8.8 or 9 in?

[American Thunder]

Ford got rid of the solid front axle in 1980, does that mean the newer front ends are better and stronger than the older solid 44 setup?Ford got rid of the cast iron gear driven np205 transfer case, too. Is the newer aluminum one better and stronger? They went with the 8.8 because it's cheaper and lighter than the 9, not because it's stronger. The 8.8 doesnt hold up very well in mild drag racing with slicks without a lot of work. The 9 with 31 splines will hold up to most things.

The 9" I swapped into my Mustang II 15 years ago is holding up nicely. It's from a 1959 thunderbird, with 28 spline axles and a detroit locker. The original bearings, ring and pinion, even the original leather(!!) seals from 1959 were actually running in the car until just a few years ago. It needed some new bearings due to rust spots from sitting outside over the winters. Is 46 years a decent lifespan for original rear parts?? /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> (I'm still running the original 1959 3.10 gears)

p.s. The Mustang II has a 530 hp 332" stroked 302 that will rev to 8500 rpm. This means life hasnt been kind to that 9" under there.

 

[90windsor]

My experience with lockers in a bronco driving on the highway in MI is that is causes high blood pressure and white knuckles . /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

what do you mean by that?

 

[Bronc76]

sounds like he's holding on to that steering wheel a little tight with the lockers!

 

[90windsor]

sounds like he's holding on to that steering wheel a little tight with the lockers!

why would that be? bc they are in the front and rear ? i wouldnt imagine just a locker in the rear would make it wander all over the road?

 

[Yardape]

In poor conditions the locker will push the front tires, you turn the wheel the vehicle will want to still go straight. In winter conditions you have this as well as the back end sliding all over the place, scary to some people, I drive like that anyway, lol

 

[American Thunder]

I wouldnt take out the lockers in the snow, I'd just bolt on a set of tall pizza cutters with some wicked tread and go for it.

 

[Yardape]

The 205 would never stand up to a PSTD in an F350 the way the BW1356 does.

Everything you said in this post I agree with except the comment on the 205, the 1356 is nowhere near the tcase that the np205 is. I dont understand why you would say such a thing. A gear drive cast iron case against an aluminum chain driven case thats a no brainer. The 205 was overkill, the 1356 is cheaper, lighter and will hold up in lightduty applications.

 

[Justshootme84]

Yeah, let's try to stay on the topic of the two axles only. Another inherent weakness of the Ford 8.8" is the C-clips that hold the axles in. Break one of these and the whole wheel, tire and axleshaft can come out from under the truck. It's important to remember that both of these axles (Ford 9" and 8.8") used in the Bronco are 1/2-ton rated and not designed to run taller tires. When you put a 38x12.50R15 on either one, there is more chance of breaking something. The weak link on the Ford 9" seems to me to be the axle seals, as they are the first to go bad and start leaking with heavy abuse offroad. JSM84

 

[American Thunder]

I noticed there's a sticky on this forum on how to convert the ttb to a straight axle, but not vice versa. Why is that anyway? I have one in my '83, and I think it's junk.

You say a NP205 won't stand up to a diesel, huh? Interesting.

An 8.8 wouldnt last "a few hundred thousand miles" unless it was being transported in the back of a pickup bed. Had one in my '83, at 75k miles, needed axle bearings. (love that bearing running on the axle surface design) At 130k miles, needed pinion bearings. Got sick of it, swapped in a 9" with 100k+ original miles on it, it's been running fine ever since.

The '96 Bronco 8.8 has been making growling noises since we bought it. Axle and pinion seals leak. Guess I'll be rebuilding that pos next free time I get. Aside from the personal experience with 8.8s, I've fixed so many of these things over the years at the shop that I lost count. They're junk, I can't understand why you'd like them, you're one of the few who do. And to say they're stronger than a 9" is ridiculous.

As for the thread not being about drag racing. Huh, I didnt think it was about CORR trucks either? Or is that what the topic creator wants this rear for? I assumed he wanted a good rear housing for street and occasional off-road duty, like most people do, not for some competition truck?

 

[American Thunder]

 buddy of mine sold me the truck for a couple hundred bucks back when I was in a bind and needed something to drive. Between buying and rebuilding my house and raising 3 kids, money has been too tight to sell the '83 and build something more to my liking, until recently.

Want to buy it? It does eat up front tires about every 8k miles, and it handles scary at 55 mph, even though the front end is tight, but hey, the 300 runs good.

Since you seem to have some kind of attitude problem with me, I will end this discussion, as internet arguments are sort of ridiculous.

Run whatever you want to run, good luck with it.

 

[American Thunder]

Well, you can't be a bad guy, since you run a 300.