Rear Axle Assembly 8.8 with 3.54 gear set

[Drew]

Hey all,

I have an 89 full size bronco and the rear end is shot. The guy at the shop says I have an 8.8 axle with 3.54 gear set and the whole rear end needs to be replaced because of the setup I have. Said that this was not a standard setup and he could only find one used one on the East coast (I live in NC) and they wanted $950 which I do not want to pay. I asked if he could put in an easier to find 3.55 rear end setup but said no cause that would mess up my 4x4. Advise?

 

[wileec]

3.54 or 3.55 same differance the front is probably a 3.55 anyway. 950 is a bunch to pay for an axel unles it is rebuilt and locked.

 

[Justshootme84]

I would go to another shop that knows four wheel drive ford Broncos. the front axle is a 3.54 ratio, and the 8.8 rear axle in your 89 is a 3.55. To verify this, you can look at the ID tag on the rear cover plate, or check the axle code on the door jamb sticker. Code will be I9 or H9 with the factory L/S. Typically, it's hard to even give away a used 8.8" axle, but salvage yard prices are in the $200-$300 range. If the shop wants to charge you $950 just for the axle not counting labor, go somewhere else cause they're overcharging or raking you. My $0.02, JSM84

 

[Broncobill78]

Yuo, gotta agree. Go somewhere else or better still just go to a junkyard & have them pull one for you. I absolutely positively guarantee that there is more than one used 3.54/8.8" on the Eastern seaboard. You don't need to rebuild it, just get a used one. There will be no problem running a 3.54 rear & a 3.55 front. I've run into this before when building 78/79's, at the time I could only find a 4.10's for the rear (9" axle) and 4.11's for the front (D44). While, yes, it's generally a good idea to run the same ration front & rear in cases like this the difference is so small that in reality nothing breaks. You WILL bind the drivetrain if you try something like a 3.55 & a 3.08 but a difference of .01 is negligable. So if you *want* it rebuilt then use the 3.54 gearset & don't worry about it or go the cheap route & just call a junkyard & tell them what you want (they should be able to pull one & sell it to you for around $100 and a shop shouldn't charge much more than that to install it)

 

[Drew]

Thanks guys.. I checked the door jam and I have an I9 code and found many salvage axles with 3.55 gear set. One more question is would the I9 code be a locking or non locking rear end?

 

[Justshootme84]

19 or I9 is an open differential, no limited slip. You can confirm this by looking at the metaql ID tag bolted to the rear cover plate. The bottom row of numbers will read "55 8 8 ***" or "3 55 8 8 ***". Sometime the "3" in the code is covered up by the bolt holding the tag.

The factory limited slip option "H9" has "3L55 8 8 ***" or "L55 8 8 ***" on the ID tag.

Hope that helps and that you find a new rearend or center section. JSM84

 

[Big_Ford_POS]

Alright bud, listen up. ***** that guy he is a dumb@$$. Now here is the low down. Broncos have such a short wheel base that the angle on the pinion makes them wear early. If your looking for the "right" fix you want to spend the money to have the whole rear rebuilt. If that is the way you go take your time and call a BUNCH of shops. Tell them you want a Ford 8.8 rear FULLY rebuilt and get prices from them. Then go with the cheapest that offers a warrenty of a year or more. Important to get the Warranty!

Now if $1500 for a new rear is too deep, than a juck yard rear is your new best friend. The key here is if you don't care about limited slip or regular open than finding the right rear with be a bit quicker. If you HAVE to have the Limited Slip then it will take a little more time. Now what you want to do is find a junk yard that will let you pick a rear off a truck there. If they have them removed already that defeats the purpose because you are looking for the perfect junk yard rear. Now what you want is a 2WD Ford with an extended cab. 4WD is ok IF the truck is extended cab but 2WD is a must if its a regular cab. What you don't want is a regular cab 4WD or a bronco rear or you will have the same problem with two years of replacement. But there is no guarranty when it comes to junk year parts. So good Luck and take your TIME or you with regret it. Buying the first part you see is never good... Have fun...