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Ford 8.8 rear axle

1K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  thewoodscrew 
#1 ·
How hard is it to swap a Ford 8.8 from an Explorer into a YJ? I found a kit from M.O.R.E. that has all the mounts and stuff, so how difficult is this honestly? Is it worth the effort? My brother's 30 is gettin ready to let go, so we're lookin at options now. Thanks
 
#4 ·
95 and up exploders came with disc brakes so you can run 4 wheel discs if you snag one up. The ones with 15 inch rims usually came with 4.10s but you cant really tell until you get under there and look, or if you look at the door codes. If you have at least 3 inches of lift, you dont need to relocate the spring perches, but you can put on new shock mounts if you want to. I have a list of info, including door and axle codes, measurements for almost every part of the 8.8, on this page.
 
#5 ·
I have heard that if you have 3 inch lift springs you can bolt the axle right up. I weled new pearches on my 8.8 it was really easy. I went with an 94 axle so i don;t have disc brakes but talk about easy to hook up. I took the brake lines off my yj d 35 axle mounted them on the 8.8 axle they bolt right up. used the 8.8 emergancy brake cabled they almost bolted right up I just had to exstend the bolt that ajusts the tighness of the brake calbes. and it works perfect. I have read on here that people with 3 inch lift springs have bolted the axles right up perches are close enough to perfect that they will then they just put new shoch mounts on the axle. Its a very easy swap.
 
#6 ·
will the ford 8.8 hold up with 37-44" tires?? I have 3" leafs and 2" shackles. I'm going SOA, cutting shackles to 1.5", and add a 1.5-2" BL. I'm hoping to clear 40-44" tires. Also what gears should I go with?
 
#7 ·
bonehead99 said:
will the ford 8.8 hold up with 37-44" tires?? I have 3" leafs and 2" shackles. I'm going SOA, cutting shackles to 1.5", and add a 1.5-2" BL. I'm hoping to clear 40-44" tires. Also what gears should I go with?
37's yes, anything bigger and I would go with a D60, 14bolt, etc.

I guess you could make it work with tires bigger than 37's but that would depend on you're wheelin style.
 
#8 ·
it would hold up fine depending on how you wheel. I have a freind running 38s with the stock dana 35 axle and he did a v8 convertion same as i did and hasn't broken an axle yet. Broke out the ring grear and spiders. but once he switched to a locker in the rear stopped brakeing stuff other then the occational u joint. He wheels in mud mostly though. and he dosen;t go easy on it. So it just deppends on how heavy your foot is and the conditions where you wheel if its going to hold up to 37-44 tires.
 
#9 ·
i used the m.o.r.e. kit, i'm happy with it except i needed to take a grinder to the shock mounts but it wasn't that bad.
try and get the driveshaft adapter along with the axle, it fits like a glove.
 
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