how to for 8.8 swap

[mossyoaktj]

i am possible thinking of doing a ford 8.8 rear end swap into my 99 tj sport. i was wandering what all it would take to do so as far as mods go.

[RD TRCTR]

I have a buddy doing the exact same thing. Here's his build up thread on another forum.

http://www.kentuckykrawlers.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=29613#29613

[sarge]

your going to need SYE if you don't have one already , drive shaft work , and find a drive flange off of an Aerostar van to match your drive shaft u-joint.
you will also have to either buy or fab an e-brake cable adapter.

[blazerbrad]

Several guys in our club have/had 8.8's in the back of their Jeeps and none had a SYE kit.

[sarge]

Several guys in our club have/had 8.8's in the back of their Jeeps and none had a SYE kit.


I'm not running a SYE on mine either , however, I stretched my WB so I did not need one. The 8.8 is longer then the D-35 thus making it a problem of DS angle if the rear end is not pushed back. I was under the impression that unless you stretch a SYE is a must , but I could be wrong.

[itbrokeagain]

your going to need SYE if you don't have one already , drive shaft work , and find a drive flange off of an Aerostar van to match your drive shaft u-joint.
you will also have to either buy or fab an e-brake cable adapter.

I might have the driveshaft flanges if you need them. let me know and I will look

[lugie]

Brad, Sarge...you both know better than this. most guys going 8.8 are probably lifted too much to get away without a sye. But if you swap an 8.8 with little to no lift I'm sure the slip yoke shaft would still get by. However the 8.8 pinion is offset a little which can cause the need for an sye when no other changes are made from a D35. Blah!

[blazerbrad]

There are people who will say a SYE is required for 4" of lift on a Wrangler also, but there are several guys in the club that have been wheelin' and street driving for years with no issues. Just because the magazines are pimping something to support the companies paying them big $$ for advertisements doesn't mean it's required.

[carwash]

all depends on how flexy that 4" lift is, i guess, and if you offroad it to where it will drop some axle. Slip yokes suck the balls in general, and if you run one with a 4" lift, it's only a matter of time, in my opinion. Not much spline holding on when you move that axle down a little more.

[MrShoeBoy]

If its stock or lifted about 2" or so you can get away with no SYE. I have installed several F8.8s into TJs with no sye. Didnt have any issues or terrable driveline vibes. Once you get to 3"+ lift you really need to look into getting a SYE because of angles and vibes. The U joint flange for the pinion can be had from a driveline shop for around $20ish or so new.

AARON

[blazerbrad]

all depends on how flexy that 4" lift is, i guess, and if you offroad it to where it will drop some axle. Slip yokes suck the balls in general, and if you run one with a 4" lift, it's only a matter of time, in my opinion. Not much spline holding on when you move that axle down a little more.

If it's just articulating, the pumpkin (diff) doesn't really move much. One side goes up, one side goes down.

You can always have the driveshaft lengthened a little to make up the difference. A standard wheelbase YJ or TJ only needs maybe an extra inch or so with a 4" lift.

I'm not saying that a SYE is a bad idea or anything, it's just not always required.

[jeep93zj]

well buddy to tell u the truth i got a 8.8 in my jeep with 7in of lift and i dont have a SYE and mine flexes like no other and has never came out u can swap it with out the SYE and have no problems

[mossyoaktj]

is there any other rear end i should go with or i would be safe to just build my rear end with axles and a limited slip or what else can i do to save my rear end from 35's for now i dont plan on going much bigger than that until the jeep is paid off

[lugie]

is there any other rear end i should go with or i would be safe to just build my rear end with axles and a limited slip or what else can i do to save my rear end from 35's for now i dont plan on going much bigger than that until the jeep is paid off

this "debate" isn't about the 8.8 being bad, it's more of a really dumb fight among stubborn ppl that don't want to be wrong. an 8.8 is an excellent choice for 35's. Mine vibrateded with 3" of lift even after messing with pinion angle. Many I've worked on since didn't vibe...whoop dee doo. it's hit or miss. It's not political "magazine" jargon, many SWB jeeps need a CV rear shaft. (and yes, I'm fully aware that the proper pinion angle setup for a CV shaft is very different than a non-cv shaft). What tiny issue did I miss this time?

[carwash]

well buddy to tell u the truth i got a 8.8 in my jeep with 7in of lift and i dont have a SYE and mine flexes like no other and has never came out u can swap it with out the SYE and have no problems
this seems impossible... buddy.

[blazerbrad]

this "debate" isn't about the 8.8 being bad, it's more of a really dumb fight among stubborn ppl that don't want to be wrong. an 8.8 is an excellent choice for 35's. Mine vibrateded with 3" of lift even after messing with pinion angle. Many I've worked on since didn't vibe...whoop dee doo. it's hit or miss. It's not political "magazine" jargon, many SWB jeeps need a CV rear shaft. (and yes, I'm fully aware that the proper pinion angle setup for a CV shaft is very different than a non-cv shaft). What tiny issue did I miss this time?

