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, Use Ford 8.8 rear end housing in 1923 frame

mikeAZ

New Member
Just getting started (?) on a build.at age 77...... Ford 8.8 Fox body rear ends are plentiful.... Anyone use a particular year in their build/frame?
 
I've posted in 2 diffent sections of this site as I don't if "frames / chassis" is more correct? or "suspentions... From what I find,... Almost all manufacjres use a pinion off set to give added foot room to the driver's side of the vehicle.... We will see ????..... Thanks, Mike
 
All will depend on how high up you mount engine--high/low-- and transmission in the frame. I can roll a softball --about 4"--under mine and nothing hits. Goes over most speed bumps and not hit oil pan/dust cover. But you have to remember the scrub line is most important in your build. Safety first.
 
The pinions are offset, 1. because the pinion is running on the side of the ring gear, and 2. so the Manufacturers don't have to make 2 different length axles. I know they do on some rear ends but it's not at all common. The offset is usually in the region of 1-1/4", 1-1/2". I would have thought the offset would have been the least of your problems on a T Bucket.
Regards,
 
All rear ends except quick changes are offset right? Are the 8.8’s more than others? Is the chunk centered making the pinion more offset?
 
Dunno about all readers but my 8" Ford out of a 79 Merc monarch is dead nuts centered .....the reason many are offset is because the WHOLE drive line is offset , engine , trans , driveshaft, diff. So that the driver has more room , maybe for the steering box , etc , it's a " make space " move ...
 
The pinions are offset, 1. because the pinion is running on the side of the ring gear, and 2. so the Manufacturers don't have to make 2 different length axles. I know they do on some rear ends but it's not at all common. The offset is usually in the region of 1-1/4", 1-1/2". I would have thought the offset would have been the least of your problems on a T Bucket.
Regards,


Wasn't but a couple weeks back or so that someone posted a pic of the offset issue his 8.8 created in a 23, where the battery box drop down below the floor was in the way of the driveline.

The 27 is wider and longer so the issue may not affect the 27 like it does a 23 with a battery box that drops thru the floor, but the 8.8's offset can indeed be an issue.

If you're determined to use the 8.8, . . . you'll need to have the battery/box out of the way
 
Dunno about all readers but my 8" Ford out of a 79 Merc monarch is dead nuts centered .....the reason many are offset is because the WHOLE drive line is offset , engine , trans , driveshaft, diff. So that the driver has more room , maybe for the steering box , etc , it's a " make space " move ...

Only car I've ever heard of that offset the engine were '660s Novas from the factory. Had nothing to do with transmission hump or more foot space for driver.

If I'm wrong, show me an example.
 
From what I remember and what I can find , many 60 -70' s mopars with RWD and steering boxes were offset to accommodate the steering and add flotation , Toyota Land cruiser has an offset drive line , I'm sure there's more , Studebaker maybe ??
 
Just getting started (?) on a build.at age 77...... Ford 8.8 Fox body rear ends are plentiful.... Anyone use a particular year in their build/frame?

I used the 7.5 rear axle from a 94 Ford Ranger in my 23 T with no problems, the pinion is offset but not so much as to cause an alignment problem even with the short driveshaft, no vibration up to 70 MPH which is as fast as I have had it. I believe the 8.8 is the same size but with heavier gears and axles. The 8.8 is used in the same Ranger pickups.
 
I just picked up an 8.8 with 4:11 posi and disc brakes out of an '96 Explorer for $400. A common mod with the offroad crowd is to shorten the drivers side to accept the shorter passenger side axle (on both sides). This is still going to leave the pinion 1-1/4" offset to the passenger side, which is too much for the 15" driveshaft in my opinion. My fab guy says "it's fine", but I'm leaning towards centering the pinion and having a custom axle made for the drivers side. Any opinions or experience on this?
 
I've done an '01 Mustang 8.8 to an '86 Camaro, and I've done the Explorer 8.8 to an '86 S-10. The Explorer housing is at least 50# heavier, and for what? Guys push stock-housing, un-trussed Mustang housings into the 9s at the dragstrip in 3000# cars, way heavier than any t bucket. The Explorer outer bearings, and therefore the shafts also, are also larger and heavier than necessary. You don't need the Explorer housing to run 31-spline shafts of you need 31s, Mustang guys order 31s, 33s, and even 35s all the time, tho many do run 9s on stock 28s.
I suggest you sell yours and get something lighter, like the Ranger version. The 4.10 gears are excessive for anything but a T56 with the 0.50:1 sixth, anyway.
I managed Rome Driveshaft in Georgia for a year, that 1.25"/15" is fine for cruising, not for racing.
 
When I installed my engine I offset it about 1/2 inch to the right and moved the end of the tranny another 1/2 in, this helped reduce the angle to the diff and it is not noticeable when looking at it.
 
A pic of the installation.
 
The stock fox body Mustangs (74-92+) used 28 spline 4-bolt axle shafts, 29-3/16 long. Because of the way that differentials are set up, equal length shafts offset the pinion. The 1993-2001 Explorers used 31 spline shafts of different lengths which offset the pinion 2 inches to right. The common method of using two right side axles moves the pinion 2-7/8 inches to the left, leaving the pinion 7/8 inches to the left. Another alternative is to use an aftermarket 5-bolt, 31 spline replacement shaft, meant for the Fox Body Mustangs. That moves the pinion 1-1/2 inches, leaving it 1/2 inch offset to the right.
 
The above references the '86-'98 Mustang housing and the '86-'93 Mustang shafts.
The '92 Ranger 4.0 had the narrowest, lightest-weight 8.8 housing of all. It's rare but not weak.
 

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