Good 8.8 upgrades?

[letsrunem]

Right now I have an stock 8.8 with the exception of 3.73s. Took the car to the track and I'm burning the clutchpack so I figure now is a good time to beef it up. I think I want to go with a spool, what else is recommended?

[Irish]

If you are going to run a spool, I would recommend c-clip eliminators.

[FourEyedFord]

Right now I have an stock 8.8 with the exception of 3.73s. Took the car to the track and I'm burning the clutchpack so I figure now is a good time to beef it up. I think I want to go with a spool, what else is recommended?

Just a good stock rebuilt track lock will go a LONG ways with extra clutches in it!

How fast is the car? I would worry about the axles before the track lock.

[letsrunem]

Just a good stock rebuilt track lock will go a LONG ways with extra clutches in it!

How fast is the car? I would worry about the axles before the track lock.

12.7 @ 81 lol I don't know what it's going to run, I couldn't make a full pass. How far have people taken them?

[Irish]

12.7 @ 81 lol I don't know what it's going to run, I couldn't make a full pass. How far have people taken them?

9's. I think that is just the stock housing though.... welded axle tubes... 9" flanges.

I may be wrong but, I am pretty sure that some of the guys on this board got deep into the 10's on a mostly stock 8.8.

[70 cutlass 442]

weve broken an axel on a 13 sec pass with a mid 12 sec trap speed. Rebuilt trac lock with extra clutches and good axels should do you well.

[letsrunem]

The cars got 5 lug conversion, so I'm not sure what axles were used, still have to pull it apart.

How much $ does a Trac lok run? The car doesn't see much street use hence the want for a spool.

[badass88gt]

I have a spool in mine, no more worries about only spinning one wheel. I would skip the c clip eliminators and go with 9" housing ends, no worries about leaks (although I do have elims with no leaks, others do). If you run a spool you have to run either elims or 9" ends, you can't run c-clips. Since you will need different axles you may as well buy 33 spline stuff since I think its the same price.

[juicedimpss]

The cars got 5 lug conversion, so I'm not sure what axles were used, still have to pull it apart.

How much $ does a Trac lok run? The car doesn't see much street use hence the want for a spool.

was yours the white one? car sounded good. i would definately do axles when you do a spool in there.being a car that seems like it will see some track time,it wouldnt hurt to weld the axle tubes to the center as well.

[letsrunem]

I have a spool in mine, no more worries about only spinning one wheel. I would skip the c clip eliminators and go with 9" housing ends, no worries about leaks (although I do have elims with no leaks, others do). If you run a spool you have to run either elims or 9" ends, you can't run c-clips. Since you will need different axles you may as well buy 33 spline stuff since I think its the same price.

What's a good source for these parts? Not too much rear end discussion goes on at mustangforums.

[letsrunem]

was yours the white one? car sounded good. i would definately do axles when you do a spool in there.being a car that seems like it will see some track time,it wouldnt hurt to weld the axle tubes to the center as well.

No it's navy blue on pro stars. Weld the axle tubes eh?

[Russ Jerome]

Stock 33 spline Explorer axles have gone low 9s in steel bodies Mustangs. All the door jamb code to ID the gears and factory limited slips are available on several internet sites. Narrowing the 8.8 is stupid easy too while you have it out, think I paid $300 to shorten two axles, shipped from Moser. No C-clip eliminators needed with disc brake Explorer rears, axles cant walk out.

I was just down at Eagle auto on 59 and saw about every gear ratio in stock 8.8's I could think of (less 4.56 that was used) in a number of Exploders.

[badass88gt]

Explorers didnt come with 33 spline.

[badass88gt]

What's a good source for these parts? Not too much rear end discussion goes on at mustangforums.

I bought my stuff just from Jegs, but I know you can order direct from Strange also. There's really no reason to narrow the stock rear unless youre going crazy fast. Guys are going well into the single digits on a 10.5 tire which will fit a fox body on a 10" wheel.

You may want to check out Hardcore50.com for more in-depth discussion. Corral.net also has a big Drag Racing forum.

[Sprayaway Fox]

Get the Kevlar clutchpack from ford racing, I THINK you can use a newer cobra guts to switch it over to more spline countthen buy some axles and a aluminum preload cover.

