8.8 rear end

Not that it's a huge deal, but the design of the 9" and how low the pinion sits in relation to the ring gear, causes more drag, and therefore more power loss through the R/P, but more gear to gear contact with the 9" so stronger R/P

Stock vs stock, I'll take an 8.8. If you put much power to a 9" with a stock case/pinion support you are looking for trouble. They are known for pushing the pinion out the front and ruining the driveshaft and breaking the trans case. Most people in this section are safe with a stock case, but if you hook up and make over 500hp it would be wise to buy a good case and pinion support. I have about $1000 in my 8.8 and should be good to at least 1000hp.

brianj5600 said:

Stock vs stock, I'll take an 8.8. If you put much power to a 9" with a stock case/pinion support you are looking for trouble. They are known for pushing the pinion out the front and ruining the driveshaft and breaking the trans case. Most people in this section are safe with a stock case, but if you hook up and make over 500hp it would be wise to buy a good case and pinion support. I have about $1000 in my 8.8 and should be good to at least 1000hp.

Click to expand...

No offense but you've got to be the only person in the world to rag on a Ford 9". With a stock nodular case you could easily put 500hp with a spool and slicks and have no issues. Thousands of drag racers do it every weekend.
8.8s also are used and abused by thousands of racers due to the ranks of Fox body and New Edge owners with forced induction or nitrous engines. As long as either axle and the car's suspension are set up properly dimension wise there shouldn't be very much part breakage.

A nodullar case will take some abuse with a big bearing pinion support. They can be found, but most people are proud of them. A lot of people think that any old case out of a junkyard will be fine. I was not trying to rag on 9" rear ends. Properly built they are bullit proof. I am not sure that any stock case is stronger than an 8.8. Put a girdle on an 8.8 and it will be hard to break.

i just did the 8.8 explorer but i cut the driver side tube and used another r/h axle in it.it centered the pinion and fits nice.i'd post a pic but cant figure out how.lol. it's in a 68 coupe.

zookeeper said:

I guess the 8.8 is a good, stout and affordable rear axle, but for the life of me I just can't understand the love affair with them. Ford 8 and 9 inch rears are not hard to find, are affordable, have huge aftermarket support and are lots easier to swap gears in. Plus, you don't have to use late model wheels, which is not exactly my favorite look. Want to drive it to work every day and drag race on the weekends? With a 9 inch, you can swap out gears in an easy couple of hours and a few bucks for a gasket. They already have retainers, so c-clip eliminators are unneeded and they are (IMHO) a better looking axle. But to each his own...

Click to expand...

8 or 9" rears are not be hard to find? I guess that all depends on how hard you have to look. Even when you do, you'll probably find a open diff rear that is the wrong width w/ a bazillion miles on it. 8.8's are everywhere, in every junk yard in the US. A 95 GT mustang rear will have disc brakes and 5 lugs (5 on 4.5),will have a T-loc diff and will more than likely be a 3.73 ratio if the donor car had a 5 speed. It will only require cutting the lower control arm mounts off, and welding the spring perches on ( which can be bought brand new for cheap) in order to fit the car. Even in stock 28 spline configuration, a street tire'd car will not hurt it. (Tire spin being the buffer). However If you're gonna race it,28 spline axles are iffy as drag slicks and a the sticky starting line will definitely test them.

But I doubt the "benefit" of removing the street geared center section and swapping a 4-something ratio in place so you can go drag racing and then re-installing that heavy assed center back in on sunday night so you can go to work is truly a benefit. Just get a 5 speed from the same donor car as the rear and you can keep the 3.73's all week long.

brianj5600 said:

A nodullar case will take some abuse with a big bearing pinion support. They can be found, but most people are proud of them. A lot of people think that any old case out of a junkyard will be fine. I was not trying to rag on 9" rear ends. Properly built they are bullit proof. I am not sure that any stock case is stronger than an 8.8. Put a girdle on an 8.8 and it will be hard to break.

Click to expand...

When comparing the two in a head to head strength match, A 9" rear is so much stronger than an 8.8 even in stock form it's almost foolish to make that statement. W/ the c clips, as one drawback, the other is the tendency of the axle tubes to twist and actually bend forward under the stresses of a drag strip launch. ( If you haven't seen more than one 8.8 with the axle tubes bent to hell after being in a drag car, then you haven't seen too many 8.8's.) Additionally, the bearing caps are prone to breakage (hence the need for the girdle) If you're gonna expect the one you're building to withstand 1000 hp, you better consider doing the bracing as I saw no evidence in your pics.

I had an 8.8 in my 1400whp drag car. The Tubes were replaced w/ thicker stronger units, and were not only welded as in your picture above, they had tubular braces on both front and back that tied into the center. The caps were replaced w/ billet pieces and were held in place w/ studs. The girdle was an integral part of the actual bracing that spanned the entire length of the rear. I had 35 spline axles and a full spool w/ 9" housing ends holding thee axles in. Despite all of that, I still expected to break it. All just a tad north of "putting a girdle on it".

The bottom line is you can make a 9" bullit proof. You cannot do that w/ an 8.8, you can only get close.