Jump to content
HybridZ

ford 8.8" solid axle swap


skirkland1980

Recommended Posts

I've started a 8.8"swap. Some may ne interested, others may hate me. Just documenting so others will know what's involved if they want to do a swap. First thing I did was go to the local junk yard and find a late 90s explorer. These are plentiful. So far I've seen 3.55, 3.73, and 4.11 ratios. The 4.11 appears to be the common ratio for 4x4s. Some also have clsd. All will have disk brakes. The explorer rear has a long axle tube on the right side and shorter tube on the left. You want to take out exactly 2.875" from the longer tube and use two right side axles. Here are some pics of what I've done so far. I will update as I go. First picture is the unshortened axle with brackets cut off. Second pic is after the first cut. Third pic is with the correct amount removed, beveled, tack welded, and axles in place.

post-8737-0-10214400-1479741873_thumb.jpg

post-8737-0-84059100-1479741899_thumb.jpg

post-8737-0-54822100-1479741916_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool. My buddy said he's coming tomorrow to do the welding then I'm going to remove the current rear from the car. Getting the rear end square in the chassis is going to be fun. Also I'm hoping that the new diff cover isn't going to hit the area where the old diff mount attaches. I have a solution just hoping I don't have to notch that crossmember.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

Finally making progress on this again. Fabbed my own crossmember instead of buying one. Cut out a section in the floor and welded it in. Welded brackets onto the rear axle. Made panhard bar brackets. This is a big job, wow. Everything is going smoothly though. Rear end seems to fit in the space provided there. Sorry this post is a little vague but I will answer any questions.

post-8737-0-59104600-1503419260_thumb.jpg

post-8737-0-88431800-1503419301_thumb.jpg

post-8737-0-01002100-1503419360_thumb.jpg

post-8737-0-24492300-1503419418_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...
  • 4 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...