the simple fact is that there are more a-bodies on the road than there are 8.75's to put in them. given the choice, most people will automatically choose the 8.75 because its a true bolt in and its a proven strong part. it ends there though.
most people have converted to big bolt pattern. the 8.75 a body never had that, so youve gotta redrill it or have c body axles shortened, or buy custom ones. back to my first statement....there are more a bodies than 8.75 a body rears, and there are even less sure-grips around. again, you can buy a new one....for $500.
gear ratio options are even less
benefits of an 8.8 ford? cheap ($100 usually). practically a bolt in when you weld on a set of $15 spring pads. strong. awesome FACTORY gear ratio selection (3.27, 3.55, 3.73, and 4.10), and even more in aftermarket. most explorer rears had posi units that are (and this was a genius idea) rebuildable without taking the rear end apart. parts are literally at every junkyard (ive seen one 8.75 at a junkyard in the past few years....literally one). the 4.5" bolt circle is already there. discs are already on most of them (1995+). parts are dirt cheap.
it's win-win
i was going to put one in my 66 Fury, until my junkyard research found that a 96 Dakota was an even better fit. its a drum rear, but while i was in the junkyard pulling that out, i left the 6 lug axles there and grabbed one axle from a cherokee and one from an 87 dakota (both 4.5" bs, and the right lengths) and the rear disc setup from an 01 durango. the late 8.25 posi is also rebuildable without taking the rear apart (the factory service manual disagrees, but with some ingenuity you can), but NOWHERE as easy as a ford 8.8.\
mine is still all mopar, but if i were to do it again, i would go with the 8.8. i also bought a turbocoupe t-bird 8.8 rear disc rear end, after the fact, that i may go ahead and put in the fury anyway if the dakota rear doesnt satisfy me.............point is, i REMOVED an 8.75 from the car just because of price/availability issues. a 3.55 open third member would cost me more than the whole 3.55 posi disc rear end that i ended up with. it wouldve cost me $100-150 for an open 3.55 8.75 member, another $450 for a suregrip (new), and another $50 to have it set up, meaning $600+ for a rear end that still has drums on it.
short of it is....use what you want/have to to get what you want. The Fury now has 5.9 EFI, a 518 OD, 3.55 posi, and 4 wheel discs. drive this then drive your 100% stocker and tell me which you prefer. next up is H4/H1 headlight upgrades and cruise control.
you cant beat the looks of a classic car with anything new, but you can sure beat everything else about them.
a side thought....if both a 426 hemi and a new 6.4 hemi cost the exact same amount/ were worth the same amount....only the guys who value pure originality would choose the 426. that comment will start a shitstorm!
The guys who prefer 100% stock cars are likely not the guys who enjoy driving them regularly, I imagine. 40 year old technology with it's undersized drum brakes, relative lack of machining precision, carbueration, suspensions, wiring, etc.....doesnt add up to a pleasant car for the road.