Or just upgrade the posi and do some axles and a preload cover. I have seen hella lotta power thrown at a 8.8 non c clipped and lasted. If its slicked all the time run C clips.

If its no cage, n subframes yet and the torque boxes are not reeinforced dont spool it yet.

[badass88gt]

I would never run c clips on any performance application. Ive personally seen those tiny little c clips snap on an F150 on the on-ramp on the highway, allowing the axle to come out. If youve ever held a c clip in your hand you would agree.

What do chassis reinforcements have to do with running a limited slip or a spool?

[letsrunem]

What do chassis reinforcements have to do with running a limited slip or a spool?

x2

[Russ Jerome]

31 spline my bad, still more than most of us will ever need:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Axles.html

[juicedimpss]

. No C-clip eliminators needed with disc brake Explorer rears, axles cant walk out.



you HAVE to run a c-clip eliminator with a spool,there is no provision for them on the carrier.
:thumbsup

[badass88gt]

Yup, or different housing ends welded to the axle tubes, like the 9" ends.

[Russ Jerome]

Dont tell all the jeep guys with disc brake rears they cant run spools without clips, there all gonna have to come home from there trip this weekend!

[Irish]

What do chassis reinforcements have to do with running a limited slip or a spool?

I am taking a stab here... I think he means that with a strong limited slip or spool and a sticky tire, the added stress to the chassis through the energy presented/transfered, will add stress to the body as a whole. Everyone that knows mustangs know where they "rip and tear". So... if you are making big enough power to need a spool, you might want to reinforce the areas that need it. Ie... torque boxes, subframe connectors...

[Irish]

Dont tell all the jeep guys with disc brake rears they cant run spools without clips, there all gonna have to come home from there trip this weekend!

That's alright.. It's not like they are doing over 100mph out the back door on a race track.

[juicedimpss]

Dont tell all the jeep guys with disc brake rears they cant run spools without clips, there all gonna have to come home from there trip this weekend!

how do they get the clip onto the axle?
http://www.mbeperformance.com/images/Spool%20pic500x400.jpg

[Russ Jerome]

how do they get the clip onto the axle?
http://www.mbeperformance.com/images/Spool%20pic500x400.jpg

"DISC BRAKES" not drum brakes. I have $100 cash if you can come over and pull my axle out with anything other than a 30# maul. The rotor is fully captured by the caliper/bracket, can not come out without a catastrophic failure.

[badass88gt]

Dont tell all the jeep guys with disc brake rears they cant run spools without clips, there all gonna have to come home from there trip this weekend!

Russ are you familiar with the c clip setup and how the clips hold in the axle?

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3554/differentialrebuild021wv7.jpg


There is no way you can use a c clip with a spool. The spool is not open anywhere to put the clip on the end of the axle. C clips have nothing to do with disc or drum brakes.

[Russ Jerome]

After 27 years of wrenching I have a fair bit of experience.

Pull the rear c-clips, if you have rear disc you will "have to" remove the wheels and calipers or the axle will not go in far enough to disengage the c-clip from its broached slot in the carrier, assuming you pulled the crosspin already. Now assemble everything and the rear calipers on the anchoring plate, rotors in place. now try and pull the rear wheel/axle out, nope your right it cant come out. The caliper is mounted to the anchoring plate "inboard", the rotor is now fully captured within the caliper. The only way the axle can walk out is if the rotor was broken 360* or the caliper was broken cleanly in half. Its not the cool NHRA 150mph thing to do but it's done quite often.

A drum brake obviously will not capture the axle/wheel, plenty of great u-tube videos out there. Jack a drum brake car up and slide the wheel in/out, a lot of play. Now try that with a disc brake RWD car, little no no movement at all. Calipers slide inboard for a reason, they wont sail off with a broken axle. How many times have we all bitched when replacing a rotor on a late model, most you even have to remove the anchoring plate as it is mounted for/aft the inboard and outboard side of the rotor, the large loctited anchoring brackets are loctited ia PITA . I'll look at my setup but I think the Ford 8.8 anchoring bracket does not hold the rotor, just the caliper. Buss's and disc brake class 8 trucks go even further and have a huge 1/2 circle cast iron bracket for break away safety.

