After market rear housing and axles

[Gage]

Has anyone installed an after market rear 8.8 or 9"? I have and have had tons of issues with the whole bearing seals leak thing with my explorer and now its BAD in the marauder. I want to just get a 8.8" with 9" big bearing ends or something but would like to speak to someone that has done it.

Also does someone know what the widest wheel that will fit under the care is?

[CRUZTAKER]

Sorry off topic...

But is your given name Gage?

[Gage]

The answer is no, I wanted it to be then I thought if I hada son I would name him Gage then I never did so I named my Rott Gage so now I can never name anything Gage... except my screen name. I go by gage on everything online only... My real name is Charles Rogers. thanks thou,


DO you happen to klnow if anyone has a bolt in rearend? I fig you would be one of the ones here to answer anyway. I cant stand 8.8" I have always has issues with them.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Hey Gage, if you get rid of your 8.8, I want the core housing. The 9" w/ the big bearings is a much much better design, where the axle actually has an inner race that is part of the bearing and not the axle shaft itself.

The problem w/ the panther rear is that it has the watts link mount, which is not going to be at all easy to retrofit to a different housing. The air bag mounts would not be that bad.

[Gage]

I can't subscribe to any thing where do I do that. I prob wil modify the org housing with 9" ends. I should be easy to find a housing, I modified my 5.0 mustang to have a 3 link. heck find an explorer with 4.10 and 31 spline axle's. with a locker and you would good to go! Junk yard find

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

I am not at all familiar with the explorer rear, does it use a watts link as well?

[Gage]

No it is a norm rear but the watts would be easy in compair to 9" ends. I put a three link with pan hard bar in my 5.0 and it works great. You would just take off the watts from a MM rear or make your own... Or buy one from griggs or someone. but they do come with the goodies the MM didnt like 31 spline and a real locker with 4.10's

I found out from my dealer that Ford has had issues with this for years in every car/truck that the stupid 8.8 came in. ranger/explorer/Panther/mustang. My dealer replaces hundreds a year from just the taxi and squad cars they get.

On top of that ford did not upgrade the parts you would buy from them. its the same old crap that went bad in the first place. The 8.8 has had other issues as well... like most of them not being square or true or just C-clips. in 2000/01/02 the explorere got so bad that they replaced the whole diff under recall.

Sorry just angry that I have to go through this again with a MM

[fastblackmerc]

Try this company, they can do anything.

http://www.currieenterprises.com/

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

The 8.8 has had other issues as well... like most of them not being square or true or just C-clips.

Hence my looking for a spare housing!

[Gage]

Hence my looking for a spare housing!

Say no more. I called currie and I will get a 9" $3500 in the spring from them. I will just put new seal in for now and order the rear this winter. I guess I will start the plan on power adders now seeing that I will have a nuke proof rear! Thanks

[Gage]

I put the new seala in but I have to say That I didn't have a TSB on the whole leaky seal issue. I dont understand why but that is what it is! Prob is fixed till I get a 9"

[FordNut]

Width and spring/suspension mounts on a 9" aren't a big deal. Make sure they get the disk brake rotor/caliber bracket mounting dimensions right, as well as the ABS rings. Biggest problem is to make sure they make provisions for the pumpkin to hook up to the Watts link.

[GreekGod]

Width and spring/suspension mounts on a 9" aren't a big deal. Make sure they get the disk brake rotor/caliber bracket mounting dimensions right, as well as the ABS rings. Biggest problem is to make sure they make provisions for the pumpkin to hook up to the Watts link.

As far as I know, nobody has installed a 9" (with a Watts link), in a Panther chassis, NOBODY. If you find someone who did, please let me know. Getting the ABS to work with the 9" axles is another deal-breaker.

My goal is to go with a 9", with stock-car style floater hubs/axles, Watts link, heavy-duty Wilwood discs and ABS.

Properly welding brackets and tubes on a housing requires a fixture to control warping, and a welding expert.

[FordNut]

As far as I know, nobody has installed a 9" (with a Watts link), in a Panther chassis, NOBODY. If you find someone who did, please let me know. Getting the ABS to work with the 9" axles is another deal-breaker.

My goal is to go with a 9", with stock-car style floater hubs/axles, Watts link, heavy-duty Wilwood discs and ABS.

Properly welding brackets and tubes on a housing requires a fixture to control warping, and a welding expert.


Well, I never said it had been done on a Panther chassis. I said the ABS, rear discs, parking brakes are not a problem. The Mustang conversions do that by using Explorer rear brakes. The Marauder is a different width but that part shouldn't really be a big deal.

The big issue is the Watts link. I believe it can be done with a bracket which bolts to 4 of the pumpkin mounting studs. It would require longer studs in those positions. The bracket could be made so that it passes over the top of the ring/pinion gear at the yoke and have the stud for the Watts link sticking out. Similar to the early model leaf-spring bump-stop brackets that bolted on with the pinion mounting bolts.

[FordNut]

Oh, yeah... OLD THREAD ALERT