Yes, the debate has nothing to do with the 8.8. It seems to be a really good swap candidate for a Jeep.

There only seems to be one person on this post upset that others are disagreeing with their theory on SYE's..............

[carwash]

if yer referring to me, i'm not upset at all, just hate to see someone disabled on the trail. i have just always heard, for years, if you do SOA or a 4" SUA lift with a TJ that you gotta get rid of that slip yoke.

i'm sure there always exceptions to every rule. i have seen 1 guy run 37" tires on a 35c rear and wheel all weekend, but have seen at least 10 guys with 35" tires on a 35c limping themselves back to camp with tie downs and 2x4's.

So, its all in what your experiences are i guess. I personally don't have any experience with slip yokes coming out, because i have never run one. But i don't see any reason to not get rid of it during the process.

[sarge]

well buddy to tell u the truth i got a 8.8 in my jeep with 7in of lift and i dont have a SYE and mine flexes like no other and has never came out u can swap it with out the SYE and have no problems

Ok Buddy, not to get your panties in a bunch but if you are running a 93 ZJ then you are compairing apple to oranges . Your DS is a mile long compaired to a YJ or TJ , this makes all the diff. in the world.

[blazerbrad]

if yer referring to me,

Not at all!

[carwash]

Not at all!
oh, ok. carry on then... hhhaaha.

[mossyoaktj]

found a superior 35 axle kit for a decent price but it is for a yj i was just wandering if this would work in my tj or not i mean a 35 is just a 35 right/no/maybe... this would be ok for now if so to hold my 35's

[sarge]

I would ask the poor fella we past on the trail last year at 909 with a TJ that had both axle shafts broke . I stopped to see if we could help and all he said was how stupid he felt for not listening to his buddies and junking the 35. He said he had spent north of a grand on it .... or should I say wasted !

Opps now someone is going get up on the soap box and start bashing me.

Dude , here's my opinion ( like I said folks "OPINION") you can polish a turd and ......well you get the point and that is what you are doing with a 35. I ran one and I beat the crap out of it and never broke. But I always knew that I was very close to the line. Last month John ( my buddy ) Killed his 35 at 909 on 34" tires.
The 8.8 is a much stronger choice stock and they are cheap ( just got one for $250.00 ). and you get disk brakes
Are there stronger out there ?... sure but width and bolt patterns change.
If you want to add a super kit to the 8.8 they are out there and make them all most bullet proof ( ask the mustang guys ) My neighbor has an 8 second nasty fast fox body and he is running a super 8.8 with a spool . put a super 35 under that mustang and watch as it gets turned into a pretzel.

If I were you I would get an 8.8 and put it under your rig , keep in mind that you may need a SYE or you may not . Try it with out and if it doesn't vibrate good , if it does then put a SYE in it.
Every Jeep is different , when I first got my YJ it had a 4"lift with no transfer drop , shims or SYE and I got ZERO vibes, however , I did pull the DS out of the slipat 909 a couple years ago (thanks carwash).
Last month I put a 4" lift on a buddies YJ and he has vibes , so we are going to do a ML and see if it is enough . You just never know.

[mossyoaktj]

thanks for the info how much would someone charge me to wled all the right brackets onto an 8.8 for me

[mossyoaktj]

well i dont wheel my **** too hard at all its mostly dd and a few trails here and there but nothing that i even so much as need a locker for so i dont think i put my 35 thru that much pain as of now. but i am leaving for the military and when i get back from boot i can order a dana 44 from quadratec with a set of 488 or what not.

with running a 35 would it still be safe or should i just not even try i am getting very skeptical abotu it i know some buddies have beat the **** of theyre 35 with a set 35 and didnt break anything although i do know so other people that had snapped there **** with 33 which is what i run now.

[daveH]

with running a 35 would it still be safe or should i just not even try

I think what sarge is saying is that if you have the money to buy the 8.8 then you should do it. Dont wast money on the 35

[mossyoaktj]

well at the moment i dont i just want to get all the info i can so wheni do have the money to upgrade i wont have any issues with the swap

[blazerbrad]

I have to agree with what Sarge is saying. There are a couple of guys in our club with D35's that have Super 35 kits and disk brakes, but they spent a fortune on them. I have never seen them break them but they are only running 33's and stuck at that tire size because they are scared to run any bigger. They also stay on the trails locally that the main obstacles are slick mud, not rocks. When they want to go to bigger tires they now have $1,000-$1,500 wrapped up into an axle that worthless to them.

The guys with 8.8's have a fraction of the cost wrapped up in the axle swap and can run 35-36" tires without worry.

[Redriverranger]

Do the 8.8 swap. They are dirt cheap, and the swap is easy, if you can weld. I have one in my 2000 tj. Only about 2" of lift though. I have no issues and no driveshaft mods.