Is a Ford 8.8" swap worth it if it's 'free'?

[jtherrien]

Hello all,

I've almost completed the part-out of my '99 Lincoln Town Car. 4.6L is going in a prerunner Ranger, seats are being made into man cave couches...and the last thing I'm (potentially) going to remove is the axle. The rear end is a 28spl Ford 8.8" with a width of 62.5", from what I can find online. Tag says 3.08 gears and I believe my 10bolt has 2.41s right now.

From what I can see on the decoding pages on NastyZ28, our 2nd gen axles are 55.25" wide from mounting surface to mounting surface with a pinion offset of .5" towards the driver side. The LTC Ford 8.8" is dead-center. I will have to get under there and measure to be sure. Does this .5" offset make a big enough difference to disqualify the swap? Will I have to trim the axles tubes and whatnot like some swaps require for this little bit of offset?

The larger width doesn't bother me. I am going for a street machine look with skinnies up front, and aggressive rake and big slicks in the back with traction bars. So the further my tires stick out the better. There wouldn't be any clearance issues with larger tires as some have had with the 11x17s I've seen on here, from what I gather. My sbc is only pushing 450hp so it may be all-show-no-go, haha. 28-spline axles should have no problem keepin up with that power.

I should mention that the primary reason for this swap is for the disk brake conversion. I am on a budget and I certainly do not need nor care to have 30-spline Moser axles and an Eaton Posi. I would rather have a car that actually stops when a texting teen drifts into my lane.

My main question:
There are a ton of threads here that say 'just build your 10-bolt, it'll cost the same as a swap' but lest we forget, this is from a donor vehicle so the axle is free sans a few hours of my labor to get it out. Premade weld-on spring perches come in a kit for $120. Seems like a pretty cheap swap for 3.08 gears and disk brakes. What are your thoughts?

My forte is interior restoration and bodywork, the mechanical stuff isn't my strong suit so please let me know if I am missing something big here.

 

[badazz81z28]

You’re gonna have to weigh the cost. A 8.8 if built well is a nice rearend. I would probably stick the money into a camaro rearend and upgrade the posi to a 30 spline and get better axles.

 

[SRGN]

Your 8.5 is plenty strong, if you do the gears yourself it's a lot less work than converting it over to the 8.8. Bolt circle on the Ford is different, so you would need new rear wheels. I've run on 28 spline stock GM axles in the low 11s/high 10s in my old GN. If you don't have the money to go to 30 spline axles and posi, run the 28 spline stuff until you can afford it. As far as brakes, what you save buying wheels to fit the 8.8 will probably cover a budget disc conversion for the 8.5. The stock drum brakes are not that bad if in good shape, they are just more prone to fade once they get some heat in them. At the end of the day, it's your car and your choice. Do whatever you feel is the better choice for you. I think it will be more trouble than it's worth, but that's just my opinion.

 

[badazz81z28]

You can axles for the Ford 8.8 with GM pattern.

 

[big gear head]

The Ford rear ends use a companion flange on the pinion instead of a standard yoke like your Camaro rear end, so you are looking at swapping it out for a yoke. If you are not a well experienced welder then you need to have the spring perches welded on by someone who is really good at it. This is not a place where a weak weld will do. If a spring perch breaks off then you are in big trouble. The disc brakes are not that much of an upgrade. The stock drum brakes are plenty good for a street car. If you were road racing then it would be a benefit, but not that much on the street.

 

[CorkyE]

My way of looking at it - if it were that good or popular of an upgrade, many of us would be using Ford 8.8" rears. I don't know of anyone using this. IMHO

 

[BonzoHansen]

My way of looking at it - if it were that good or popular of an upgrade, many of us would be using Ford 8.8" rears. I don't know of anyone using this. IMHO

It's popular with guys with 7.5" 10 bolts like 4th gens. Hawks actually sells 8.8s that bolt into 4th gens.

But yeah, i don't hear about it in 2nd gens except for guys who think all 10 bolts are the same.

 

[Fme]

If you're mostly looking for a rear wheel disc, the S10 set up can be done for under $300.00 as a direct bolt on.

 

[biker]

Sell the 8.8, I'm sure someone is looking for one. Put the money towards 3.73 gears, with 450 hp and traction bars, you will be surprised how well your car will go. And you will have saved yourself a ton of work and misery.

 

[badazz81z28]

I know a handful of folks that are using 8.8" over 9" due to gear noise. These installations are in GM cars. Its all preference really...I would like every else said, put the $$ in the 10 bolt.