Every since I put a paxton on my 347 I have been having severe traction issues. I am very temped to put a good set of street slicks on but I`m sure that will be the death of my 8 inch. I see gm guys running slicks with thier little 10 bolts without any problems but they have a diff cover with a bearing girdle. Do you think it would be a good idea to make something like that for my 8" ? How muck hp will the stock axles handle do they make stronger ones ? I know the obvious answer is to go with a 9 inch but they are not growing on trees around here and I already have money in my 8 inch with the gears and posi . Thanks, Elliot.
Having broken up a couple 8” rears in my time, if you have any amount of HP I recommend at least swapping out the old 28 spline axles with a fresh set of aftermarket axles. I snapped an old 65 Mustang 8" axle off at the hub shifting into high gear. When the wheel and brake drum came off and went through the woods it is amassing that you have no control over where the car goes and you have no brakes. I missed the telephone pole by 6’ and ended up in a farmer’s field. The largest axle you can put in an 8” rear is a 28 spline axle due to the diameter of the carrier where the axle engages. The other week point is the pinion gear which has a small diameter shaft and they have a habit of shedding the pinion gear teeth. I was running a 4.11 Richmond gear with a mini spool. I suspect the mini spool had as much to do with the gear failure as anything else along with the car was running 11.50 at the drag strip.
The more money you put into an 8" the more you will lose when it breaks. Cut your losses now and save up for a 9".
Most of the busted ones I've seen ripped the pinion gear out of the carrier... Guess there are some cases that are better than others...
a 8" can be up graded in several ways. you can put 31 spline axles in to them. several company's make limited slips for that. you can use the same 31 spline axles in the 8" and small axle bearing 9". their used to be a billet cap that you could fit on to the 8". it required some fitting to correctly get the threads lined up and the correct clamping force on the bearing race. their is also a aluminum third member available that is stronger than the stock one is. by the time you spend money to make your 8" stronger, and only maybe stong enough for your car, you will have spent more than doing a 9".
Personally I am with Russ, I'd look at the 8.8 rearend. There are a lot of FoxBody cars with serious HP that are running this rearend.............IMHO
Bryant has hit the nail on the head! I understand you have some money in your 8" already but cut your losses now and upgrade.
when i went to the rear end shop to discuss building me a heavy duty rear end he gave me two options 1. 9" full spool 31 spline axles and big bearings OR an 8.8 from a 95 or newer mustang or a 95 or newer expedition or explorer. the explorer rear end would be upgraded with a full spool and gears in the high 300 to mid 400 range. I went with the 8.8 expedition rear end because it cost the same to upgrade and it already came with disc brakes
also you can sell your 8". the maverick 8" is highly sought after in the classic hot rod world because its the narrowest one out there. you should be able to sell it for some decent money with the gears and lsd already in it. ive see ones like yours sell for $700-$1000
