Started to work on getting the axle all prepped and ready for the swap. Got the e-brake cables off and wire wheeled it a bit to get the rust and road grime off. Then started to get the unnecessary brackets off. Got sway bar brackets and the leaf spring brackets off and ground down and then got rained out.
Going to have to go out and wire wheel again to get the imminent flash rust and paint the axle. This will likely be tomorrows project.
I am not touching the cover as I found a "Junkyard Mod" for these 8.8's that I plan on doing. Pretty neat actually. It will be an aluminum cover from a 01-04? Explorer that can bolt up. Here is the video for inspiration:
I plan on going to the JY maybe this weekend to get one of those covers. Also, if I get the time, I might dig into the front steering rebuild this weekend with the parts from PST.