FRONT AXLE QUESTION

[FORDAHOLIC]

I have been reading the question about the bronco for sale, and the topic of the hubs has me thinking. My 87 has the manual shift transfer case( shifter in the floor) and manual locking hubs, but I have the bad stlye of hubs you were talking about. They remind me of the hubs on the bronco IIs or rangers, and they are stuck to the back of my wheels, but that is another problem! What I was thinking about was a swap to a solid front axle. I have a 78 parts bronco, with the same geared front-end. Both broncos have the quad four setup. I am sure this swap is not as easy as it looks, I really have only looked at it half-a$$ed, as I never thought I would really do it, but now it seems more and more like a good idea. I only really worry about the cross member on the 87, but if I lift it anyway, I thought I may not need to do away with it like the 78 and 79s. I am sure I am over looking something major, but if I have 2 complete broncos of these years(complete 78 running gear) would it not be easier than using a kit? Please let me know, I am completely out of my element here.

 

[Justshootme84]

You would need to do some fabrication/ welding (or have it done) to swap the solid Dana44 axle under your 87 Bronco, but I would do it in a heartbeat if you have a complete donor!!! Look at the pinned topic on SAS, and ask away if you have any more questions. JSM84

http://broncozone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6595

 

[FORDAHOLIC]

Thank you, I am new to the 87s. would you go ahead and replace the 8.8 rear with the 9? I know the 9s are tough, I have never dealt with the 8.8s. This looks pretty much like a direct fit. I thank you in advance for putting up with my questions. I may have several, and please overlook any dumb ones!! i grew up in a paint and body shop, but we put everything back stock.....I would love to get in there with the torch and mig and see what I can do!

 

[Broncobill78]

Like JSM said, the swap to a solid front axle is an excellent upgrade and already having to donor truck is a big plus but just be aware that it's FAR from a bolt-in job. There's a fair degree of fabrication involved and it's really not something that a novice or even someone with moderate/intermediate skills should consider lightly. If you're going to tackle it yourself you should have the tools, workspace and experience. I'm not saying you can't do it, but I AM saying that you should have the experience, skills & confidence to understand the swap & what's involved before you remove the first bolt. It's also not a cheap swap to have done for you at a shop so if you go that route I'd be very, very sure you'll be wanting to hang onto your truck for some years to come because as awesome an upgrade as it is there's not much chance you'd ever recoup your investment if you had someone else do the work and then decided later on to sell the truck. The # of guys out there who understand just what an improvement as straight axle is is relatively small and the chances of finding one of them willing to shell out the bux when you decide to sell yours are pretty slim.

The 8.8" is an excellent axle. Grab your tape measure & see how close the spring pads on the 9" are to the 8.8" & you'll know how easy it will be to swap. To be honest I think about the only advantage the 9" has over the 8.8" is the removable center section. If you're going to be changing your own gears or doing a lot of axle work then a swap may be worth it but the 9" isn't really any *stronger* than the 8.8" it's just easier to swap gears and in a competition setting you can carry several spare carriers with different gearsets that will allow you to taylor the gearing to the track. It doesn't apply so much to 4x4 events because you're not anle to change the fronts to a matching gearset (although this doesn't really matter so much in mud competitions because you usually run a much "faster" gear up front to help "pull" the front of the truck along & improve steering). Bottom line here is that sure, if the spring pads are a match then go for it because it's an easy swap, the only snag may be the driveshaft since the U-joints may be different sizes so you'd need a new yoke for the rearend.

 

[FORDAHOLIC]

I am happy with that. As long as the 8.8 is not out to break down on me, I am going to leave it be! thank you....

 

[Justshootme84]

I'll disagree and say the Ford 9" is much stronger than the Ford 8.8", in stock form. It is also a direct bolt-in swap. Only issues will be with the RABS (rear anti-lock brakes) and VSS (vehicle speed sensor).

 

[Broncobill78]

Ok, but I just have to ask why ? I'll grant the 9" is marginally stronger in stock form but *much* stronger ? They both have large 3.25" tubes & 31 spline axles. I think the 8.8" is probably stronger than a small bearing 9" with 28 spline axles & the average 8.8" takes just as much punishment as evidenced by all the guys out there running them stock with 36" tires. I think the 8.8's C-clips are probably it's weak point, but I think the 9" is simply more popular because it was used for 25yrs (57'-82') and since it had the removable carrier and was such a stout design an entire aftermarket grew up around it allowing guys to build absolutely bulletproof axles because the parts were out there to be bought. You can buy heavier pinion supports, 35 spline axles, full-floater kits and the list goes on & on. I don't dispute that the the reputation is well deserved but I do think that the average 8.8" is just about as strong as the better 9" axles. If it *weren't* a good axle all on it's own people would be swapping them out left & right, and running 35's on an 8.8" would be a fool's errand. I don't think they all *that* much weaker, I don't know anyone who's broken one yet (and it hasn't been for a lack of trying <grin&gt and I've seen them take an awful lot of abuse. Don't get me wrong, I'm attached to the 9" as well and I've beaten & abuse more than my share of them but I just didn't think of it as being a whole lot stronger than the 8.8". The newer axles seemed to be doing well and holding up to a lot of wear & abuse.

 

[WPW Bronco]

I have the 8.8" in my '92 XLT and also have a donor with a waiting 9", so I have also milled the debate in my head. For all the research I have done, the 8.8" is not as inferior to it's 9" kin as SOME would have you think. As Bill mentioned, if they were as bad as some say, Ford would not have used them as long as they did (i.e. the Sterling axles in early 2000 F Series), as in a side by side comparison, they have certain advantages to the 9" in terms of ground clearance and bearing stability. The two weakest points to mention are the c-clips (if you have them) and the fact that the axle tubes are only tag welded into the center section upon production. By adding a simple PowerTrax Lock Rite or Genuine Gear Quik Lock, you add expotential strength to the assembly. And while you are installing that and have the case opened and clean, take the time to carefully weld the axle tubes fully into the center section, or have it done for you. This is a good way to add phenominal strength if you do it right, or warp the crap out of the tubes if you ***** it up, so have someone competent do this procedure. Another good bang for the buck would be to get a decent set of Cryo-hardened Alloy axle shafts to replace the stockers. With longer, gnurled splines and newer technology, an 8.8" can go toe to toe with any 9", as long as you keep the rubber to 36" or less, 38's if you wanna push the envelope.