Explorer 8.8 diff offset

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I put an Explorer 8.8 in my TJ about 3 years ago. Wise decision. Now I am building a 66" 8.8 for it. They are beefy, lots of aftermarket support and handle high horsepower abuse, not that the average TJ has that.
Check on the web, those dimensions are probably on there on some Ford performance site.
 
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I had a 8.8 I put into 66 mustang from an explorer. Axle tubes were unequal length- if that is what your after. in my case we shorten just the long side to match the short and worked in the Mustang. Local race shop that did this mentioned that people don’t realize it’s only .2 tenths smaller than a 9”. Sorry don’t have any record of what the ordinal lengths were.
 
Well I picked up a 8.8 from a 98 mustang that already had 4.56 gears, and a spartan locker in it. Got it for $200 and it's about ½" narrower that the Dana 35 and the diff Is centered on the axle. Which is better for me cause I mounted my air tank on the right side. I'm just wondering if a artec truss kit would work with some slight modifications or if I need to get a full loose bracket kit
 
I REALLY like the Barnes TJ truss kit, beefy and well thought out. I have installed one on an Explorer 8.8 and an 86 F150 8.8. Thy are keyed, go together like Legos almost. All brackets are pure beef, no need to add skids to the LCAs! The mustang 8.8 is I believe a 28 spline 8.8 and smaller axle tubes. That said, it is mot as strong as the Explorer and may need some creative fitting/grinding to get an explorer size truss to fit. The 8.8 axle is pretty beefy, probably don't need a truss, but IMO over kill the hell out of it and NEVER worry about it. They are known to spin the tubes so I would weld them in while your at it. Research how to weld them! IE pre-heat insulate for slow cool. I also post heat to normalize the heat then wrap it up and walk away till the next day. (One side at a time/day).
I have Barnes truss kits on both 8.8s and the HP Dana 44 going into the front. Along with their one ton high steer. I am so looking forward to getting it DONE finally.
If you choose to not use the Mustang 8.8, the gears will fit an Explorer 8.8. The locker has 28 spline "side gears" so that is a no go. My thought is if your going to go through the considerable effort to fit an 8.8 in a TJ, start with the strongest one available and disc brakes. Hell find a Mustang guy needing gears and a locker LOL
The explorer 8.8 is also about a 1/2 narrower than the Dana 35. Wheel spacers fix it.
 
Here are the measurements for placement of the brackets. As TH99TJ already said IMO you're better off with a Explorer 8.8 if that is the route you want to go. Three isn't much LOVE around here for them though. They were a OK option before the Super 35 kits & were better for YJ's & MJ's.

8.8 TJ mounts 2.jpg


And here are threads on them.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/everything-you-need-to-do-to-ford-8-8-swap-your-tj.44064/

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/ford-8-8-axle-swap.4416/

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/ford-8-8-axle-swap-info-faq.66/



And this should answer your question:

Pinion offset: P/S to C/L of Pinion, 27-3/4" (no rotor on axle), D/S to C/L of Pinion, 31-5/8" (no rotor on axle).
 
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Here are the measurements for placement of the brackets. As TH99TJ already said IMO you're better off with a Explorer 8.8 if that is the route you want to go. Three isn't much LOVE around here for them though. They were a OK option before the Super 35 kits & were better for YJ's & MJ's.

View attachment 393595

And here are threads on them.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/everything-you-need-to-do-to-ford-8-8-swap-your-tj.44064/

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/ford-8-8-axle-swap.4416/

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/ford-8-8-axle-swap-info-faq.66/



And this should answer your question:

Pinion offset: P/S to C/L of Pinion, 27-3/4" (no rotor on axle), D/S to C/L of Pinion, 31-5/8" (no rotor on axle).

I find it interesting to hear that, I did some research about three years ago when I did my 8.8 and the consensus I got was no matter how much you throw at a Dana 35, the 8.8 will always be stronger. IE If you put alloy axle shafts, a truss etc. in the 35, then it's only fair to put them in the 8.8 for fair comparison. The 8.8 wins. Now compare it to a Dana 44 and the race gets neck and neck. The Dana 44 is a great axle but they are generally 4-8+ times the cost for a TJ or JK Dana 44.
I guess im confused and curious as to why the 8.8 doesn't still have the love. Does it fall under the "brand" thing? IE Ford vs Chevy etc.
 
I find it interesting to hear that, I did some research about three years ago when I did my 8.8 and the consensus I got was no matter how much you throw at a Dana 35, the 8.8 will always be stronger. IE If you put alloy axle shafts, a truss etc. in the 35, then it's only fair to put them in the 8.8 for fair comparison. The 8.8 wins. Now compare it to a Dana 44 and the race gets neck and neck. The Dana 44 is a great axle but they are generally 4-8+ times the cost for a TJ or JK Dana 44.
I guess im confused and curious as to why the 8.8 doesn't still have the love. Does it fall under the "brand" thing? IE Ford vs Chevy etc.

I am a 8.8 FAN so don't get me wrong here. It has a larger pinion than a Dana 44 comes with 31 spline axles & disc brakes if you get the correct axle and as you pointed out a LOT cheaper than a Dana 44.

