Ford 8.8 Axle Swap
Looking for a donor vehicle I focused only on 1991-1994 Explorers, this was because I wanted an axle with drum brakes. 1995-2001 Explorers have disc brakes and 2002-newer Explorers have a fully independent rear suspension setup instead of a straight axle. The 10in drum brakes on these axles is already an improvement over the 9in on my MOPAR 7-1/4 and my car doesn't have a V8 so I don't see a need for rear disc. However, another nice thing about these 8.8 axles is that if you have drums you can later swap to discs without replacing the entire axle.
The axle I acquired came from a 1994 Explorer at my local Pick-n-Pull. I got very lucky and found a donor with a non-limited slip 3.27 differential gear ratio (door code 41). The 3.27 ratio is not common on the Explorer (it is more common on Mustangs), the 3.73 and 4.10 ratios seem to be the most common ratio. Of the five 1991-1994 Explorers I looked at in the Pick-n-Pull yard four of them had D4 axle codes (3.73 limited slip axles). I don't really need a limited slip, but a D1 axle code or 3 L 27 metal tag code would have worked for me as well. I wanted a 3.27 axle because my stock 7-1/4 has 3.23 gears. By selecting a 3.27 axle it's close enough to my 3.23 gears that I don't need to worry about my speedometer gear.
I don't know if decoding the VIN will tell you what the factory axle ratio would be but the VIN of my donor vehicle was 1FMDU34X6RUC09341.
The axle I acquired came from a 1994 Explorer at my local Pick-n-Pull. I got very lucky and found a donor with a non-limited slip 3.27 differential gear ratio (door code 41). The 3.27 ratio is not common on the Explorer (it is more common on Mustangs), the 3.73 and 4.10 ratios seem to be the most common ratio. Of the five 1991-1994 Explorers I looked at in the Pick-n-Pull yard four of them had D4 axle codes (3.73 limited slip axles). I don't really need a limited slip, but a D1 axle code or 3 L 27 metal tag code would have worked for me as well. I wanted a 3.27 axle because my stock 7-1/4 has 3.23 gears. By selecting a 3.27 axle it's close enough to my 3.23 gears that I don't need to worry about my speedometer gear.
I don't know if decoding the VIN will tell you what the factory axle ratio would be but the VIN of my donor vehicle was 1FMDU34X6RUC09341.
Doing a quick visual evaluation of the outside this axle looks to be in good shape. There are no obvious signs of physical damage plus the pinion and axle shafts turn nice and smoothly. The only sign of trouble is the dark, caked on grim around the pinion nose. This could mean that the pinion seal is going bad. This is not a problem but it's something that will need to be addressed. The drum brakes also need a fresh set of shoes and new drums.