9 inch or 8.8 swap

[mongo]

Soo I found a local gut that claims to have a 69 mustang ford 9 inch.. He wants 525, I've haggled with him a little and rite now he's sitting at 500 and I'm at 450... Is it worth it to buy a 9 inch for that kind of money or am I better off going to cheaper 8.8 swap? The offset gears on the 8.8 scare me for some reason.. Has anyone here done the swap?

 

[stangg]

If you mean the offset pinion on the explorer rear then I think it's a crapshoot as to whether you need to modify the rear end or not... Some guys don't have issues, some do, some just massage the tunnel to keep the pinion from hitting the floor. You're probably aware of all the other things that need changing to get the explorer rear mounted so if you are up for it, then it might be worth your time to install the 8.8. Most guys just like to bolt stuff on, so a 9" would be a more appealing upgrade. 500 for a 9" with traction loc would be a steal... if it's an open diff, I think it would be too much if you're looking to get a limited slip type rear end out of it.

I've got an 94-04 Mustang 8.8 in my '68. The pinion is more or less centered. The only real drawback compared to the explorer rear is that it has 28 spline axles instead of 31 spline. Unless you plan to do a lot of hard launching with sticky tires, then I doubt 28 spline would be an issue. The track width of the '94 Mustang 8.8 is 2" wider than the '69 9". An '86-'93 Fox 4 lug drum baked 8.8 is the same width as '69. If you don't care about sticking with drums, you can use ranger axles and drum brakes on the fox housing.

The short of it is... putting an 8.8 can be budget friendly but takes effort to do it yourself cheaply... the 9" will bolt right in, probably cost more, but you probably won't lose any value with the 9" since so many think so highly of them.

 

[mongo]

the 9 inch is 3.00 gears and non posi... i was trying to get it for 400 but he doesnt want to budge off 500

with the 94-04 rear dont you have to run modern tires to clear the brakes? i was given a old set to american racing rims that id rather not give up

a friend has a bronco 9 inch that hell give me for 100$ but i didnt want to deal with having it cut down, axles, big bearings vs small bearings and everything else

 

[Horseplay]

I would say the 9" is the way to go but maybe not at his price although it is not too much out of line either. I don't know much about your build's ultimate goals or your budget either.

Lots of guys have big dreams and thin wallets. Not a knock just an observation. Especially around tax season they get a nice chuck of coin and spend it on some pricey stuff but then when that cash is spent they are left with a long list of still needed parts to get their cars going. Have you a master list of everything needed for the build and the budget figures assigned to each? If not, do it. This gives you a path forward. You know how much you can spend in any given area without upsetting the overall plan. This budget needs to keep your available cash and future project cash flow in mind and on a time line. If you do this, you will now when and where the monies get spent and most importantly, when you can start driving it!

All that in mind, scoring the available 9" now(they are not always there, especially already fitted up for your application) would give you a usable rear end that just bolts in. You can then keep your eyes open for a limited slip (Trac-Lok) pumpkin going forward. The 8.8 would require modifications which if you cannot perform should likely rule it out. Bear in mind brake costs. You don't say what is on the 9" (if anything). You may want to upgrade there at some point. Then again, you might have the same expense on the modern rear too.

 

[CUAviator]

Speaking of 9" rears - I've got 79 Versailles 9" with disc brakes and am having a hell of a time with a parking brake. When pulling the cable from under the car, the calipers squeeze. But when trying to set it with the pull handle from inside, it won't budge. Also like that set up requires a foot pedal. Anyone know anything about this?