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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Where can I find a ford 8.8 rear end?

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March 1, 2009 8:20 p.m. cxhb New Reader

I have been finding it difficult to deal with a welded rear end on my old corolla. Sure it was fun when its wet or snowy out but thats pretty much it. Finding an LSD rear end for my corolla also seems to be an adventure and you generally can only find ones that have a really high price tag and usually need rebuilt. So i was exploring my options and i think im willing to try and narrow a rear end. my fist thought is i want to find a rear end that seems readily available with a lot of aftermarket support. this is why im thinking a ford 8.8 is a good option. i know they came in ( i think ?) most v8 mustangs. but what i want to know is...

-what other vehicles did 8.8's come in? Are there any major differences with the 8.8's between the vehicles they come in? And also; how can i tell them apart from other rear ends?

thanks in advance
March 1, 2009 8:35 p.m. P71 Dork

87-88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe had the only 4-lug, rear-disc 8.8 and it was either a 3.55 (5-Speed) or 3.73 (Auto) with LSD. Brake parts no longer exist and cost a fortune.

87-93 Mustang GT/LX (factory 5.0 V8) had 4-lug, drum-brake 8.8 with either a 2.73 or a 3.08 and most were open rears. IIRC a 3.27 is the best you'll find.

94-04 Mustang GT (5.0 then 4.6 V8) got 5-lug, disc-brake, LSD 8.8 usually with a 3.27.

Ranger and Explorer had funky 8.8 with one axle longer than the other.
March 1, 2009 8:38 p.m. ReverendDexter Reader

P71 wrote: 87-93 Mustang GT/LX (factory 5.0 V8) had 4-lug, drum-brake 8.8 with either a 2.73 or a 3.08 and most were open rears. IIRC a 3.27 is the best you'll find.

All V8 Mustang rears were LSD. 2.73 was the stock gearset, with 3.08s as an option. 3.27s were an option in automatic cars only.
March 1, 2009 8:43 p.m. bamalama Reader

Get the Ranger or Explorer rear if you're just going to cut it up anyway.
March 1, 2009 8:53 p.m. Gary_C New Reader

8.8" rears came in

Lincoln Aviator's 03 - 05
Bronco 's 87 - 96
Mercury Capri '86 - '86
Merc Cougar '88 - '96
Ford Crown Vic '92 - '06
Ford E150: '83 - '06(?)
Ford E250: '83 - '98
Ford Expedition 97 - '03
Ford Explorer: '90 - '03(95- up disc equipped)
F150 '83 - '06
Lincoln Mark V '80 - '83
Ford Mustang '86 - '05
Lincoln Navigator '98 - '06
Ford Ranger '90 - '05, 4.0L trucks. Otherwise they are a 7.5" IIRC
Ford Tbird: '87 - '95
Town Car '81 - '05

As far as differences. There are a TON of variables - width, spring mount pads, backing plates, 28 or 31 spline axles, etc.

Obviously you'll have to do some research as not every one listed above had an 8.8" rear stock - some only came with certain engine combos, some came with a certain cab combination, etc. but that should get you started.

Easy quick down and dirty Ford 8.8" ID is it has a 10 bolt inspection cover, whereas a 9" has a removable center section. The 7.5" is a puny little thing and easily told at first glance from an 8.8" based on the shape & size of the inspection cover - also with the cover pulled. A Ford 10.25" is well.. huge. Think GM 14 bolt style.

edit: The one thing to watch for is the old WER rear ends. They came in 77-81 Granadas and a few other vehicles. They have tapered axle tubes that neck down ~6-8" from the backing plates. Their width is something like 57 or 58" from plate to plate. The bad part is they have an 8.5" ring gear but none of the internals swap over from an 8.8" save for the wheel bearings. If you find one.. save your cash and keep looking.
March 1, 2009 8:54 p.m. Trans_Maro Reader

V8 and V6 Mustang

F-150

Exploder

Bronco II (Maybe, I can't be sure)

Have you seen this Corolla site?: http://www.bigflea.com/corolla/index.cfm?ContentID=109&Nav2ID=7

I linked to the badass hilux/supra diff that he built for his Trueno. If you go this route, deep gears, lsd's and lockers are available much cheaper for the truck than for the corolla.

Good luck

Shawn
March 1, 2009 9:02 p.m. cxhb New Reader

wow. finding one shouldnt be bad lol. thanks guys. im thinking a v8 mustang may be my best bet, because i want something with clutch type lsd. did the f150-explorer examples have lsd?
March 1, 2009 9:08 p.m. Trans_Maro Reader

According to my owners manual (1996 F-150) It was available with LSD and now that I think about it, a local 4-wheeler I know has an 8.8 LSD in his rig.

My truck is open with 3:9 gears.

The axle is plenty strong for it's size. I was a bit skeptical when I bought the truck because it didn't have a 9" but I have a 1500lb truck camper which it hauls with no trouble and my car trailer never caused problems either.

I've been told that the truck axle has larger axle bearings than the car but I've never confirmed it.

