Explorer 8.8 Rear in a Comet

[lavron]

I know several guys (people) here have Ford Explorer 8.8 Rears installed are planning on it so I thought I would start a thread.

First I wanted to, probably repeat, some of the pros and cons of using the 8.8, add any I might have missed. Certainly the ones who have done the installation will have more insight than me

Everyone knows I was going to redo my current 8" to add 5 bolt axles and disc brakes and then I went ahead and got the 8.8, the reason for that is I needed to switch the rear bearing housings and get new axles or have the V8 axles I have shortened to fit the Maverick 8" 6 cylinder rear I currently have in my car, I have some sort of rear disc conversion stuff I bought a long time ago that use Lincoln rotors and Seville calipers, however the costs were getting on up there just to do the conversion and currently it is a 4.11 geared rear that is really too low. I went to the local junk yard and they had a ton of Explorer 8.8, 3.75, track lock, disc brake rears for $75 (plus $25 core charge and I paid them $20 to remove it and $5 for a second short axle, $125 total) I think I picked the rustiest one of them because I love a challenge.



So much for that, on with this;

PROS: Cost, even at $125, they are cheap for what you get, disc brakes, posi., lower gears (higher in my case) parts are available, really, they are a strong axle, easy to narrow.

CONS: They are heavy (125 pounds, I have been picking mine up, moving it to the front of the shed and sitting it on saw horses, I have removed the axles and brakes and of course I am a manly man) they have c clip axles, as far as rear axles go they are not very pretty, too long to fit in all the '65 and earlier cars, the pumpkin is offset to the right.

These are the things I can think of right now, I will post my procedure for narrowing a 8.8 when I finish with mine.

See Ya,
Mike

[popscomet]

MIKE....DID YOU PICK THE most rusted one because you like a challenge or were hopeing they might knock a few dollars off for the shape it was in ?? and your right it takes quite a man to chain it up and pump that hyd ram.......I want to be just like you when I grow up OL POP is on a roll tonight,HUH????......all kidding and picking laid to the side,,you are posting some mighty good INFO and with PIC's might I add...thanks POP

[lavron]

MIKE....DID YOU PICK THE most rusted one because you like a challenge or were hopeing they might knock a few dollars off for the shape it was in ??

Well actually neither, it was really hard to tell which ones were not rusty none of the vehicles have wheels and tires in that yard so all are sitting on the ground, I picked one that didn't have blackberry briars growing around it, figured it had not been there that long (the grass was still half mowed there) so I may not have made the best choice but I made a choice it is almost rust free now

and your right it takes quite a man to chain it up and pump that hyd ram

I only did that taking it out of the truck, since the brakes and axles have been out I have been toting it like a brute, might be why my back has been sore lately not sure how much weight those take off but I can tell you it is still heavy as soon as I get the axle housing shortened I will reassemble it and bolt some tires on it so I can roll it around

you are posting some mighty good INFO and with PIC's might I add

Thanks Pops it means a lot and hopefully I can get better at taking pictures and explaining things...and you know I don't mind the ribbing

See Ya,
Mike

[popscomet]

WELL SO FAR YOUR PIC'S AND NARRATING HAS BEEN SPOT ON to me.....thanks again......pop

[Lip Ripper]

When you chop the left side off by the 3.5 inches, the pumpkin is then centered. They are heavy duty, that is for sure. Of course they are already disc but I feel that rear drum brakes are underrated just like breaker point ignition is. I forget what I swapped but on my 8" in my comet I was able to bolt up larger drum's from a nine inch by just changing the backing plate and drum's. Dylan, Meadow's, your grandpa showed me the way.

Stacey

[lavron]

chop the left side off by the 3.5 inches

It is 2 7/8" - 2 15/16" if you want to use a passenger axle on the drivers side, mine figures the 2 7/8"

See Ya,
Mike

[redhotcomet]

Ask away if you have any questions!

Something thats recommended is to weld the axle tubes to the housing so they resist twisting better than the factory plug welds. To do this properly requires welding steel to cast iron, which seems like everyone has an different opinion on how to do it. I just used a stick welder (7014 stick I think). They're not super critical welds, even a poor weld will help to prevent them twisting. With relatively lower power (such as my SBF or your six) I'm sure its not necessary, but now is a great time to do it!

