Everything you need to do to Ford 8.8 swap your TJ

Evan77

She’s not leaking oil, she’s sweating power!
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Mar 30, 2019
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Denham Springs, LA
Hey guys. I decided to put all the things together I have done to ford 8.8 swap my jeep. Theses are all of the things you need to do and have to ford 8.8 swap your Jeep TJ that I have on my rig as well. I genuinely feel there isn't enough information that is clear on the swap and what you need to buy and do so that's why I'm here. Lets get to it.

FINDING A DONOR AXLE. There are Multiple variations of the ford 8.8. The one you want is out of an 95-01 Ford explorer. This is setup for disk brakes and has 31 spline shafts which can handle 35-37 inch tires with ease in stock form with a locker. You will either have to go to a salvage yard and pull one out ( 100$-500$) , or you can have one fully built and setup for your needs through East Coast Gear Supply (ECGS) for around 2900$ more or less depending on your choices. I did all the building my self and most importantly, you will save tons of money if you choose to do so.

BUYING THE PARTS FOR THE SWAP. This is a big one. I feel like generally when people do the swap they don't order the right stuff. I've seen it done more than once.

THE THINGS YOU WILL NEED. (I will list the parts I bought along with a link to each part)

A BRACKET CONVERSION KIT
such as Ballistic Fabrication Ford 8.8 weld on swap kit. https://www.ballisticfabrication.com/products/jeep-tj-8-8-ford-axle-swap-kit. Very high quality, instructions are good. Depending if your vehicle is lifted or not will depend on the degree your brackets are welded on. My Jeep is lifted 4 inches, so it was welded at 16 degrees. Depending on the degree of your welds, it will interfere with the 8.8 stock vent tube. In my case it did, so I covered it up and drilled and tapped a new vent tube and used my existing brake tee.

YOUR BRAKES (If you are using the junkyard disk setup don't worry about this part but DO NOT USE THE FORD 8.8 hard LINES, You will see this later on) I used East Coast Gear for a lot of these products. Not only were they very helpful with the swap, they guided me in the right direction and their customer service is 10/10. You can't beat this company. You can call them and get all the parts you need for the swap but I will list them anyway.

FORD 8.8 DISK BRAKES KIT https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-4985621-ford-8-8-full-disc-brake-kit.html. This kit comes with as stated by ECGS. (You can reuse your old brake tee and breather tube.)
FORD 8.8 BRAKE KIT- FULL
* Brake Pads
* Brake Rotors
* Internal Ebrake Shoes
* Soft/Hard line Kit (Stainless Soft, Nickel Hard Lines- Rust Proof)
* Brake line Mounting Hardware
* E-Brake Cables
The E Brake cables fit right in and work perfectly with the swap. You can reuse the existing e brake cables but I went with something new. These parts should be around the same price from your local auto parts store. Some jeeps might need to their proportioning valve adjusted and a master cylinder change since you are converting to disk brakes and they require more fluid flow. Mine required none and the brakes work great. A big decrease in braking distance with the added disk brakes. Make sure to bleed your brakes.

CALIPERS.
RIGHT HAND CALIPER https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8579865-ford-8-8-brake-caliper-right-hand.html. LEFT HAND CALIPER https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8579866-ford-8-8-brake-caliper-left-hand.html Make sure your rim can clear the calipers. I'm running a 15x10 rim on 35s and they cleared but were close.

BACKING PLATES. LEFT SIDE BACKING PLATE https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-23133625-ford-explorer-8-8-Dana 44-left-backing-plate.html. RIGHT HAND BACKING PLATE https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-23133626-ford-explorer-8-8-Dana 44-right-backing-plate.html.

FORD 8.8 BRAKE LINE KIT. https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-4985622-ford-8-8-brake-line-kit.html This is the most important part to buy. YOU CAN USE YOUR EXISTING LINES OFF YOUR DANA 35 IF YOU BUY THIS KIT!!! You can reuse the line from the frame down to the axle, from the splitter out you would replace with this brake line kit. Everything is flared and cut to length so it should be a super easy install.

FORD 8.8 ABS SENSOR FREEZE PLUG.
https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-4985641-ford-8-8-abs-sensor-freeze-plug.html. You need this to plug the abs sensor because you wont need this anymore but you can leave the sensor in but the plug is only like 1.50$

FORD 8.8 1310 ADAPTER FLANGE. https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-4980701-ford-8-8-1310-adapter-flange.html. You can go with a forged u bolt yoke but I'd stick with the adapter flange. Buy the bolts that go with the adapter.

A NEW CV DRIVESHAFT. Multiple companies make driveshafts for this swap including ECGS but I would get a custom one made such as from Tom Woods because every jeep is different and you will need to take driveshaft measurements.

A SYE KIT. The swap requires a cv driveshaft along with a slip yoke eliminator kit. ECGS sells an advanced adapters SYE kit for the jeep TJ for 220$ and is high quality. https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-2883390-231-slip-yoke-eliminator-sye.html

AN AFTERMARKET DIFF COVER. Not necessary, but id recommend buying an aftermarket cover if you take your jeep off-road. The stock 8.8 cover is thin as paper. I went with an arb cover.

