Bilo-cherokee92

so i got a 8.8 and i was told i had to get a plate for it to work. I was wondering what the plate is and were can i get one

freegdr

search it you need shock brackets yoke for ds and spring perchs and e brake cables

Bilo-cherokee92

yea i got every thing but i cant find anything about the plate

teh BOMB

What plate are you talking about?
Also weld the tubes to housing so they don't twist and the also get a diff cover they are paper thin
otherwise great axle!!

Bilo-cherokee92

cause when i dropped it off a off road shop to get the leaf and shock mounts welded on he said i have to get a plate, flange adapter, e brake cables and u blots to make it work

freegdr

???? ask them never heard of it unless he wants a dinner date lol

teh BOMB

the only thing i think he could mean was spring plates

EVcherokee

Theres kits that have everything in them for about $120 to bolt it up to an XJ. All the parts are made from 1/4" too.

Bro-quo

Yea, he was prolly referring to u-bolt plates.

tj40

is the 8.8 actually better than the 8.25? My 2002 explorer has had two rear axle bearings fry on it over the 5 years that Ive owned it. My 94 xj has had zero diff. trouble.

Bilo-cherokee92

yea i when't to the shop and he said the u bolt plates

phoenix901223

I dont get the whole swapping crys for fords either. Almost all my friends with ford trucks have has one or multiple rear problems. Im also an anti ford guy thought so it might just be my discrimination at work

Bro-quo

The 8.8 wins.

8.25 shafts are either 27 spline (1.17" OD) or 29 spline (1.21" OD), w/ 3" axle tubes while the 8.8 has 1/4" thick 3.25" OD tubes, 1.32" diameter 31 spline shafts. I cant seem to find the 8.25 shaft strength but Warn reported the 8.8 shafts yield at ~6,500lbs/ft. Warn also tested the Dana 35 and Dana 44 and report the 35 breaking between 4,000 - 4,300lbs/ft and stock 44 shafts breaking between 4,600 - 5,000lbs/ft. They didn't test the 8.25, if that says anything. The experience of many has placed the strength of the 8.25 somewhere between the D-35 and D-44. The 8.8 has a bigger ring gear (8.8" compared to 8.25") and some 8.8's come factory with LSD's and newer explorer axles come with rear disc brakes, same bolt pattern (5x4.5) and 3.55 or 3.73 gear ratio.

Why not? Any axle will suck if you don't maintain it. I hate ford trucks, but they made some bomb a$$ axles. Ever heard of a ford 9"? An 8.25 will hold up, no question, that's why you still see them on people's rigs. There's just not a lot of aftermarket support for it.

If you're wheeling it hard enough to break a 27 or 29 spline 8.25, or be looking into an 8.8 go for broke and drop one in. It's a good upgrade. An 8.8 is no Dana 60, but it is a good axle from the factory and can handle some serious abuse.

TonyB

FWIW, you can reuse the Explorer U-bolts, spring perches and even reuse the spring plates from the Explorer. No need to go dropping 100+ bucks on stuff that you should take with the axle.

You can even make shock tabs from the Explorer swaybar mounts....that you hafta cut off anyway.