Completed Project My 98 super charged EX

[2000StreetRod]

nice installation!

A very nice and clever installation for keeping large, loose items safe! So now your Sport is officially a two passenger vehicle. I keep my back seats in the folded down position all the time to allow hauling cement blocks, bags of cement, stones, bags of top soil, potting soil, soil conditioner, pine straw and other types of landscaping materials.

My laptop spends a lot of time in the vehicle for datalogging but I only have one so I never leave it in the vehicle overnight. I keep an old blanket draped over the back of the passenger seat. When I stop to take care of an errand I cover my laptop on the seat with the blanket. The cargo cover adds a lot of security to your items in the back.

 

[ahodges]

Something I've come to realize, is that an axle breaking on these trucks is not a real big deal. I used to worry about that but came to the realization that since these trucks have rear disc brakes, the axle isn't going to leave the scene if it does break..

 

[4pointslow]

Axle breakage

Take another look at James Henson's white Explorer Sport when he rolled it and his boat. I am deeply saddened by what happened to his truck. Glad he was not injured.
His axle broke at the outer end, and the wheel did come off.

I have plans to upgrade the axles, I would like to do it after the track closes for the year. Hope mine hold up until then.

I guess one thing I have going for me is that I am launching with 4 wheels so maybe there is less stress on the rear axles.

 

[ahodges]

Hmm.. I didn't realize it could brake at the outer end. I always heard stories of them braking at the spline at the diff. In that case if it brakes at the hub end, yes it would come off. Are you just planning to go with hardened axles when you upgrade?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

or can you get c clip eliminators for the 8.8 explorer axle? i to am getting a little paranoid about this, as well as launching parts out of the front diff because almost every time i bring the truck out, i guarantee you it gets stomped on more then once

 

[CDW6212R]

The axles are a mild weak link, and aftermarket units will be better. But the rear housing might also come apart at the tubes. There are things that can happen, but there isn't one big weak link, just a few possibilities that usually take a lot of shock to make happen.

BTW, you can have any axle come out(wheel come off) if it breaks outboard of where the bearing mounts. So any c-clip eliminator is no help for that. I had a 9" axle break in my 72 Gran Torino, coming off the interstate after about 150k miles on the car. A few axles bearings had been replaced, and evidently one that seized in the rear damaged the rear slightly. So eventually the axle broke, and the car fell on the wheel, happily at the bottom of the off ramp, 1/4 mile from my work.

I'd consider getting another rear end and having the tubes welded(in a jig) as the best upgrade along with axles.

The front is harder, it's a unique D35 and the CV axles, plus the driveshaft could be tougher to upgrade.

 

[4pointslow]

Rear Diff

I am just planning on upgrading the axles. Don't want full out race axles because they wont hold up to every day street driving due to all the bumps in the road.

having the tubes welded in a jig is another great upgrade. I am just not ready for that. Yet.

I think ahodges Moser? 9 inch is the best idea I have seen yet.

 

[ahodges]

Yep that's the one I have. Those can be built to safely handle well north of 1,000 hp. Mine is the "basic" I guess but will still handle at least 600 RWHP. It's expensive, but by the time you have the tubes welded, upgrade the diff, and put different axles in the 8.8, the 9" starts to sound more reasonable and you still end up with a more sound product.

I already broke ground with them on custom Explorer rear axles including the rear ABS sensor and exciter ring! If anyone wanted to do this, you could probably just reference my build number and wait for it to show up on your door step. I had to actually drive my stock 8.8 down to them and let them play with it to duplicate it in a 9".

 

[Dono]

Could yo ball park 'expensive'? I have no idea what something like this would cost.

 

[ahodges]

I just went back through the invoice. Roughly $3,500 and you can reuse your stock brakes with it. That includes the Truetrac diff, a slightly upgraded ring and pinion, ABS capability with the sensor, and a drain plug (you have to request that). The sway bar mounts are you to mount/ weld on.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

I just went back through the invoice. Roughly $3,500 and you can reuse your stock brakes with it. That includes the Truetrac diff, a slightly upgraded ring and pinion, ABS capability with the sensor, and a drain plug (you have to request that). The sway bar mounts are you to mount/ weld on.