ADJUSTABLE UPPER CONTROL ARMS AT A MINIMUM. You will need adjustable rear upper control arms for your pinion angle. I bought a rough country set. https://www.extremeterrain.com/roug...Vx0XVCh2ucQw8EAQYASABEgKY7vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I triple checked everything to make sure I'm not leaving anything out, but fill me in if I am. The whole swap was around 1200$ in parts that were brand new. Time for pictures :sneaky:

Pictures of the routing of my brake lines.
Jeep brake block.jpg


JEEP 2.jpg

JEEP 3.jpg


JEEP 4.jpg

JEEP 5.jpg

JEEP 6.jpg

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Your parking brake setup
PARKINNG BRAKE.jpg

PARKING BRAKE 2.jpg


MACCARONI AND CHEESE.jpg
 
Great write-up, thank you for this!

I went ahead and moved it to the appropriate sub-forum.

Thanks again (y)
 
Can you use the existing brake lines from your Dana 35 axle
you can reuse your breather , your tee and your e brake lines, the hard line conversion kit comes with all the hard lines you need to swap. Everything is flared and cut to length so it should be easy to setup. just look at my pictures I put in.
 
What is the preferred way to mount the wheels? Offset rims? 2" spacers? Can the shocks be outboarded with the narrow 8.8?
 
You don’t need spacers to run the 8.8. You can barely even tell that it is slightly narrower. I run 15x10 fuels and the caliper is pretty close to the wheel. I don’t think they would work with 15x8 or sometbing like that. And I personally have no experience with out boarded shocks but I’m sure you could make them work. Hopefully these pictures help you out 👍

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Here’s the specs of my rims to give you an idea of what you need.

  • Size: 15 x 10 - Front or Rear
  • Bolt Pattern: 5 x 4.5 (5 x 114.3)
  • Offset: -43mm; Backspacing: 3.75-Inches
 
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you can reuse your breather , your tee and your e brake lines, the hard line conversion kit comes with all the hard lines you need to swap. Everything is flared and cut to length so it should be easy to setup. just look at my pictures I put in.
Sorry, are you saying the pictured E-brake cables are from your original Dana35 (drum brake) setup?
 
What is the preferred way to mount the wheels? Offset rims? 2" spacers? Can the shocks be outboarded with the narrow 8.8?
Seems like outboading the shocks might be possible after a caliper flip at minimum?
 
Sorry, are you saying the pictured E-brake cables are from your original Dana35 (drum brake) setup?
Sorry, are you saying the pictured E-brake cables are from your original Dana35 (drum brake) setup?
No I didn’t use my original ones because they were pretty messed up and they were rusted to the drum so I just cut them off. But I heard about people reusing them for the 8.8. I just went to eastcoastgear.com and they have everything you need for the swap. I bought the new e brake cables for 60$ if I remember correctly .


image.jpg


image.jpg
 
Thanks, I appreciate the video. I'm looking for some cables for my Dana 35 disc brake conversion. I have some that were working but now, a year later, appear to have stretched a little and have become ineffective. I'm completely maxed out on my adjustment so I really need a cable that's about an inch shorter. I'll hit up ECG to see if they publish a cable length.
 
Unless anyone knows of a method to shorten some parking brake cables?
 
Do i need the brake line kit you have listed as well as the disc brake full kit? it looks like that full kit comes with those lines? or are they different?
 
Do i need the brake line kit you have listed as well as the disc brake full kit? it looks like that full kit comes with those lines? or are they different?
You can get the full kit or just the brake line kit depending on what you need. The full kit has everything you will need. Pads, rotors etc. you will get an extra pair of e brake shoes because the backing plates will allready have a set on them. the brake caliper brand I received when I ordered them was rebestos, so I’m guessing everything else is that brand.
 
You can get the full kit or just the brake line kit depending on what you need. The full kit has everything you will need. Pads, rotors etc. you will get an extra pair of e brake shoes because the backing plates will allready have a set on them. the brake caliper brand I received when I ordered them was rebestos, so I’m guessing everything else is that brand.
Ok cool. I’m going to just order the kit. Do you know anywhere else with the backing plates? I can’t find them anywhere
 
Ok cool. I’m going to just order the kit. Do you know anywhere else with the backing plates? I can’t find them anywhere
I’m pretty sure you can find the same brand online somewhere or in the auto parts store. Or if not the same brand, any other brand should work just fine.
 
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Could I simply run the stock ford disc brake setup with the exception of the e-brake cables or am I missing something? I plan of keeping my current 35x12.5x18, I'm thinking I have lots of clearance even if I decided to go with 17" wheels later on. Thanks in advance. Forgot to mention, I am building a F8.8 from a 03 Ford Explorer Sport Trac with disc brakes, 4.10 gears, and a LSD. Also, Ballistic truss kit including coil mounts, track bar brackets, shock brackets, truss and gussets.
 
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