8.8 swap

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7.25 A body snubber. This may just work with the right welded up bracket setup. I will get it cleaned up and start figuring out needed materials

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Well everybody knows what a ***** it is to square up the end of a piece of tubing. Especially a damn axle tube that needs dead on accurate. Here is my solution on the axle issue. Use a sharpie, or spray machinests dye, but a sharpie is cheap, and everybody has them. Color in the end cut flange with it, reinsert into the jig with your lay line lined up. Push it against the other tube in the jig. And rotate it 1/4" left and right as you push it against the other tube in the jig. About 8-10 times back and forth will leave a bare mark as it wears the ink where the pipes are touching, and leaves ink on the tube where they arent touching. Remove the axle stub, grind it down a little more and repeat the process with the marker until you get good close contact on the pipe all the way around.

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Sandblasted and painted up attaching hardware and dataplates for the axle. The bolts i ran through a wire wheel to polish em up after blasting them. Then i sprayed them with CorBan 35 by zip chemicals. This is clear and gives them a bit of a color tone and will keep rust off them. Used in aviation to protect from corrosion it dries like a hard laquer, but will wipe right off with solvents like MEK, laquer thinner etc.

Figured out what the little boots were for on the parking brake sprags. One of mine was frozen up badly. I had to soak it in penetrating oil and work the pieces free in a bench vise. When they go back together they will get Corban 35 and a small amount of Aeroshell 22 grease on the pivot points. I am headed to the ford dealer for new boots today after work.

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I figure i wont bore anybody else with anymore details on this thread except to say it came out great. Everythings nice and straight I have a few things i will put on here as i go along that some of you may need to know, or want to duplicate. If you want to follow along with the rest of this see my resto thread 67,68,69 cuda dilemma about page 4-6.

For now i have one last thing you might want to know about. I found this as i pulled the E brakes apart to redo. The lever arms the cables attach to were rusted frozen to the pivot pins. I had to put them in a vise, apply wd40 and work them back and forth to work them loose with an adjustable wrench on them. Once apart all 4 pieces took a trip to the sandblaster. Ince out of the blaster i tested them. They now pivot freely again.

I taped off the pins and coated the parts with epoxy primer. Will paint the lever arms silver. The pivot pins i will likely lube up with either Aeroshell 22 multi temp grease or some graphite dry film lubricant to keep them from rusting solid again. The rubber boots on the levers are probably to keep water out of this area. However the truck this axle came off of may have spent years going through high water, and never having the parking brake used. Thus was the result.

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Hi Guys,

i also run a shortened 8.8 in my Valiant, nice upgrade so far. the LSD failed once, did not last very long after i put in new clutches in it. Now it seems that the same problem is coming again (low 11sec car). I´d like to upgrade to a spool, but i know there´s a clearance problem with C-Clip Eliminator kits and the stock Explorer disc brakes. Anybody runs C-clip Eliminators with the stock explorer disc brakes??

Michael
 
Took mine to the car wash. Soaked it in degreaser and washed it down the drain. Shoved rags down it like I was priming a cannon.
 
Anybody buy those custom parking brake cables from that company that made the prototypes for me??
 
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360duster said:
Hi Guys,

i also run a shortened 8.8 in my Valiant, nice upgrade so far. the LSD failed once, did not last very long after i put in new clutches in it. Now it seems that the same problem is coming again (low 11sec car). I´d like to upgrade to a spool, but i know there´s a clearance problem with C-Clip Eliminator kits and the stock Explorer disc brakes. Anybody runs C-clip Eliminators with the stock explorer disc brakes??

Michael
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Kinda curious about the clutch pack failure. I have a stock set of replacement clutches from yukon gear, along with friction modifier for the gear oil. Did you use friction modifier, and 75W140 synthetic gear oil in the diff when you rebuilt your clutch pack? Maybe use a new spring for the clutch pack?

Maybe on an 11 sec track car with real sticky meats it just wont hold up. I dunno. This ones going behind a mild 318, that may eventually get upgraded to something w more power.

I was also told if you are running disc brakes on the rear, you probably dont need the C clip eliminator, because of the caliper holding it all together if the C clip fails. Not sure on that one since those are pretty spindly bolts holding the caliper on.
 
Detroit Locker 31 spline pn#71077
Yukon Gear Duragrip carrier pn# YDGF8.8-31-1
Either one, That should fix it.

Or rebuild the stocker with new motorsport clutches, with a new stiffer clutch pack S spring. Part Yukon Gear pn# YSPSPR-005
Friction modifier
Semi synthetic 75W140 gear oil as specified by Ford.
 
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i already rebuilt the diff with the Carbon Discs twice….new S-Spring and 75w140 gear oil with friction modifier...i think it just can´t hold up. Thanks for your suggestions, already thought about using a Detroit truetrac diff, but i´d like the spool more. You can´t rely on the calipers to hold the axles if one breaks….so if i want a spool then the c-Clip eliminator kit is a must for me...just can not figure out if it fit´s with the disc Brakes.

Michael
 
I believe this will work with a dakota U joint if you want a more conventional yoke with u bolts. Since the dakota U joint will work with the stock ford xploder yoke, i plan on just keeping that.

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Easy pinion nut remover tool. Piece of angle iron w 2 holes drilled in it. 2 pinion yoke bolts to pin it to the flange, and a 1&1/16" socket on an air impact gun. Zipped it right off.

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I am pulling the carrier and pinion out. Inspect the bearings and clean out the housing. I have a crush sleeve eliminator. I will measure the crush sleeve and shim stack thats in there and make my crush sleeve eliminator and shim stack match whats there in thickness. Should get it close.
 
I dont have one, and i intend to reuse the ring and pinion. Just want to inspect, and replace the bearings in it.
 
This is for 360duster and other drag racers out there. Got this out of my buddys fox 5.0 rebuild book.

It also states the moser c clip eliminators are fine to eliminate slight sideways walk in drag racing, but leak like a sieve if put into hard cornering situations. For that type of driving there is a kit that welds on ends from a ford 9 inch to eliminate the c clips

For my sons car with a mild 4bbl 318 with duals , 42RH OD and 3.73s this setup should be adequate. When more power smokes it, a different LSD carrier will go in its place.

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Received my Ford E brake dust boots from Tasca Ford parts. They were discounted to $12 and change per each. Plus $9.99 shipping. Not too bad. Local dealer wanted $19 each us tax.
 
moparmat2000 said:
Shes back together and square.

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BRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are my IDOL!!!!!!!!!!!! Major props to ya on giving us such a nice detailed basically how-to with issues that might be encountered during this whole 8.8 "Shortening" process - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I think I have convinced myself that I am actually gonna run my 8.8 (once I buy/pick one up) "Uncut" because it will actually work better with the wheel set-up (Backspacing) that I want to run. But this thread right here I will keep near and dear to my heart in case I need to get it cut in the near future.
 
Its all about the details. I like to explain everything. If somebodys done this before, they will gloss over the details, however somebody new to all this will soak up the information. For the record, this is the first rear axle i have ever narrowed. I used a lot of ideas in this thread that other people pioneered. As well as the youtube vid someone posted to get it where it is now. I built on the previous knowledge here, added in my own ideas on it, and just made some of it more digestable to a newbie with lots of pix and discriptions.
 
A friend of mine is selling his 8.8 out of a fox body. Its stock length so I'm wondering if it will fit my duster? I know I'll have to weld on some spring perches, etc.

He's selling it for a good price and I'm wondering if I should get it or would going with an Explorer 8.8 would be better.

Thanks.
 
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