Explorer rearend

[RED]

Entertaining the idea of putting an 8.8 under the Ford. 95 or up with 3.75 gears, 31 spline, and disk brakes. Local yard has them pulled on the shelf for $175. I wanna four link it with coil overs. Anyone else done something similar. Any suggestions? Willing to mildly notch the frame but nothing to crazy. Thanks

[jamesdfo]

Go have a look, and measure the distance from the pinion yoke to wheel mounting surfaces, and you will discover there is quite a bit of offset ( remember, 4WD transfer case).......

but I really like the disc setup with the inside of the rotor acting as a drum for the e-brakes

[36truck]

You can add the disc brakes to a 9". There's a company near me that makes the set up to do it.

[turtle1056]

the axle is quite a bit narrower, and will allow for a large tire and rim combo

I used the ranger axle, which is the same except for the discs.

[Hawkrod]

Also note that the 8.8 is a lighter duty unit and is known for failed axles due to the bearing on axle design and broken spider gear pinion shaft retainer bolts (Google it, it is a pain in the backside). I have several vehicles with them including my Explorer and I have had to do several expensive repairs over the years that I have never had with the heavier duty 9 inch rear end. Hawkrod

[EZBNGRN]

the 8.8 is a great rearend for a slick, true it is a little bit narrower im running a 20x10(295/45/20) on the rear fits like a glove.and the price for a 9 inch disk conversion,plus a trac loc is way more expensive then 175 plus 50 bucks for seals to go through your 8.8..that being said this is not designed for 1/4 mile launches,but for a daily driver with the occasional burnout its perfect.i myself did a 8.8/3.73/trac-loc/31 spline/disc brake out of a explorer hooked to a heidts 4 link coil over and a mild c-notch and am very happy with the outcome hope this helps heres a link to my photobucket http://s1138.photobucket.com/albums/n531/snuffy66/

[RED]

Thats pretty much exactly what I want to accomplish. Was there a prob with the offset pinion yoke. From what I've read some have no problem with the angles and some shorter the driver side and center it up. Was the Heidts coil over a satifying buy? Sure do think it's purdy.

[EZBNGRN]

i bought my 4link off ebay from tims hot rods hes a local builder here in washington and knows is stuff and is happy to help.as far as offset alot of people are using this set up,even my original 9 inch has a slight offset and from what ive heard ford offset the engine to the passenger side(get a tape measure ).if you really wanted you could add a cv joint to driveline.. but were talking a very small amount of degree..my plan is to mount engine 1 inch toward pass side that will reduce angle and free up room for steering and not be noticable..hope that helps

[turtle1056]

the 8.8 stands up to 800-1000 hp drag cars no issues.

Its all about setup.

A stock 9" wont withstand any more than the 8.8 in stock form. a 28 spline axle in either one is the weak link. Both are available in 31 spline. Put a nice braced aluminum cover on the 8.8 and you are good to go.

an 8.8 is all we have behind a 600hp blower motor.

[Hawkrod]

the 8.8 stands up to 800-1000 hp drag cars no issues.

Its all about setup.

A stock 9" wont withstand any more than the 8.8 in stock form. a 28 spline axle in either one is the weak link. Both are available in 31 spline. Put a nice braced aluminum cover on the 8.8 and you are good to go.

an 8.8 is all we have behind a 600hp blower motor.

Sorry, You are making a very poor comparison there.

First, a stock 8.8 won't stand up to 600 for long, that is really poor statement because you say they hold up to 800-1000hp with no issues you have to also include the fact that those rears have very little relationship to a stock Ford rear.

Second, you are wrong because a stock 9" is stronger than an 8.8 with no mods. They are heavier by design and that is why the 8.8 was designed in the first place. The torque rating of otherwise identical rears will always be higher for a 9 inch due to larger bearings and components, it is basic physics and you can't get around that.

Third, putting an 8.8 in a drag car is very different than in a driver as the 8.8's weak points are related to continuous use not short loads. The axle bearings fail because of mileage not because of horsepower. They are also known to chew pinion bearings.

Finally, an 8.8 will work but it is definitely a down grade from a 9 inch and in order to make it as dependable as a 9 inch you need to change axles and ends as well as the differential and you are still going to have a weaker pinion bearing setup that will eventually show itself.

I have had both rears for many years and will continue to use both depending on application. I will say that I have had at least a dozen 8.8's in my SVO's and those have less than 300hp. As I noted, it isn't so much horsepower that kills them, it is wear and tear. Unless you modify an 8.8 it will not be as dependable as a stock 9". Hawkrod

P.S. there is a reason that late model Mustang racers guys put 9" in!