[Russ Jerome]

Here is a 8.8 I narrowed, just anchoring plates no calipers:
http://sites.google.com/site/miscmicsforlinks/_/rsrc/1246139389548/Home/168.jpg
Now picture the caliper bolted inboard the bracket with its outboard pad side on other side of the rotor, capturing the rotor/axle. This is why you cant shortcut a ring/pinion swap on a disc vehicle at the same time, loose shoes will let a drum rear get jammed in to release the c-clips but a caliper rear doesnt have the travel to push axle in that far to drop the c-clip.

With the speeds and ETs I will be running I will have to run c-clip eliminators but if the rules didnt require it I would probably not but Im a cheap @$$ :)

[Rocket Power]

With just the caliper holding the axle in ,won't it always be rubbing rotor on pad trying to get out?

Doesn't seem like a good/safe idea too me, but my fun car has bolt in axles no c-clips for me .

[Ricky Bobby]

With just the caliper holding the axle in ,won't it always be rubbing rotor on pad trying to get out?

Doesn't seem like a good/safe idea too me, but my fun car has bolt in axles no c-clips for me .

bolt ins FTW :thumbsup

must be a olds or a buick eh??

[badass88gt]

they cant run spools without clips

Russ, I understand what you are saying about the axle retention with the brake setup. What I still dont understand is how you use c clips with a spool? Where do you put the c clips? How do you put the clips in the groove on the axle? You simply can not run a c-clip with a spool. There is no access to the ends of the axles once they are in the spool.

[Rocket Power]

bolt ins FTW :thumbsup

must be a olds or a buick eh??

Yep it's a 8.5 from a 71-2 Cutlass

[Russ Jerome]

Russ, I understand what you are saying about the axle retention with the brake setup. What I still dont understand is how you use c clips with a spool? .

I should have typed c-clip eliminators, dont beleive it can be done with the setups I've seen.

Its a dirty way to run them but like Lincoln lockers and Millermatic lockers its been done plenty.

[badass88gt]

OK, now it makes sense. I thought you were talking about the c-clips themselves, not the eliminators.

[Sprayaway Fox]

What do chassis reinforcements have to do with running a limited slip or a spool?[/quote]

Since its one to one and it cant compensate it has to drag the outer wheel. Where is that pull going to go? Its going to go to the LC and upper control arm on that side. Now its hard to find a good stang without cracked TQ boxes with just a 302 HO making 225 HP. With a sticky tire and a spool its going to pull the hell out of the mount to the body since the mounts are weak as fack from the factory since its just sheetmetal.

I have ran a spool....Even with axles on the street you want to mark a centerline down the axle so you can check them time to time. Even with good axles I twisted my 28 spline Mosers on a 8.2 10 bolt GM after 3 years of streetdriving with drag radials. I know for a fact it wasnt the motor I had in it....Lotta stress going on back there when making a turn with sticky tires.

Spooling a fox I would definitly tell U to run a set of battleboxes and subframes at the least to stiffen things up. Even if its got a weaker motor. Thats a lot of pulling when your making a turn.

[juicedimpss]

russ,as much as you "can" do it your way,I don't consider it as the right way.To me,something like that would be a temporary fix,on the side of a trail.I would never feel ok about telling someone to do that with a drag race car that will see big MPH.
my .02

[Russ Jerome]

Its not the cool NHRA 150mph thing to do but it's done quite often.

.

I agree 100%, I wouldnt suggest anybody learn from my painfull attempts of learning the hard way. Like I said I "am" running bolt on eliminators but if they fell off the axle will still be captured, disc offer an added safety factor over drums.

[Stangman98]

For a street strip 8.8 setup I would recommend 31 spline Strange Axles, ARP wheel studs, Detroit Locker, and 9" housing ends. Call Strange directly and order everything from them

[letsrunem]

^^ Sounds expensive, I may have to wait to get all the options I want.

[Stangman98]

^^ Sounds expensive, I may have to wait to get all the options I want.

Lot more expensive if you don't do it right the first time...trust me