8.8 swap

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ordered my pipe cutter off ebay the other day. thanks for the mentioning of ebay for a cutter. i never even thought about that. i can not wait to get my axle in my 65 dart.
 
For those that used a disc brake rear, I have a question. The emergency brake lever, that passes through the backing plate has a rubber boot. Have you replaced it, ran without, or reused the old? I took mine apart, cleaned up the parts, replaced the shoes, but cant seem to find the boots (on line)
Thanks
 
They are the same rears, just wider, on the F150's, grab it from the junk yard.
 
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Well i got one, or will have it in my shop this weekend. Been hitting up my local facebook trader. Found a 2001 xploder XLT V8 302 with a 3L73 rear. So its a locker. Guy wanted $300 for the whole truck, but no title, only a hand written bill of sale. I explained that the salvage yards out here wont take em without a title. Not unless i chop it into small pieces to get rid of it and run it across the scales at the scrap metals place. Still a lot of work to recoup some of my $300. I asked if the V8 ran, he said its locked up. So if the engine ran, i prob woulda gotten the whole truck and sold the motor and trans to a hot rodder and maybe made offset the cost of buying the whole truck. Then cut it up for scrap and made a few more. All being said, i am going on an hour trip one way to pick it up, and pull it and the driveshaft for $300. My local boneyards want $350 for one and i got to pull it anyways, plus i got to crawl under a bunch of em and check tags in hopes of finding a good ratio w a locker. So by this weekend i will have entered the Furd Xploder 8.8 club. Now i need a short side axle.

I coulda done the Dallas area loop 12 wrecking yards for one of these cheaper, but they punch a hole in the diff cover to drain the fluids out, and its 2.5 hours away 1 way, and you have to hope they have what you need. If not your gonna drive back empty handed another 2.5 hours. So for all this, i feel $300 and a road trip is a good price.
 
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moparmat2000 said:
Well i got one, or will have it in my shop this weekend. Been hitting up my local facebook trader. Found a 2001 xploder XLT V8 302 with a 3L73 rear. So its a locker. Guy wanted $300 for the whole truck, but no title, only a hand written bill of sale. I explained that the salvage yards out here wont take em without a title. Not unless i chop it into small pieces to get rid of it and run it across the scales at the scrap metals place. Still a lot of work to recoup some of my $300. I asked if the V8 ran, he said its locked up. So if the engine ran, i prob woulda gotten the whole truck and sold the motor and trans to a hot rodder and maybe made offset the cost of buying the whole truck. Then cut it up for scrap and made a few more. All being said, i am going on an hour trip one way to pick it up, and pull it and the driveshaft for $300. My local boneyards want $350 for one and i got to pull it anyways, plus i got to crawl under a bunch of em and check tags in hopes of finding a good ratio w a locker. So by this weekend i will have entered the Furd Xploder 8.8 club. Now i need a short side axle.

I coulda done the Dallas area loop 12 wrecking yards for one of these cheaper, but they punch a hole in the diff cover to drain the fluids out, and its 2.5 hours away 1 way, and you have to hope they have what you need. If not your gonna drive back empty handed another 2.5 hours. So for all this, i feel $300 and a road trip is a good price.
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Keep us up to date on your new adventure!!! I’ll be cutting mine down over the Christmas holidays!!!
 
Hey real quick is the locker in these rebuildable, or is it like the junk assed borg warner one that mopar used to have.

Also the spring plates. I am going to take the xploder ones w the u bolts. I was going to mod them for mopar shock mounts by cutting the mounts off a set of 7.25 shock plate mounts i have. Unless anybody else has a better idea. I checked w all the dirt track racecar places for some shock plates w spring mounts. Everythings for a 3.0" axle tube.

Whats everybody using?
 
moparmat2000 said:
Hey real quick is the locker in these rebuildable, or is it like the junk assed borg warner one that mopar used to have.

Also the spring plates. I am going to take the xploder ones w the u bolts. I was going to mod them for mopar shock mounts by cutting the mounts off a set of 7.25 shock plate mounts i have. Unless anybody else has a better idea. I checked w all the dirt track racecar places for some shock plates w spring mounts. Everythings for a 3.0" axle tube.

Whats everybody using?
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Unsure on the rebuildable part, as mine was a limited slip diff that I rebuilt with carbon fiber clutches. But, I used stock 8 3/4 spring plates with out a problem. The 3" plates work fine with the 3 1/4" axle tube. I used 3 1/4" U-Bolts, then just used large channel locks and squeezed the U-Bolts a little, after they were on the axle. dropped right in.
 
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moparmat2000 said:
Hey real quick is the locker in these rebuildable, or is it like the junk assed borg warner one that mopar used to have.

