Damn, is there anything to beef up the 8? Or just swap the whole friggen thing. Id rather keep the 8 and switch my tranny but i guess if its going to go then .....
Damn, is there anything to beef up the 8? Or just swap the whole friggen thing. Id rather keep the 8 and switch my tranny but i guess if its going to go then .....
The 8" is like the Dana 30 in the front of a jeep. It'll look cute, but the first time you apply some power, all you have left is recyclable material, and an oil spill to clean up.
Sell it now, while it's still worth something and get a 9". A GM 12 bolt will hold up pretty well also, and a Dana 44 is pretty tough (all are common to find parts for, having them retubed isn't too big of an ordeal)
Well im pretty shure its a trac-loc rear, and the clutch discs have taken a crap on me so it only does one legers. ( used to smoke both of them) So instead of overhauling my 8 i might as well go 9. Unless there is a ballsy 8in unit out there that can handle more power. BTW how much is an 9in swap in gereral??
You'll be pissing away your money by trying to do something with the 8". It's weak, accept it.
Pouring money into a 8" is like these stupid kids that put $50,000.00 into a damn Civic, and it still won't touch an old Charger with a tired 318. Start with the right hardware, and you'll not be performing the same work several times.
As a budget number, figure about $1000 to get into a 9" built up nicely. Cheap out, and you'll pay.
A quote from a friend of mine:
"Cheap work ain't badass -
Badass work ain't cheap"
That and the 7 P's will make a strong, safe and reliable vehicle.
Im with you on the cheap thing, Ive got about 5,000 into my cleveland allredy (not bad for a part time highschool job) So ill see how long the 8 lasts b4 i swap it.
What gets me is that the 9" was made in such enormous quanity and is THE rear of choice for so many sports and aftermarket producers, it is not expensive or hard to get into.
The 9" is to aftermarket parts what the 350 Chevy is to the aftermarket.
The only thing that requires any thought on your part is the cutting down of the tubes, maybe relocating the spring perches (but even that remains the same on most Ford cars).
Everything else amounts to junkyard parts and a huge aftermarket offering that is so widespread that prices are not bad.
Think about how you have to track down everything for the 8", or any other rear, and how limited the parts/manufacturers are... You end up paying extra for weaker parts.
Just pointing out the obvious.
Dave