Are all 8.8 rears the same?

That's pretty crappy. 351 82GT, you should have at least got a mustang rear end out of the deal.....$150 is alot for a stock rear end too. I see them in the local paper for $100 all the time. Don't stop being good natured and trusting of people just ask more questions. Its unfortunate that this happened. FYI- a spool is really cheap....like $200 or less. If you're carefull you can put together a rear end that can handle 8-900hp for $750. Moser axles, spools, C-Clip eliminators and other stuff like that pop up on ebay all the time. At least with ebay you have some fraud coverage if you use paypal. A 351 will wear out a trackloc really fast anyway. a crappy used one will probably already be shot. You can't tell how good the posi is by just turning a wheel and seeing if the other turns the same way. Sometimes it pays to wait. Good luck.