hi i am just about to start cutting up rear ends for an 8.8 swap. i was bouncing between using the 8.8 rear as a whole with some new suspension brackets welded on vs cutting the tubes. the thing that makes me lean towards the tubes is it allows me to retain all factory wheel and brake options. my only curiosity is putting the factory 10 bolt axles in the 8.8 carrier. i read a write up post by a user named pocket back in 2011 where he did this and he says the axles slipped right in. after taking measurements off the 2 axles there are some minor differences in diameters on the spline end. does this really work? or should i just go with swapping brackets?

thanks for any help

 

How muh difference is there in the splines? I use a Ford 28 spline axle for setting up GM 28 spline differentials, but there is no real pressure on the splines when doing this. I have also not measured the width of the c clip groove or the thickness of the button.

I would have suggested a 31 spline upgrade in the 8.8. If you are going to the trouble of putting in a 8.8 rear end then why use the small 28 spline axles?

 

the diameter of the for the ford axle is 1.220 to the outside of the spline. while mine measures 1.125. to me that just seems like quite a bit of wiggle room in there. the c-clip groove is .01 narrower on the fords. and the button is .01 thicker on the chevy.

i would have liked to go 31 spline but a buddy gave me a spare 28 from a mustang he had kicking around. and got a set of 4.10 for real cheap. so im only invested into this for less than a $70 bucks. im also not making huge power so the 28's should do me fine for a while. or at least long enough to save and build a real rugged rear for any possible future needs

 

pretty much all other dimensions seem good. within .01 of eachother. its just the spline diameter. which is pretty crucial imo

 

The Mustang 8.8 and the Camaro 7.5 use the same axle bearings and seals. Ford and GM use a different amount of axle hang out, so the distance from the bearing to the axle flange will not be the same between them. Be sure to keep this in mind when doing any modifications.

I would stick the Ford and the GM axle in the differential and see how much difference there is in the fit. If you can feel much difference then I wouldn't try using the GM axles. Also, while the axles are in the differential, try fitting the c clips on the axles and put the cross shaft in and see how much clearance you have between the end of the axle and the shaft. If it's much of a difference then don't do it.

 

there is a .015 difference between the locating side of the c-clip and the end of the button on the two axles. so im thinking im gonna make a c-clip out of some ht 0-1 to essentially shim the axle towards the carrier to close that gap back up. ill have to slap stuff back together to make sure thats the magic number. as far as the splines go, i looked in my machinist handbook and it says that all the strength integrity comes from the base of the spline and the depth of the spline becomes less important past a certain point. i already forget the % of maximum needed engagement. so as long as they interlock at the base i think it should be good.

ive measured things out quite a few times so bearing locations 'should' work out..

i hope im not missing something going through all this
thanks for the help so far

 

If you plan on putting new clutches in the Trac Lock I would do that before trying to set the axle end play. New clutches, and shimming them correctly, will tighten up the axle end play. After that is done then you can check the alxes and if you need to make c clips you can get the correct measurements from that.

 

oh yea thats a good point. yea i am rebuilding it so ill get that done first then go from there with the c-clips. thanks didnt think of that. my mind was stuck on this whole axle thing