Solid Rear Axles

[turboking15]

I will be doing this swap in my new 2g awd auto and after looking around for some info i havent been able to come up with much on the subject. So i figured with the growing popularity of live axle dsms why not start a thread to help gather all the info into one place to help make this swap easier for people, and to help improve on the setups already in place.

Here are some of the better threads on the topic:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/dra...erman-building-my-first-drag-race-car-12.html
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/bolt-tech/293736-jake-hs-rear-wheel-drive-build-up-pics.html
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/custom-fabrication/381469-another-rwd-2g.html
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/bolt-tech/348843-anybody-swap-solid-rear-axle-yet.html

Up to this point thats all i was able to find. What i would like to see out of this thread are guys who have done it or are doing it, pics of setups, mounts, brackets, suspension, etc, measurements, and general discussion on how to set them up properly.

 

[mitsubishimanic]

dope cant wait to see some pics im gina follow this thread.

 

[turboking15]

Spoke with gastroker on the boards about his 8.8 swap and he informed me that he is using an 8.8 out of a 2000 ford explorer. The mount to mount width of that rear end is approx. 60". Going on what he said that is about 2" shorter than a 2g, so that should work straight out of the truck with proper mounts.

Also im sure this info is fairly easy to find but i would like to have it all in one place, the gear ratios needed for the rear end are as follows:

auto - 3.31
manual - 3.55

i believe that 1g and 2g are the same as far as diff ratio.

Anybody have measurement of the 1g or 2g rear end mount surface to mount surface?

 

[turboking15]

I had a chance to measure my 2g awd rear the other night and i came up with 62.25" mount surface to mount surface. So this rear end seems like a perfect match.

As far as a year span from what i can tell all explorers from 1995-2001 use the 8.8 axle. If anyone can confirm this that would be great.

 

[99gst_racer]

I show they started using the 8.8 on the Explorers in '91, but I'm not sure if hub-to-hub is the same length as the '95+ Explorers.

Other vehicles that you can find an 8.8 on:

Aerostar w/ 4.0L - 90-97
Bronco - 83-96
Cougar - 80-97
E150-E250 - 83-99
Expedition - 97+
F150-F250 - 81-02

*Starting in '97, F150's came with factory 8.8 IFS-style reverse cut gears.

 

[nightracer91]

I mesured my 1G today, and I got ~61" +/- .25" from rotor face to rotor face. That is with the car in its resting position and a 1.5" drop.

 

[gabytech]

The Ford Explorer 8.8-Inch Rear Axles

 

[nightracer91]

^ Good info!

 

[gabytech]

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Ford Explorer 8.8in axle assembly for RWD conversion...

 

[e85_4g63]

Can anyone confirm that 3.31 is the auto 2g ratio needed (3.31 in the Ford 8.8 axle)?

 

[91stocker]

Can anyone confirm that 3.31 is the auto 2g ratio needed (3.31 in the Ford 8.8 axle)?

Visual Frequently Answered Questions - Home Page

 

[99gst_racer]

Can anyone confirm that 3.31 is the auto 2g ratio needed (3.31 in the Ford 8.8 axle)?

3.307 is what's on the diff cover. So yeah, 3.31 is what you'd be looking for.

Richmond Gear doesn't show they offer that ratio, but Motive has it: Motive Gear F888331 - Motive Gear Ring and Pinion Sets - Overview - SummitRacing.com

 

[turboking15]

1 piece driveshaft. Pros and cons of doing this on a ladder bar / 4 link setup in a dsm?

 

[e85_4g63]

Ladder bar or 4 link is up to you really. I'd spring for the 'moly 4 link setup personally with QA1 coilovers. Ladder bars are old tech.

Cons (my 2 cents)
Cost
Time
Making sure the rear is properly located and rotated
Fuel cell would be a must at this point (for 1g's at least)
and obviously the car would pretty much need to be back halved / tin work done

Pro's (again, my 2 pennies)
Strength (a live rear axle is inherently stronger then our 1g/2g IRS setup)
1 piece drive shafts are now feasible with the proper pinion angle
Wheels are easy to source, being the standard Ford 4 1/2" bolt pattern
Suspension Adj's (faster, easier, and more predictable, ~1g's have that ### trailing arm problem)
Stronger axles don't cost $2,000 from DSS
Possible weight savings (depending on installation)

 

[bastarddsm]

Cons (my 2 cents)

Fuel cell would be a must at this point (for 1g's at least)
and obviously the car would pretty much need to be back halved / tin work done

I don't think you'd absolutly have to do either. If you were going RWD only you'd want to tub it certainly. And the AWD fuel tank has plenty of clearance for a 8.8 or whatever.


Also, I think you could get away with some leaf springs out back if you had too. Use the fwd trailing arms mounts that are present in a AWD body. When I get another clean 1g to replace mine I will be going that route.

 

[turboking15]

An idea i read on another forum for a driveshaft was to use the shaft out of an f150 as it is 3.5" aluminum and much longer that needed so it can be trimmed down to fit and have the dsm slip yoke added to the front half and it will all probably come out less that a dss 2 piece would.

One concern i have and others as well with a 1 piece is the length of the shaft combined with how fast it will be spinning, what are others thoughts on this? I dont really want to dig out some of my old engineering books to do the calculations, so if anybody is good with this stuff some numerical comparisons would be nice.

 

[Nos~4G63]

4linked, auto, 1989 Turbo Mirage

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[Colt4G63 also]

An idea i read on another forum for a driveshaft was to use the shaft out of an f150 as it is 3.5" aluminum and much longer that needed so it can be trimmed down to fit and have the dsm slip yoke added to the front half and it will all probably come out less that a dss 2 piece would.

One concern i have and others as well with a 1 piece is the length of the shaft combined with how fast it will be spinning, what are others thoughts on this? I dont really want to dig out some of my old engineering books to do the calculations, so if anybody is good with this stuff some numerical comparisons would be nice.

Is the F-150 shaft really long enough? I'm kinda thinking you need a 2 piece to hold together while being thin enough to fit under the car. These cars have a really long driveshaft due to the transversely mounted engine.

 

[turboking15]

Is the F-150 shaft really long enough? I'm kinda thinking you need a 2 piece to hold together while being thin enough to fit under the car. These cars have a really long driveshaft due to the transversely mounted engine.

I haven't gotten any measurements yet, this was just an idea someone else posted on another forum. As far as size goes the f150 shaft is 3.5" in dia and guys run 3.5"in exhausts along side the stock shaft so I don't forsee any issues with that spec of the d.s.
Also in my case ill be doing a bumper exit exhaust so I wont have that in the way.

 

[Nos~4G63]

Still setting it up.

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[Nos~4G63]

Roller

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[turboking15]

Link to my build thread with pics of my ladder bar 8.8 thus far.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/dsm-build-journals/418545-2g-awd-auto-dragcar-build.html

 

[Nos~4G63]

Little update.

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[Nos~4G63]

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