Shawn
March 1, 2009 10:56 p.m. P71 Dork

Come to think of it, an 8.8 is a little hefty for a Corolla. There's drag racers throwing down 300HP through 7.5's no problem. All 83-86 Turbo Coupes have a 3.47 LSD (clutch type) 7.5 with 4-lug drums and those rears are DIRT cheap! Might want to think about it...
March 1, 2009 11:13 p.m. ReverendDexter Reader

Another one to look into would be the Mk I Supra rear. If you can find one, they wouldn't be much more than the 8.8", and they'd have the HUGE advantage of being bolt in AND the same bolt pattern.
March 2, 2009 10:32 a.m. cxhb New Reader

yeah the 8.8 is hefty, and a supra mk1 rear could bolt in but finding rebuild parts for a mk1 supra rear wouldnt be fun and i would probably pay premium even with my toyota discount. another reason i like the idea of an 8.8 (since it is hefty) is that one day i would like to put a nissan sr20det into it. i know i know an sr nissan engine in a toyota is sacreligious but the 4ac is getting old, 4ag engines/parts are also scarce so im trying to work around the constraints
March 2, 2009 10:42 a.m. 93celicaGT2 HalfDork

cxhb wrote:

yeah the 8.8 is hefty, and a supra mk1 rear could bolt in but finding rebuild parts for a mk1 supra rear wouldnt be fun and i would probably pay premium even with my toyota discount. another reason i like the idea of an 8.8 (since it is hefty) is that one day i would like to put a nissan sr20det into it. i know i know an sr nissan engine in a toyota is sacreligious but the 4ac is getting old, 4ag engines/parts are also scarce so im trying to work around the constraints

Thought about a 3tc swap? They LOVE turbos.... Parts are cheap, relatively easy to find, and it's a fairly common swap for guys with 4ages to ditch them for 3tc.
March 2, 2009 11:06 a.m. cxhb New Reader

a 3tc has been brought up but around here they are hard to find. the sr seems like a better option due to abundance and massive aftermarket support. not to say the 3tc doesnt have support, because i know thats definitely not true.
March 2, 2009 11:22 a.m. oldopelguy HalfDork

I think you want to use a 2WD toyota truck rear end and go aftermarket on the locker. Size is right, parts are cheap, and with the removable center section allows for easy swaps later if need be.
March 2, 2009 3:29 p.m. tnturbo New Reader

For ease of use and cheaper narrowing, 8.8 is cast, I would go older and find a Ford 8" rear. basically just smaller 9" it will be lighter than the 8.8 and they are well proven with 350hp. You can get whatever type of limited slip, locker or spool you want, lots of gear options too. As an added bonus it is easy to do gear swaps too if you have an extra center section on hand.

Working with a steel housing is much much easier than cast.
March 2, 2009 4:16 p.m. patgizz Dork

tnturbo wrote:

For ease of use and cheaper narrowing, 8.8 is cast, I would go older and find a Ford 8" rear. basically just smaller 9" it will be lighter than the 8.8 and they are well proven with 350hp. You can get whatever type of limited slip, locker or spool you want, lots of gear options too. As an added bonus it is easy to do gear swaps too if you have an extra center section on hand.

Working with a steel housing is much much easier than cast.

the centersection housing material has nothing to do with narrowing though because the work is all done out at the end of the steel tube. cut it off, weld on new bearing ends, get new axles or have the originals cut/resplined, done.
March 2, 2009 5:21 p.m. JFX001 HalfDork

I was thinking of a KA DE swap in a 1200 sedan, and I was talking with a engine/cam builder in CA about it last week. He said that an 8" or 8.8 saps too much power. I'm not sure which way that I am going to go, possibly use a complete donor 240 sx for the drivetrain and sell the rest.

On the 1200 club wiki pages, they use several rears, and there are some H series subaru units that might fit the bill.I believe that they are H165, H185 etc. the larger the number, the higher the rating.
March 2, 2009 8:23 p.m. MikeSVO New Reader

I'd narrow a 8.8 before I messed with another 8". The 8" parts were stupid expensive. I've heard you can put an 8.8" center in one though (not like a 'bolt in', but you can get it to work, like a GM diff in a Merker).
March 2, 2009 8:57 p.m. cxhb New Reader

what did 8" come in?
March 2, 2009 10:09 p.m. Trans_Maro Reader

Older mid-size Ford cars.

Maverick is the first thing that comes to mind.

They look like a 9" but the housing and 3rd memeber are a bit different.

Shawn
March 2, 2009 10:35 p.m. cxhb New Reader

probably wont be easy to find... im a little interested in the 2wd toyota pickup idea.
March 3, 2009 5:23 p.m. bamalama Reader

cxhb wrote:

what did 8" come in?

I've seen them under V6 Pintos and Mustang II's.
March 3, 2009 8:12 p.m. Hal HalfDork

I had a 90 Explorer Sport (the 2 door version). It came with an 8.8 with LSD and 3.73 gears.
March 3, 2009 9:34 p.m. jamscal HalfDork

The 8.8 is a popular swap into Jeeps.

The Jeep's Dana 35 is considered weak for wheeling, but is probably plenty beefy for your app.

They are cheap, plentiful, and have rear discs available (Grand Cherokee).

They are also well supported in the aftermarket. Axles, LSD's, etc.

The bolt pattern is the same as the Ford, too (Which may be of no interest to you).
March 4, 2009 2:51 p.m. randyvr6 New Reader

Someone posted earlier about the 87-95 Thunderbird having a 8.8". Just remember that the 89-95 TBird has the 8.8" but also has IRS.

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