Also the spring plates. I am going to take the xploder ones w the u bolts. I was going to mod them for mopar shock mounts by cutting the mounts off a set of 7.25 shock plate mounts i have. Unless anybody else has a better idea. I checked w all the dirt track racecar places for some shock plates w spring mounts. Everythings for a 3.0" axle tube.

Whats everybody using?
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they 8.8 traction-lok you have is rebuildable --- clutch plates are available ( get the carbon fiber kit ) Ford dealer or Summit , Jegs and many other parts houses.
 
john-9 said:
they 8.8 traction-lok you have is rebuildable --- clutch plates are available ( get the carbon fiber kit ) Ford dealer or Summit , Jegs and many other parts houses.
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should have mentioned the part number for the carbon fiber clutch plates --- Ford Racing M - 4700- C --- Summit Racing FMS - M - 4700- C they run about $110.00 for the complete kit.
 
This is all sounding better by the minute. I cant wait to have it home. I bought a china freight movers dolley to be able to get it around the shop for storage. This is going into a 69 notch long term project with my son and i. So i will collect up the pieces for it, and let it sit in the shop till we need it. I am taking notes on this. I may knock off the unneeded brackets, shorten it, and set it up using my 67 as a jig, this way its ready 2 go. Need to pick up spring perches. I have the MP ones for a 3" tube. Prob wont work for this one. Anybody got an idea which ones work? Also i am now seriously rhinking about selling my restored A body 8.75 and buying another exploder 8.8 for my car.
 
moparmat2000 said:
This is all sounding better by the minute. I cant wait to have it home. I bought a china freight movers dolley to be able to get it around the shop for storage. This is going into a 69 notch long term project with my son and i. So i will collect up the pieces for it, and let it sit in the shop till we need it. I am taking notes on this. I may knock off the unneeded brackets, shorten it, and set it up using my 67 as a jig, this way its ready 2 go. Need to pick up spring perches. I have the MP ones for a 3" tube. Prob wont work for this one. Anybody got an idea which ones work? Also i am now seriously rhinking about selling my restored A body 8.75 and buying another exploder 8.8 for my car.
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Wonder if it will hold up to a 440 with an automatic?
 
Kids car mild 318 w A904 and shift kit. My car will be 408 4 speed. Anybody got pix of how all they hooked up the park brake cables to the calipers. And any mods or special pieces they had to buy or make to do it.
 
I assume the lug studs are metric. Anybody change em to 1/2" RH? If so, you got a part number for the studs?
 
Mine has held up just fine powered by my 5.7 and auto. I have about 10,000 miles that I put on the 8.8. Drag race it every once in a while and autocross it every month. Have had no problems with it. The only thing I replaced where the bearings, put some slotted rotors I got on Rockauto and pads. I drive the crap out of this car. Drive it all over the country.
 
I am loving reading through this thread. I cant wait to get my hands on that 2001 3L73 xploder XLT rear axle. Should i grab the rear sway bar with it? Any use for that, or should i leave that behind. Was gonna grab the driveshaft too. Not sure if thats useable or if an aerostar one is a better bet. One things for certain, i feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Any thoughts on what else to grab with it besides the U bolts and spring plates.
 
I also have a new set of mopar performance weld in spring perches for 3" axle tubes. Can these be used on the 8.8 axle tube, or do i need to buy a different set for tge 8.8 tube?
 
moparmat2000 said:
I am loving reading through this thread. I cant wait to get my hands on that 2001 3L73 xploder XLT rear axle. Should i grab the rear sway bar with it? Any use for that, or should i leave that behind. Was gonna grab the driveshaft too. Not sure if thats useable or if an aerostar one is a better bet. One things for certain, i feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Any thoughts on what else to grab with it besides the U bolts and spring plates.
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It’s an option but I would go with C-clip eliminators also along with Carbon F clutches. The C-clips are the weakest link on this rear end, if they break in the housing the axle will Just walk right out the housing. I’ve heard of guys saying that they’re pretty tough and the odds are low of them breaking, but Strange makes. C-clip kit that’s around a $200 bucks. I used spring plates from Speedway that are only $30 per side.
 
Tsully thats all great information for me to use once i have it. For now i need to know what all i should grab with it this saturday. Because i have to go remove it from the donor vehicle this saturday. The owner agreed to sell me the axle out of it. I want to make sure i get everything i need with it
 
moparmat2000 said:
Tsully thats all great information for me to use once i have it. For now i need to know what all i should grab with it this saturday. Because i have to go remove it from the donor vehicle this saturday. The owner agreed to sell me the axle out of it. I want to make sure i get everything i need with it
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Sorry...lol!

Grab everything !!! Seriously...grab everything...because what you don’t need can always go back to the scrap metal pile!
 
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