[lavron]

Something thats recommended is to weld the axle tubes to the housing so they resist twisting better than the factory plug welds. To do this properly requires welding steel to cast iron, which seems like everyone has an different opinion on how to do it. I just used a stick welder (7014 stick I think). They're not super critical welds, even a poor weld will help to prevent them twisting. With relatively lower power (such as my SBF or your six) I'm sure its not necessary, but now is a great time to do it!

I may or may not, it depends I agree I don't think I would ever spin them, but you are right one should do it while building, I may try and talk my neighbor into doing the final welding on my tubes because I am not sure my welder will handle it. I think I will be ok welding the brackets on but really want to make sure the cut in the tube is strong.

See Ya,
Mike

[Lip Ripper]

Hmm, my info was third hand. It came in the car and he said his friend chopped the 3 1/2 inches. I did a google search and found this to be 3.125 inches. I am curious to hear first hand knowledge.

Common Dimensions and Weight


Ring Gear Diameter - 8.8 inches
Axle Tube Outside Diameter - 3.25 inches
Axle Tube Wall Thickness - 0.25 inches OR 0.188 inches
Axle Diameter - 1.320 inches
Axle Spline Count - 31 splines
Assembly Width - 59.625 inches
Assembly weight - 175 pounds (approximate)



Assembly Width After Narrowing

56.50 Inches**

[lavron]

I am curious to hear first hand knowledge.

I will certainly share what I experience.

I am super nervous about actually doing the cut, I have decided to build a rig and use my chop saw making sure everything is straight and level, I will document that as well.

See Ya,
Mike

[redhotcomet]

I cut mine 2 & 15/16 inches. You need to cut out whatever the difference in axle length is between the short and long axle shafts. I presume there is a small amount of variance from the factory, I've seen various measurements between 2 & 7/8 inches and 3 inches, but I've never seen more than 3 inches. I used a 2-4" pipe cutter to cut my tubes, a good quality one (Rigid brand) - to ensure the cuts stayed square. Keep the cuts square and good chances you're housing will stay square. Measure thrice, cut once, kind of deal.

[lavron]

Before I go out and search for the answer how hard is it to change the front seal out on the 8.8?

See Ya,
Mike

[A/FX]

Has the discussion on narrowing a rear end housing touched on how to make sure it is straight after the axle flange(s) are welded back on?
If you have not done this before I suggest you do some research on the correct procedure. If the flange is not exactly in line with the center section or the other flange you will go through axle bearings faster than you can install them, and have the possibility of breaking an axle.
The correct procedure is to cut the flange off, have it chucked in a lathe and turn it down to remove the factory weld and create a tapered surface for rewelding to the axle tube. As for the axle tube, after the flange is cut off you can remove the desired amount of tube and make sure the remaining tube is straight and has a taper like the flange. A cut off saw does not cut straight, it will wander no matter how careful you are.
To weld the housing correctly you must use an arbor through the housing from one end to the other. This may be difficult because the arbor needs to be within a few thousands of an inch over its length, and have ends that seat themselves in the bearing bores. You then tack weld the flange around it's circumference making sure not to get it too hot. A tig welder is recommended because you need to have good penetration and localized heat. You should only weld the flange(s) on after all the brackets are installed on the housing, any welding on the axle tubes will warp them no matter what you do to try to prevent it.
An axle can be narrowed by other means but I guarantee you will have problems down the road, I have seen this happen many times.

[redhotcomet]

I agree with A/FX's comment about the chop saw. Maybe yours is better than mine, but I know mine does not cut straight which is why I used a good quality pipe cutter.

This is how I kept my flange square:



I tack welded it in 4 opposing spots and kept my finishing welds small, letting it cool off completely between welds. I would do a small weld then go and do something else for awhile. Same for my spring perches. I used a 110V flux core welder. I don't have a ton of miles on mine yet, but so far no issues.

Edit: You'll notice that I marked the tubes before I cut it so that I could line it up again before I welded it.

[lavron]

I used a 110V flux core welder.

There is hope for me then if I can get my setting correct on my welder

And thanks for the picture.

See Ya,
Mike