The Super35 kit makes a Dana 35 close to stock Dana 44 strength. The myth of the Dana 35 having weak or thin axle tubes has been debunked years ago.
I did a cost breakdown once & as long as you are doing the fab work on the 8.8 it was the better deal $$$ wise. Doing the Super 8 made it about even $$$ wise but you have a stronger axle then.
Back in 2002 or 2003 one of the 4WD mags did a comparison between the 8.8 & Dana 44 and rated it stronger than the Dana 44. I don't know if that still holds true or not.

The HATE here is that a 8.8 in stock form hangs down more than either a Dana 35 or Dana 44 & the offset diff makes your driveline u-joints run at more angles.
If asked most here will tell you to go Super 35 or Dana 44.
 
Easy math.

Super 35 and done.includes locker.plenty strong for 35" tires

Or buy an 8.8,get brackets and weld,get locker and gear/rebuild 8.8 to match whatever you have.adapt parking brake. Have pinion offset which makes vibrations harder to deal with. Buy wheel spacers and deal with the issues they can bring.buy new driveshaft.the mods to use an 8.8 and the total cost snowballs.

Any strength improvement over the 35 is moot. It just isn't necessary until you go for d60s

What it boils down to is after the super 35 kit came out about 20 years ago it made the 8.8 the poorer choice.
 
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I'll put in my .02 because why not

The 8.8 was a good candidate for the yjs since it was simple to install and readily available. The leaf springs would damn near bolt in. I think the dana 35s in the yjs were getting old enough and had suffered enough abuse that people started looking for an alternative.

Now the tj install is much more involved and costly. You really need to do the math when considering the swap. Don't forget to factor In labor costs if you can't do the work yourself.

I personally don't hate the 8.8 I just feel there are easier routes to go. Most people that dog the dana 35 have zero experience and are just repeating what they read. Im not saying the 35 is a great diff but it can be improved and made strong enough for 90% of people (rough guess)
 
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I find it interesting to hear that, I did some research about three years ago when I did my 8.8 and the consensus I got was no matter how much you throw at a Dana 35, the 8.8 will always be stronger. IE If you put alloy axle shafts, a truss etc. in the 35, then it's only fair to put them in the 8.8 for fair comparison. The 8.8 wins. Now compare it to a Dana 44 and the race gets neck and neck. The Dana 44 is a great axle but they are generally 4-8+ times the cost for a TJ or JK Dana 44.
I guess im confused and curious as to why the 8.8 doesn't still have the love. Does it fall under the "brand" thing? IE Ford vs Chevy etc.

It's not an issue of "stronger." I can make a Dana 60 stronger than a 8.8. Why not just keep going for stronger? Because it's not necessary for the specific build. The issue is what is "sufficient" (i.e. best all around decision). For a 35's build an S35 (or Dana 44) is more than sufficient to take you on any trail you want and never break. You also get more clearance and you don't have to deal with the offset. If you are required to clearance for something else that the offset truly fixes, can that something else go somewhere else? The 8.8 is an old answer that is now frowned upon. My .02c.
 
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I am a 8.8 FAN so don't get me wrong here. It has a larger pinion than a Dana 44 comes with 31 spline axles & disc brakes if you get the correct axle and as you pointed out a LOT cheaper than a Dana 44.

The Super35 kit makes a Dana 35 close to stock Dana 44 strength. The myth of the Dana 35 having weak or thin axle tubes has been debunked years ago.
I did a cost breakdown once & as long as you are doing the fab work on the 8.8 it was the better deal $$$ wise. Doing the Super 8 made it about even $$$ wise but you have a stronger axle then.
Back in 2002 or 2003 one of the 4WD mags did a comparison between the 8.8 & Dana 44 and rated it stronger than the Dana 44. I don't know if that still holds true or not.

The HATE here is that a 8.8 in stock form hangs down more than either a Dana 35 or Dana 44 & the offset diff makes your driveline u-joints run at more angles.
If asked most here will tell you to go Super 35 or Dana 44.

Well thank you for the explanation and I agree that the 8.8 is stronger than the Dana 44 but really didn't want to ruffle any feathers LOL. It does hang down more but is bigger everywhere. Heck nothing compared to a 14 bolt haha. I read that the offset pinion does nothing to the U-joint since it is consistent and not much, lets face it, it was in the Explorer/F150 that way without issue. Kinda sounds like the "should I go tons or not" argument. Not an easy answer.
Probably has to do with where you live too, what is available in your area to some extent. I know I am sticking with the 8.8, the Dana 35 needs to go on CL and go by-by.
 
I read that the offset pinion does nothing to the U-joint since it is consistent and not much, lets face it, it was in the Explorer/F150 that way.
so long as single cardan angles are the same it doesn't matter the driveshaft angle to the side. Add a double cardan at the transfercase and you'll never get good angles in a JEEP with such a short rear driveshaft.

Nobody is hating on the 8.8. You can keep the emotional responses.

If you want to install it and don't mind the project we aren't gonna care what you do to your jeep.
 
COOL, interesting views that honestly I wont argue with and being a fabricator, the work was passion and enjoyed it as I do in my shop regularly, I have zero driveline vibrations, a well balanced drive shaft fixes that, the offset doesn't "cause" vibes it "can" show you an out of balance D-shaft tho. The great thing is there is more than one way to skin a cat and if your happy and it works, you did it right LOL
 
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