Drivetrain swapping gears in my8.8

Im swapping gears in my 8.8 from 2.76to 4.10, they are a used set i got out of a ranger . my question is can i put them in using the shims from the set up in ranger or should i set them up with new shims ? I am replacing all the bearings with new ones , Thanks in advance .
 
  • Sponsors (?)


If you are removing the ring gear from the Ranger differential and putting it on the Mustang differential then I recommend you set it up properly. You can reuse shims but may need to also purchase additional shims to the measurements correct.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
A shim kit you will surely need. The ranger differential case is not your case so it will need to be re set up (shimmed correctly) in yours
And a carrier too most likely. Most of the time you cannot make that big of a gear change without a new carrier
You should be able to use the ranger carrier in your mustang IMHO
 
Also, you say you are using new bearings. A new crush sleeve for the pinion gear is needed too. They sell gear swap kits that include bearings, shims and crush sleeve. That’s probably the best way to go.
 
…and on the 8.8 Ford differential, I believe all ratios are interchangeable on the diff cases so the 4.10 ranger gears should work on the mustang carrier.

I could be wrong but if anyone can confirm either way I would appreciate it.
 
Also, you say you are using new bearings. A new crush sleeve for the pinion gear is needed too. They sell gear swap kits that include bearings, shims and crush sleeve. That’s probably the best way to go.
Thanks for the input , I have a install kit with all the parts , just never done a swap with used gears before and wasnt sure where they had been previously set up with the shims from the donor (ranger).I know it will be little time consuming but will check with the shims that were in the Ranger and readjust things as needed. Thanks agian for the help
 
…and on the 8.8 Ford differential, I believe all ratios are interchangeable on the diff cases so the 4.10 ranger gears should work on the mustang carrier.

I could be wrong but if anyone can confirm either way I would appreciate it.
I have the diff out of the ranger but its 31 spline and a torsen type lsd instead of trac loc . I have put 410 in a mustang carrier before without any problems , except 1 time I ran into a set that I needed different cross pin that had a flat spot to clear the ring gear when installing.
 
The carriers come in two different sizes depending on the ratio
The 276 ratio you have has a real big pinion and a thin ring gear
the 410 you are installing has a small pinion and a thick ring gear
That is where the different case comes in (it has the ring gear flange moved away from the pinion) about an inch on the bigger (410) gears
I believe that is correct and not backasswards
 
Of the dozens and dozens of 8.8 gear swaps I have done, I have never ran into the carrier being different for different gears. The thinner the ring gear, the fatter the pinion and vice versa.
For the OP, no matter how "correct" you set up the used 4.10's, they are going to make noise. It is almost impossible to get the same backlash, preload and pattern that the 4.10's had in a different housing.
 
Of the dozens and dozens of 8.8 gear swaps I have done, I have never ran into the carrier being different for different gears. The thinner the ring gear, the fatter the pinion and vice versa.
For the OP, no matter how "correct" you set up the used 4.10's, they are going to make noise. It is almost impossible to get the same backlash, preload and pattern that the 4.10's had in a different housing.
Thanks for reply, guess that was what I was getting at when I asked about reusing the original shims from other rear was about the established pattern on the gears , hopefully they wont be to noisy
 
All you need is the pinion depth gauge to set them up correctly so they will not howl
You get the depth set correct first then set the backlash and they will not howl
Unless they are crappy Yukon gears et al. that have a disclaimer for noise
The above post must not have done a very much different gear change (all those times) to require the different case
That's the only reason they make 2 cases for an 88 et al.
 
pinion.jpg
0.jpg
 
That's the only reason they make 2 cases for an 88 et al.
I agree that some gear swaps in other vehicles have higher and lower series diff cases. However, I just confirmed with a local long time Ford guy that all 8.8 cases have the same dimensions. He did say that if you have a posi and you go above 4.30, you need an off set pinion shaft to make clearance for the pinion gear. But the cases are all the same.
 
All you need is the pinion depth gauge to set them up correctly so they will not howl
You get the depth set correct first then set the backlash and they will not howl
Unless they are crappy Yukon gears et al. that have a disclaimer for noise
The above post must not have done a very much different gear change (all those times) to require the different case
That's the only reason they make 2 cases for an 88 et al.
That rotunda set is expensive. Just hog out the old pinion bearings to use for setup and use marking compound. On final assembly be advised the crush sleeve takes around 400 ft pounds to crush. You'll also need an inch pound torque wrench. Not a super hard job but without the rotunda tool it's time consuming.