I will say this however. Andy and I where walking around the parts swap at afn and the company he bought it from had a display set up and he pointed one diff out he said looked like his, and it was a pretty nice setup I must say

 

[CDW6212R]

I just went back through the invoice. Roughly $3,500 and you can reuse your stock brakes with it. That includes the Truetrac diff, a slightly upgraded ring and pinion, ABS capability with the sensor, and a drain plug (you have to request that). The sway bar mounts are you to mount/ weld on.

I will say this however. Andy and I where walking around the parts swap at afn and the company he bought it from had a display set up and he pointed one diff out he said looked like his, and it was a pretty nice setup I must say

I am sure that 9" is a highest quality unit. Thanks Andrew, I didn't know it would run that much, but I'm glad to hear that keeping the ABS is possible.

I don't know what revamping an 8.8 would run, my thought was to take one to a Carolina business and let them weld the tubes, and get it powder coated. Unfortunately the V8's have the extra mount for the strut bar on the rear, but the V6's don't. I have a spare V6 rear in a 3.73, minus the axles I had to have for my 99 truck.

Then to upgrade the brakes will also not be cheap. The Wilwood 8.8 kit seems to be the best place to start, and then manage a slightly bigger caliper(I'm assuming the kit will be sized for a Mustang).

 

[ahodges]

That's the thing. Moser is a Wilwood dealer and just does a pass through on their products at a discount. I put the Wilwood rear brake kit on mine at the same time I put the 9" in. The kit (12 rotors, caliper mounts, calipers, and the new e-brake setup) was around an additional $550 I think.

 

[ahodges]

Also, I priced out rebuilding the 8.8 with a new ring and pinion, Truetrac diff, bearings, welding, etc. It was going to cost somewhere around $1,500 - $2,000 to have it all done.

 

[4pointslow]

Rear

Yea, and now that you have a Ford 9 inch, the truck should be able to handle way more power. So..... When are you going to up the boost?

 

[CDW6212R]

The price of a differential has gone way up in the last ten years. The Torsen I have was about $450 total when I got it, and I think I read that it's more like $900 now. I have two of them, and I let one go in the 95 CV I sold, a 28 spline version I didn't want to spend the time to remove. That was when I thought a diff, was still in the $400 range.

I wonder if a longer axle could be bought easily? I'd like to move the rear wheels out a bit, maybe 1/2" or so. If the rear was going to be reworked that much, making the tubes longer would not be that much extra trouble.

 

[Dono]

Yea, and now that you have a Ford 9 inch, the truck should be able to handle way more power. So..... When are you going to up the boost?

I think its time for a M122
All that's holding you back is fear and good judgement.

Seriously though, these can be had reasonably inexpensively. Get the mount sorted out and rework some plumbing and your good.

Oh, and on the rear end. No need to justify anything. Were all spending lots of cash on our trucks that can only be justified as fun and learning. There's just no way any rational human being could ever justify the stuff we are doing.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

There's just no way any rational human being could ever justify the money we are spending.

fixed it for you

 

[ahodges]

Yea, and now that you have a Ford 9 inch, the truck should be able to handle way more power. So..... When are you going to up the boost?

As soon as I get the money again to do that!! Upping the boost to where I want it is going to cost more than that 9"!

 

[ahodges]

I think its time for a M122
All that's holding you back is fear and good judgement.

Seriously though, these can be had reasonably inexpensively. Get the mount sorted out and rework some plumbing and your good.

Oh, and on the rear end. No need to justify anything. Were all spending lots of cash on our trucks that can only be justified as fun and learning. There's just no way any rational human being could ever justify the stuff we are doing.

That would definitely help, but I'm hell bent on going intercooled next and getting north of 15psi, so the M122 won't deliver on that..