So begins the saga of the 8.8 rear diff swap. The donor is an early 80s axle from a Ford Explorer. It came with limited slip and 3.73 gears. During early tuning of my 4.3 I'd figured I would need to regear from my current 3.55 , and so when this one came up for sale reasonably, I snapped it up. Now I know that I want to stay with the 3:55 gear ratio, which is fine; it just means I don't have to touch my front axle. I picked up a good used 3:55 ring and pinion for the 8.8, and started working on it this weekend. I got everything torn apart, the old spring and shock brackets cut off, and the housing de-rusted.
I plan to fit disk brakes to the rear end, upgrade the yj master cylinder and install a slip yoke eliminator on the transfer case as part of this project. The Jeep's still on the road; I won't actually tear into it until the weather turns.
I plan to fit disk brakes to the rear end, upgrade the yj master cylinder and install a slip yoke eliminator on the transfer case as part of this project. The Jeep's still on the road; I won't actually tear into it until the weather turns.