8.8 swap

That is coming out nice. Are you putting a slug in the tube or gonna butt weld? I am looking at using a lathe also, but for strength I am going to drill the plug welds, remove the axle tube from the center housing, cut it off/down on a lathe and slide the tube back in the housing, then re-plug weld and then weld the housing to the axle tubes. Am I overthinking this?

I'm going to weld the axle tubes after I'm all done. Even though the end is cut it should be just as strong as stock as long as the welding goes smooth ;) I will be using a tig welder. But your plan may give you some peace of mind especially if your going to in high Hp behind it.