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ford explorer 8.8 axle. easy swap?

J

jamesschimmel

NAXJA Forum User
Location
mount hermon
i have a dana 44 with disk in the rear currently. but i am going to regear it to 410 to match my front... or i could buy a 8.8 with 410 (i think) and disk for $150ish. is it a straight bolt in? is it worth it? it is off of a ford explorer 2002



what do you think??:read:
 
I did the 8.8 swap...re-geared it, put a locker in it, fabed up spring perches, shock mounts, modified brakes and e-brakes....etc. Not a difficult modification, but...

Why would you want to do all that when you have a D44? The Ford is stronger (I've heard), but...not that much! If it's gears that are the problem...re-gearing the D44 would be easier (IMO).
 
this has been covered eleventy billion times!!!1. but i am in a good mood so i will add more than SEARCH.

it is NOT a bolt in part. first off, it is a smige more narrow than an xj axle. the 8.8 is set up for spring under axle and our xjs are spring over axle. the spring perches are not in the correct spot. for those two reasons you need to have the old ones cut off and new spring perches welded on. the 8.8 also needs shock mounts welded on. the u joint at the pinion on the 8.8 is held on with a flange. this is a different size from our xj ujoints so you would need to run a companion flange or a 1310/1330 ujoint.

with all that said, the 8.8 is a common swap. if you do not like your D44 with disks, i will take it off your hands for you for just the cost of shipping.:wave:
 
hmm if it was a simple swap i would probably do it but even just having weld on a few parts doesnt sound like its worth the trouble rather than just changing gears. i was think it might be worth it to get the extra spline but now im having second thoughts..

what would you say is the best swap for the money and effort?
 
Swapping an 8.8 will cost more than the cost of the axle. Regear your 44 and be done with it; it will be easier and cheaper.

Also, SEARCH. ;) It's been covered way too many times to be seeing more questions about it. There are stickies in it referring to all the different axle swaps and what's involved. There's the FAQ forum covering it as well.
Sorry, but I'm not in a good mood. :)
 
Like the one I got lucky enough to buy from 99xjache? Just adding my own diff cover...:D
 
i can see the desire to build a new rear-end, assuming you have the coin and inclination. you could allways flip the semi built 44 later on, and you can take your time building the new axle on the bench w/ zero down time. its not a bolt-in though
 
I think we need to know what your plans on with the XJ. The 44 is strong but the 8.8 is no doubt substantially stronger. Someone on here posted some nice research using real numbers and like I said, the 8.8 is stronger in a significant way meaning able to run larger tires and handle more of a beating.

I'd say if you're not going larger than 35s and you're not a complete hell-raiser on the gas pedal then just stick with your D44. If you didn't already have the D44 and were trying to decide between a D44 and 8.8, I'd say 8.8.

And swapping in my 8.8 cost me about $40 on top of the $150 I paid for it. 4.10s, limited slip, disc brakes. Buying those kits is a rip off.
 
I paid $20 for a set of perches and then spent about $5 on grade 8 hardware to make shock mounts. The rest was in miscellaneous hardware to do things such as make a loop in the e-brake cable. I had plenty of adjustment to make the existing lines long enough to work.
 
Keep in mind if you plan on getting alloys and a full case locker anyway, you can upgrade the spline count in the D44.

There are 33 and 35 splines available through ARB.

I don't think there are any spline upgrades for the explorer 8.8s?
 
MoparManiac said:
Keep in mind if you plan on getting alloys and a full case locker anyway, you can upgrade the spline count in the D44.

There are 33 and 35 splines available through ARB.

I don't think there are any spline upgrades for the explorer 8.8s?
Click to expand...

Spline count upgrades...you're right...no upgrades available. However Alloy (or whatever they are now) makes an upgraded 31-spline "Grande 31-spline kit" made from 4140 Chromoly.
 
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