Yet another Explorer 8.8 thread...

Alright, as I periodically do, it's time once again for me to obsess about rear ends.

This time I've been researching all sorts of things, even dating outside the family. (in spite of being a Southern boy) I've looked at Jeep stuff, Chrysler, GM. There are a few viable candidates, but I still keep coming back to that Explorer idea. Disc brakes, great gears and limited slip all in one ~$100 package from the junkyard is just too good not to give it a try.

I have read everything on the mmb about this swap, at least I think I have, and it's encouraging, but I do not believe there is any well-documented thread on an actual installation. There's lots of talk about it, lots of speculation, even a couple of people who say they did it, but they don't don't get into details, so that's what I aim to do. If I do the swap, there will be a tech article and it will have everything. The data is out there, but I want to compile it and I want to take pictures.

Here's what I know...

Maverick 8" rear end is 56 1/4" flange to flange.
Explorer 8.8 is 59 3/8" - This in itself is not a problem if you run wheels with enough backspacing, and I already do. The width is perfect for me because I can do away with the wheel adapters.

Maverick spring perches are 42 3/4" center to center
Explorer perches are 39 1/8" - Obviously that's not going to work. But Summit sells spring perches nice and cheap, so I'm an angle grinder, a welder and a jig away from fixing that.

Explorer axle tubes are bigger. So I need bigger U-bolts. No problem. Junkyard or Summit.

'95-'01 Explorers have disc brakes, often have posi, usually have good gear ratios, and have 5x4.5" bolt pattern. Perfect. They even have a sway bar, which I just might find a way to use. (comments?)

Here's where I'm uncertain...

I know the chunk is offset a little bit. I don't think that's a show stopper though. It's just a couple of inches right? So a little pounding on the driveshaft tunnel should be worst case scenario. Or am I wrong? (Please don't answer if you don't know)

Although the U-joints are a different size, I think I read somewhere that you can get a conversion joint. One with two different sizes, that allows you to mate the stock driveshaft to the 8.8. Can anyone confirm? How about a part number or application to look up?

Rumor has it that the pinion snout is a little longer than the 8. Enough that I need to shorten the driveshaft? Or will the offset take care of it? How about a Fox body driveshaft? I have a C4, if it matters.

And finally...

Has anyone here actually done this successfully? I know of at least two or three who started it, one got pretty far, but has anyone finished the job and actually driven the car?

Edit: By the way, I already know this is a total waste of time because I can buy a 9" or build up my 8" for only $950,000.50 plus shipping, so let's go ahead and get that out of the way... I'm not just trying to cut corners and be cheap, I'm genuinely interested in making this specific rearend fit a Maverick and doing a writeup about it.

Thanks!

 

I'm going to be doing that swap. I'm going to shorten the long side to the same length as the long side and order a new axle from the parts store. I've already arranged to borrow a jig. That will center the chunk and give a rear end about 1" shorter than the Maverick 8". In fact, I've got two Explorer rears that I'm going do that too.

 

Cool. I'm hoping to avoid shortening it since I have so much backspacing on my wheels. But I would sure be interested in the other mods you're making to the rearend. For instance, have you decided what spring perches to buy? Have you figured out what (if anything) you're doing about a driveshaft?

 

I'm going to make standard spring perches work. Since, I'm going to be using an AOD in front of that rear, I going to have a drive shaft from 'Stang modified to work. I will mock up the springs and everything to verify clearnaces, etc., before I install it all in the car.

 

I just did did this swap, I did not shorten the rear, wanted to increase my track anyway, not bad, tires are still under the quarters with mag 500s. the d/s is biased to the pass side, have not noticed any drivablity problems other than the yoke did may contact with the tunnel over a large bump, I need to get a little more spring in the back, and clearance the tunnel. I did have to get a custom driveshaft made up as well, maybe If I can be inticed I will do a write up

 

Ah, very cool. I knew somebody must have already done it!

Do you have any pics? What type of spring perches did you use? How about about that driveshaft... Was length the problem, or the u-joint? Any other problems not mentioned here that you had to address?

Thanks!

 

So Shaun, I notice from a search that you have a T5? Isn't the T5 just a bit longer than the C4? Is that why you had to mod your driveshaft?

 

why not just use the fox 8.8 it is the same size but it is centered get two axles from the explorer plus the center section and gears that's what I'm doing

thanks brad

 

the explorer axles are to long for the fox 8.8. the disk brakes dont bolt on to the mustang ends. he wants the wider size of the explorer housing.

go a head and get the leaf sping pads from summit. you want the ones for 2.5 leaf and 3 inch tubes. warning when welding on axle tube you warp the tube and the axles no longer will engage the posi strieght and this will cause the track lock to wear out really fast. a chassie shop should be able to streighten the housing after you weld on it. there are yokes for the 8.8 instead of the flange that comes on the explorer that can be swaped. they were used on the early 80s f-150s. or you can use the flange type and have the drive shaft made with the matching flange. the flange method will require a shorter drive shaft that using a yoke. i dont know if the stock mav drive shaft will be right for either way.

 

Would a Fox with an 8.8 and C4/AOD have the correct ends on the driveshaft? Didn't I read somewhere that the Fox driveshaft is about the same length as ours, if not just a bit shorter?

 

explorer 8.8= 31 spline lockers, plus pretty decent variety of gear sets from the factory, disc brake rear

as for the shaft, the stock stang shaft was about 3" too long, and I was going to have it shortened, but upon inspection the guy at the shop said I might as well have a new one built, there were too many issues with the old shaft, junkyard parts.

Spring perches were 8.8 perches that I got from OK4WD, a local 4x4 shop, I think they are the same as 9" and D44s. I built a jig to hold the axle true while setting the preches.

The brake lines are custom from OK4WD, actually a jeep part for swapping in the 8.8s.
I did not take pictures of the install, I just never think about it.
I still have to work out the parking brakes though, but no complaints about any of the swap

 

the sway bar mounts interfer with the shocks, I cut them off, the springs are different widths so, you can't use the explorer spring plates, they don't sit nice on the Maverick springs, and you can't use the maverick plates because the axle tube is a lot bigger in diameter, I had my neighbor make plates up for the explorer axle/u-bolts, and adapted the maverick plates onto the custom 8.8 plates, takes some time if you don't have all the tools for this, I found that out.

If I think of any other hiccups I hit, I'll post them, glad to answer any questions you may have
Shaun

 

Good info. I wonder if the Explorer spring plates could be welded to the Maverick ones, ya think?

Edit: Just took a look. No, I don't think that's happening... Not unless they were cut down severely and then I might as well make a plate like you did.

 

I can get some pics of them for you, not pretty, but they work

 

let's see some pics... this thread has my attention