this is a newbie question i guess... but i just picked upa 92 - 8.8, 31 spline (supposedly),drum brake with unknown gears.. i got it for 40 bucks so i didnt really worry to much abou details. anyway he said he had popped the cover and believes its a 3.27 or so gearing.. i never heard of that ratio, just the 307 and 355 or lower.im hoping its actually 355s to match my front for now till i get a d44 front and go 488s.im looking for what geaing this may have. i figure if the information is out there anywhere then this is the place for it.. thanks alot for the help

I have a Ranger with 3.27 gears. 3.08 was the highest ratio available and 4.10 was the lowest for the Ranger/B2/Explorer vehicles. If your axle is 31 spline, I'd bet it came from a manual trans Explorer.

the 8.8 could also be out of a F-150 because my rear axle is a 8.8 31 spline but it would be full size width and i believe my gears are 3.55s

I have a Ranger with 3.27 gears. 3.08 was the highest ratio available and 4.10 was the lowest for the Ranger/B2/Explorer vehicles. If your axle is 31 spline, I'd bet it came from a manual trans Explorer.

What? You bet wrong. All explorers/mountaineers came with 31 spline axles. The most common gear ration in the 1st gen is 3.55 and 3.73. Slap on some 235 tires and roll it and count.

What? You bet wrong. All explorers/mountaineers came with 31 spline axles.

That's what I said doofus. :rolleyes: 3.27 gears were probably in a Sploder with a manual trans. Maybe a fullsize as alaska noted.

One thing I forgot to mention is I believe the carrier break is at 3.27 on them, so if you're planning on lower gears, you may need a new carrier. Not 100% sure about that.

i have 33s and 31s..no 235s...so 327 is a possibility then..so w3hats my best way to do the count and find out.. or better yet is it stamped on the axle anywhere.. no tags on the dif bolts anymore

There will be a ratio stamped on the ring gear, like 41 10 for 4:10s or 35 10 for 3.50 (this is actually referring to the # of teety on teh ring & pinion, respectively). You just have to find it. If you really need to know and you cant find those #s, count the ring gear teeth and divide it by the pinion gear teeth.
Also, oppy is wrong there is no carrier break in the 8.8.

Most likely its 3.27 or 3.73, those were the most common ratios, but it is possible you could have got a 3.05, 3.55 (?) or 4.10

That's what I said doofus. :rolleyes: 3.27 gears were probably in a Sploder with a manual trans. Maybe a fullsize as alaska noted.

One thing I forgot to mention is I believe the carrier break is at 3.27 on them, so if you're planning on lower gears, you may need a new carrier. Not 100% sure about that.

Why would it be a manual trans? EVERY explorer came with a 31 spline rear till 01 regardless of motor trans or tcase. Manual trannies were uncommon so chances are that no matter what gears were in it it came out of an auto.

There will be a ratio stamped on the ring gear, like 41 10 for 4:10s or 35 10 for 3.50 (this is actually referring to the # of teety on teh ring & pinion, respectively). You just have to find it. If you really need to know and you cant find those #s, count the ring gear teeth and divide it by the pinion gear teeth.
Also, oppy is wrong there is no carrier break in the 8.8.

thanks man thats exactly what i needed.ill look tomarrow and if i have any problems ill post it

Why would it be a manual trans? EVERY explorer came with a 31 spline rear till 01 regardless of motor trans or tcase. Manual trannies were uncommon so chances are that no matter what gears were in it it came out of an auto.

Well, for starters, manual transmissions (M5OD) were pretty common on early Explorers, especially Sports. Secondly, the gear ratio is generally higher on manual trans equipped rigs. 3.55 or 3.73 was common on autos, and 3.27 on manuals. So, I'm guessing the axle came from a manual trans equipped Explorer/Explorer Sport.

I know Explorers had 31 spline axles. Never said they didn't.

EDIT: I reread my original post and I can see how it may have been misinterpreted. I based my manual tranny guess on the ratio, not the spline count.

DOUBLE EDIT: 31s were okay on my Ranger with 3.27 gears, but 33s were pretty bad. I'd at least consider regearing if you're gonna run 33" tires.

While manuals were more common in first gen sports, autos are way more common. I understand your point know though and you are correct about the gearing, although the ratios are pretty random for the most part. My 93 auto has 3.27s but my buddys manual came with 4.10s

i intend on regearing..im hoping its a 355, to match my front axle for now and run my 31s. the goal is to get a d44 front and go 488s all around for 36s... thanks again for all the help guys

ive had a couple 8.8s - first one limited slip went :laughing: - welded it :D - broke the case :shaking: - got an open case :D - shattered the spiders :eek: - Lesson learned? fuck the factory case, go full locker, im cheep, but after a couple rear ends, i cant stress how weak factory is - and ive got a set of 3.55s and a used set of 4.88s im not using - outa my 89 F150 - Also - I have a set of 4.88s for the front of my 89 150 - brand new - IFS tho (heard they work with solid, never tried) PM me if your interested

like they all said, its imprinted (but you cant read it unless you drop the case out) or easiest? count them. takes 30 seconds.

one more related question.. im doing disk swap onto this axle. i plan to run 36 sx's. i realize that i could do the ford OEM setup but im thinking i may want to go for more of a "performance"setup, i want to overbuild this axle a bit... where is my best bet to get a kit, i know theyre out there for disk swaps onto jeep d44s and d35s, any for the 8.8? i can mech on everything no worries but i cant fab nor trust myself to do it..

one more related question.. im doing disk swap onto this axle. i plan to run 36 sx's. i realize that i could do the ford OEM setup but im thinking i may want to go for more of a "performance"setup, i want to overbuild this axle a bit... where is my best bet to get a kit, i know theyre out there for disk swaps onto jeep d44s and d35s, any for the 8.8? i can mech on everything no worries but i cant fab nor trust myself to do it..

then your best bet would be to get a disk brake rear end from a 95 newer ex. The reason is becuase superiour just came out with a super 88 c-clip eliminator kit for the 8.8. 4340 chromo shafts and dana 60 sized bearings etc etc. You get an extra inch of width on each side.

yeah i was looking at the kit and it says for 98+ axles.. i emailed them asking why that is and what mods id need to do to run the kit on the axle i have

ya it beats me as to why they said 98+ becuase the axles are exactly the same. The only thing that changed was that the speedo reading was taken from the abs sensor in 98 and newer, but the 95-97 axles have that abs sensor too.

mine is a 92...trying to figure out this disk swap is interesting! i never have messed w/this shit before so i feel liek a complete idiot and have a bunch of stuipid ?'s.. like if i piece togethe rmy own kit what the hell do i need. obviously the bracket with i can get from ruff stuff cheap, and on ebay ive found mustnag cobra calipers for like 30, id get some drilled/slotted rotors, but what else do i need? or would i get nothing worthwhile outta this and i may aswell resell this axle and get one with disks already-if i do that tho i may want to upgrade those for the size and weight of the 36s.. anyway thanks again guys, i defiently expected to get flamed over the newbie Qs, i can fix a helicopter but am lost on this! :)

go to explorerforum.com Its an explorer based website and they are very off road dedicated. Tell them '97 V8 sent you.

im on my way,thanks alot man

ya it beats me as to why they said 98+ becuase the axles are exactly the same

Didn't they go IRS sometime around 98? That might be the difference, since they provably used some kinda CV shaft with hubs instead of a solid axle.

EDIT: Oh, and you can use Lincoln (Mark VII maybe?) rear disk stuff too for your swap.

Didn't they go IRS sometime around 98? That might be the difference, since they provably used some kinda CV shaft with hubs instead of a solid axle.

no, that was 02.