Some ideas and questions about the FORD 8.8 axle:
See my chicken scratch in pic below. When you shorten a stock Explorer long tube you remove 2&7/8" or 2.875" to center it up. That will make it 56.0" wide from axle to rotor mating flange to flange with a more centered pinion.
Mopar A body 8.75 being 57.625" based on my A body axle mock up. In this case, the shortened explorer axle will be a little bit narrower than the mopar axle. That may not necessarily be a bad thing
The total difference between the 2 widths between stock mopar A body, and narrowed explorer axle from brake drum and disc mating flanges on each axle is only 1.625" . Divided in half, that's only .8125" or 13/16" narrower on each side. That's only a tick more than 3/4". Guys are cutting em down and using em with stock spring locations as well
I saw one on a build thread under an early A. Seemed to fit just fine.
I mocked up both axles, and on the mopar 8.75 I added in the drum backing plate thicknesses to the dimension to get an accurate number, and on the Ford 8.8 I used the cross pin and bumped the axles against it to get that number accurate as well. The numbers i am showing on the drawing are drum mating flange to flange, and disc mating flange to flange dimensions on the axle shafts. I feel this is an accurate set of numbers, plus the disc rotors mating flange thicknesses are thicker than the 10x2.50" drum mating flanges and will probably close that number closer to 3/4" or less difference between the 2 axles per side with the Ford Explorer 8.8 being the narrower of the 2.
See my chicken scratch in pic below. When you shorten a stock Explorer long tube you remove 2&7/8" or 2.875" to center it up. That will make it 56.0" wide from axle to rotor mating flange to flange with a more centered pinion.
Mopar A body 8.75 being 57.625" based on my A body axle mock up. In this case, the shortened explorer axle will be a little bit narrower than the mopar axle. That may not necessarily be a bad thing
The total difference between the 2 widths between stock mopar A body, and narrowed explorer axle from brake drum and disc mating flanges on each axle is only 1.625" . Divided in half, that's only .8125" or 13/16" narrower on each side. That's only a tick more than 3/4". Guys are cutting em down and using em with stock spring locations as well
I saw one on a build thread under an early A. Seemed to fit just fine.
I mocked up both axles, and on the mopar 8.75 I added in the drum backing plate thicknesses to the dimension to get an accurate number, and on the Ford 8.8 I used the cross pin and bumped the axles against it to get that number accurate as well. The numbers i am showing on the drawing are drum mating flange to flange, and disc mating flange to flange dimensions on the axle shafts. I feel this is an accurate set of numbers, plus the disc rotors mating flange thicknesses are thicker than the 10x2.50" drum mating flanges and will probably close that number closer to 3/4" or less difference between the 2 axles per side with the Ford Explorer 8.8 being the narrower of the 2.