10 bolt.

What ksmywhitess did is to cut the 10 bolt center section out of the middle, make collars to slide the 8.8 center and a small section of axle tube into. Slide the 10 bolt axle tubes into the other end. Weld and brace it all up good, make a tq arm mount and you're done.

If you look at an 8.8 center section there is a nice flat spot right there on the side of the pumpkin that would make it pretty easy to build a tq arm mount.
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 06:33 PM
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ive done the swap in my car and love it i did have to go thru a lot of work to get it all right but in the end it was well worth the effort.

and i dont know why in the hell u would wwant to put 10 bolt tubes into a 8.8 they are smaller not as thick and are much more likely to bend . trust me i bent the hell out of my stock 10 bolt tubes and then bent the tubes on my 9 bolt

the best years to use for a 4th gen would be froma sn95 car 94-98 they have disk brakes also and if u happen to run draglites u just use the other set of holes

if u have any more questions feel free to pm me
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 08:02 PM
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Originally Posted by boogeyman
ive done the swap in my car and love it i did have to go thru a lot of work to get it all right but in the end it was well worth the effort.

and i dont know why in the hell u would wwant to put 10 bolt tubes into a 8.8 they are smaller not as thick and are much more likely to bend . trust me i bent the hell out of my stock 10 bolt tubes and then bent the tubes on my 9 bolt

the best years to use for a 4th gen would be froma sn95 car 94-98 they have disk brakes also and if u happen to run draglites u just use the other set of holes

if u have any more questions feel free to pm me
thanks!
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 08:20 PM
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Originally Posted by boogeyman
and i dont know why in the hell u would wwant to put 10 bolt tubes into a 8.8 they are smaller not as thick and are much more likely to bend . trust me i bent the hell out of my stock 10 bolt tubes and then bent the tubes on my 9 bolt

the best years to use for a 4th gen would be froma sn95 car 94-98 they have disk brakes also and if u happen to run draglites u just use the other set of holes

Ive been planning on doing a similar build for a while now.

I have an extra 94-98 8.8 with moser 31spl axles and an eaton posi.
Plans are to keep the sn95 brakes and lug pattern and run ford pattern wheels on the rear.

I've just been undecided on how I was going to do the torque arm mount, or try out the links from the control arms to the housing.
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 09:05 PM
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Great inexpesive solution to dependable launching.....great factory gear choices 3.55,3.73 and 4.10 and a locker
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 10:39 PM
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no problem guys its really a simple deal ive done 4 other cars using different setups and by far the easiest was using a maximum motorsports torque arm kit for a mustang makes it ultra simple to setup hte torque arm , w that kit the customer i did it for used the car as a autocrosser and it performed flawlessly then we put slicks on it and dead hooked at the track
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 12:40 AM
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Originally Posted by boogeyman
no problem guys its really a simple deal ive done 4 other cars using different setups and by far the easiest was using a maximum motorsports torque arm kit for a mustang makes it ultra simple to setup hte torque arm , w that kit the customer i did it for used the car as a autocrosser and it performed flawlessly then we put slicks on it and dead hooked at the track
thats what ive been wanting to know. sorry to im BIG on handling. i dont want my rear to be wayward or not be capable of handling cornering g's do you have pics or more info on them ?
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 06:15 PM
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I built one from scratch. I used the coller method as well. I have a 31 spline t lock and custom moser axles as well as ls1 style rear brakes. I also use ford 4:10 gears. and I kept the torque arm. Mine cost me 400 dollars with the custom axles. If you have the tools and ability to do this I would consider it a great swap.
Kory
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 07:08 PM
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Originally Posted by boogeyman
no problem guys its really a simple deal ive done 4 other cars using different setups and by far the easiest was using a maximum motorsports torque arm kit for a mustang makes it ultra simple to setup hte torque arm , w that kit the customer i did it for used the car as a autocrosser and it performed flawlessly then we put slicks on it and dead hooked at the track
thats smart
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 07:35 PM
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maximummotorsports.com look under rear suspension for torque arms
they sell it set up for either round tube subframes or rectangular i use the rectangular setup. the nice thing about the kit is the fact that u keep all ur handling moves , but the car will dead hook at the track . and its a bolt on affair at the axle all u have to do is mount the crossmember to the chassis and ur DONE!
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 10:01 PM
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i was gonna go to the junkyard this weekend and if i come across an explorer, what year rear end am i looking for? if its a 4x4 does that make it any better for me?
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 10:26 PM
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Originally Posted by munsterz28
i was gonna go to the junkyard this weekend and if i come across an explorer, what year rear end am i looking for? if its a 4x4 does that make it any better for me?
i think the best ones are from mustangs 79-95 i think ???
i believe theirs a discussion in the link i posted earlier
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Old Dec 25, 2009 | 05:07 AM
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explorer rearend. limited slip, 31 spline, disk brakes already on it.. weld on some tube braces and also weld the tubes to the center section.. add a girdle..
you can cut the long side of the rear down and use another shortside axle.. basicly narrowing the long side by 1 5/8...

a ranger rearend might be practical also, you just have to get the limited slip unit out of a car, i had a ranger that was limited slip with a 3:55 gear in it.. not sure of width on the ranger, should be close to the explorer width i would guess and probably not offset in the 2wd's
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Old Dec 25, 2009 | 01:36 PM
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Just curious, what's the total cash outlay for the rear, Moser 31 spline axles with GM bolt pattern, 31 spline DL, gears, MM torque arm kit, girdle and welding of the alxe tubes etc compared to buying a bolt in rear for the fbody?
Not trying to start anything just asking because I've got to beleive the cost is going to be close to the same, I paid $2200 for my bolt in Dana 60 with everything brand new from SpeedInc 4 years ago.
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Old Dec 25, 2009 | 02:09 PM
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Originally Posted by 97Z28SS
Just curious, what's the total cash outlay for the rear, Moser 31 spline axles with GM bolt pattern, 31 spline DL, gears, MM torque arm kit, girdle and welding of the alxe tubes etc compared to buying a bolt in rear for the fbody?
Not trying to start anything just asking because I've got to beleive the cost is going to be close to the same, I paid $2200 for my bolt in Dana 60 with everything brand new from SpeedInc 4 years ago.
My 8.8 is almost finished,my parts list:
02 Explorer 8.8 rear end w/4.10s and locker NO AXLES or BRAKES 65.00
Stock f-body tubes (to keep f-body brakes and mounts) 30.00
Moser 31-spline axles(stock f-body length) 295.00
Cover/girdle 185.00
Conv. u-joint 25.00
Lakewood LCAs previously installed
Custom uppers w/rod ends and brackets similar to the link provided 100.00
http://www.g-forcesuspension.com/pag...og/i.php/81/55
Welding cost and paint 65.00
Royal Purple fluid and gasket 35.00
800.00 total cash out of pocket

the biggest help financially is that the 8.8 from the explorer comes with 3.55/3.73/4.10 gears and lockers, granted the factory locker
is not known to last long but for the cost it will be fine!

Last edited by 96lt1m6; Dec 25, 2009 at 02:14 PM.
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