Ive been followin the post on LS1tech about the ford 8.8" rear that the guy made to fit his 94 Z, and it really got me thinking about this sort of thing. My questions are why did he pick this rear-end as opposed to a 9" or something of that sort. If you can modify the 8.8" to work in an f-body, why not a 9"? is there something about this rear-end that makes it easier to swap? or works better w/ the 4th gens? could a 9" be made to fit the same way that they modified the 8.8"?

Any input appreciated,

Ryan

here a link to the post for those who havent read it b4.
*post on LS1tech*

 

I have a 9" in my car, as do about 800 other people on this board Moser and Currie make a bolt in housing. He probably did the 8.8 since he had the parts laying around.

 

the question was is it possible to do what they did to any old 9". they used the center section from the 8.8", then welded on the 10 bolt shafts.blah, blah, blah.

what does moser/strange/currie do to their 9" to make it fit?

 

"Fit" doesn't refer to finding space for the component, there aren't large differences between them in terms of external size. It's a matter having a correct torque arm mount, spring perches, LCA brackets, etc., as well as the right length axles, etc.

Rich Krause

 

I have a GM 8.8" out of a Chevelle I'm using in mine.

 

I'm one of the other 800 that have a 9"

I'm sure he went that route to save money, or had spare parts just laying around. Just depends on what you want.

 

A GM 8.8? Must be a 12 bolt since that's a 8.875

9" is the best way to go. Parts for a 9" are the cheapest and they're available everywhere.

 

The whole point of the 8.8 was because they are readily available in just about any junkyard on the planet and they are CHEAP <---key word here. The rear has proven to hold up in high horsepower applications so with that said, its going to cause a bit of a stir when someone says they can make it work in an f-body in a bolt-in fashion.

 

It's not that big of a deal to do a 8.8. The stock 10 bolt axle tubes can be welded onto the Ford center section so all of your spring mounts and panhard bar stuff are on there already. You have to order custom axles (need them anyway) and fabricate the torque arm mount.

 

Does anyone consider the HP requirement for the Ford 9" compared to the GM 12Bolt and Ford 8.8" ???

Unless you're making over 1400HP, (besides cost) do you really need a 9" for reliability?

Most overlook how durable the GM 8.5" 10 bolt is. Look at the TurboBuicks in the 8's on bone stock posi and 3.42 gearset.

Just wondering out loud, Christian

 

Combo motorsports is working on a 4th gen bolt-in 9" right now(said to be under or near $2k). But I'm not sure how much it would cost to do a custom job or conversion. Might be cheaper

 

I have a friend who put a 8.8 in his 97 z28. He did it mainly cause he didnt have 2k laying around for a rear end. He did the 8.8 for under 1000 and thats including gears. But he has a welder and all that good stuff so that helped.

 

There are quite a few options that will work

I'm going 9'' or something that can swap gears easily.
its not the reliability
its cost + easy to swap gears.

NA i'll want to trap 3rd around 120-125mph@6300 rpms

on the dope i'll want to trap around 135-140mph@6300rpms
(yeah, thats a big shot )

 

can the stock (10 bolt) axle tubes be welded to a 9"center section? If so what size axles can it hold?

 

Gear swapping is a good reason and you have more choices in gears. I'm going to a 9" mainly because I want a trans-brake and they are really hard on the rear.