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Ford 8.8

Considering that I had a D35 before....yeah, it's worth it.

I have no complaints at all. Very glad I did the swap.
I was pretty intimidated with the whole thing. It was the first major mod that I did and was a little hesitant. It wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. Pretty simple really.
 
Well i have a d35 right now on 33's no gears or anything. i'm getting some money in soon and i wanna do a swap and run 4.10's. I don't do a lot of rock crawling but that's only because i dont have the best set up. mostly mud and pipe lines.
 
If you've got an auto, I would discourage you from running 4.10's and 33's. I ran that combo and hated it. Doggy...big time. I recently swapped in 4.88's and life is now good.:D
 
It's the best way to get disk brakes.

Truss it and weld the tubes to the center section.

Otherwise you could put a D60/14bolt/9inch in there for probalby around $100 for the axle.

Then $300 for gears/install kit. $250-500 for some sort of traction aid (detroit/arb/lockright)

$200 - 300 for any machining needed to narrow it. $300-$500 for someone to install the gears

$200 for either new wheels, or spacers for the front to fit a 3/4 or one ton wheel.

So a ford 8.8 is really a no brainer.

You retain the original bolt pattern, no need to narrow it. And if you find one with 4.10's and a limited slip it will last you a good long time. After the LS clutches go, lunchbox it and call it a day.
 
Iv seen D44 break.......... I have yet to see a 8.8 break.........I know more ppl with 8.8s including me.

One of the biggest deals with the 8.8 is the ring gear coming off the carrier. It's happend to me and a few other buddies with split case lockers (detroit/arb)

I just re-installed new gears and put a tiny tack weld on each of the ring gear bolts. Won't happen anymore. You can do it "right" by lockwiring them on, but it's insanely hard to find those bolts with the lockwire holes in them. I was about to have a machinist make me some and then I just said eff it, and tacked 'em on there.
 
i got a 5 speed though. I was told that would be the best set up...IS i

I put 4.56s in mine when I went to 33s (w/ AX15) and kind of wish I had slightly shallower gears. I think 4.30s would be perfect, but it seems that's an odd ratio for my axles (D30/D44) although they were common gear back in my old muscle car days.

I do a lot of highway driving though. If it were mostly a trail rig the 4.56s would be the way to go. Mine is a vacation hauler, daily driver, with 6-8 wheeling trips to Rausch Creek a year, so the highway RPMs might bother me more.
 
It's the best way to get disk brakes.

Truss it and weld the tubes to the center section.

Otherwise you could put a D60/14bolt/9inch in there for probalby around $100 for the axle.

Then $300 for gears/install kit. $250-500 for some sort of traction aid (detroit/arb/lockright)

$200 - 300 for any machining needed to narrow it. $300-$500 for someone to install the gears

$200 for either new wheels, or spacers for the front to fit a 3/4 or one ton wheel.

So a ford 8.8 is really a no brainer.

You retain the original bolt pattern, no need to narrow it. And if you find one with 4.10's and a limited slip it will last you a good long time. After the LS clutches go, lunchbox it and call it a day.

why narrow a full width? just be a man and get a matching front.
 
If you do your homework and call around you can find an 8.8 with disc brakes, LSD, 31 spline shafts, and 4.10 gears. that will save you some $$$. and the 8.8 is actually 1.5" narrower so no need to chop.
But you would probably be happier with 4.56s.
 
i have a question. not trying to hi-jack or anything.

you guys with 8.8's. how much did you buy your axles for and where did you get them. im most likley getting one from the jy.
oh, and what explorers come with the lsd and 410s? just wondering what to look for
 
8.8 is a good up grade, though i am contemplating this too. I really cannot decide, as I have a 29 spline 8.25 in there and will be running 35s unlocked, i really cant decide if its worth it for me to do, but i proably will.
 
i have a question. not trying to hi-jack or anything.

you guys with 8.8's. how much did you buy your axles for and where did you get them. im most likley getting one from the jy.
oh, and what explorers come with the lsd and 410s? just wondering what to look for

JY

$150

lsd and 410s should be labeled on the housing or by a tag.
 
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