box rear end options to take 1000hp?

[merc91]

hey guys, been having a hard time the last few months, not much action on here from me as usual hmhm but beating a blood disease and made it out to the strip this weekend... the tranny and driveshaft are rated to 1100hp+ and were great but its time for a new rear end. I was using the motor in my sig with a 50hp shot of nitrous off the line than a 75hp system added in at 3000rpm for 450hp... beat a brand new slicked vette by a few feet in the quarter haha. best moment in my life.

needless to say tho after the 408 stroker goes in this winter, I need a rear end to polish off the drivetrain to. will likely be running under 700hp for years but twin turbos are in its future to push to the 1000hp mark.

just wondering if anyone knows of a rear end option that will work for me and if theres true 4link options to setup for these cars. or will i just have to get currie to build me a complete custom rear end? im not familiar with foxbody setups but a even 6" shorter rear would be fine if it could be made to work a ready built currie 9" fox rear into our cars?

thanks guys, andy

[pantera77]

Nthe10's on CVN is running a factory 31 spline Limo rear end with welded axle tubes and reinforced support brackets.

[gadget73]

best easy option is the limo rear. Beyond that you're getting into semi-custom territory using 9" rear axle ends and stuff like that. Prob be better off starting with the limo rear for that sort of conversion anyway. I'm reasonably sure the housing itself is heavier duty, sure does weigh a hell of a lot more than the standard axle.

[turbo2256b]

Find a 9" fit it to your car. It will outlast any 8.8 cheeper.

[merc91]

hmm ill never find a limo rear end around here but ill go see a rear end shop around the area and see what he suggests. looks like its going to be custom and cost allot but i only want to do it once so i might just get a custom 9" and 4link setup put in...

[sick88tbird]

Keep in mind vehicle weight has a huge part in driveline longevity and torque capacity. I've seen 8.8's built on the cheap that last hundreds upon hundreds of passes in the 9's on nitrous(most violent power adder ever if used without a progressive nitrous controller) in 2900lb fox mustangs...but I don't know if I'd trust that same rear end behind the same power in a panther. I strongly agree with starting with a limo rear end...you can throw the best parts at it money can buy and still come out cheaper than building a stock-ish 9"...9" stuff gets stupid expensive...not to mention the fab work needed to make it fit properly.

It isn't HP that kills driveline components, it's a combination of torque(and how it's applied), traction and vehicle weight.

Good luck,
Don

[turbo2256b]

I looked into building a perty much bullet proof 8.8 would run over 2000 dollas easy. Stock 9" in my 69 Shelby Mustang withstood 650 RWH trans am racing suspension and would turn 9.36 with good tires. Realy needed 6 someting rear gears for the quarter. Would dump the clutch at 6K and go.

[zoomie]

why dont you get ahold of doug vanstrom, he knows how to build a rear end, and i suggest you go with strange. btw if you do a swap out will yoru cam be up for sale?

[turbo2256b]

My 84 mustang with a 550 HP 70 Boss 302 went with a 9". Axles and hsg from Moser (best price) Willwood road race brakes front and rear, Mark Williams pinion carrier and center section, thiier small parts kit, Detroit locker. Totaled at the time about 2500.

[zoomie]

hmm ill never find a limo rear end around here but ill go see a rear end shop around the area and see what he suggests. looks like its going to be custom and cost allot but i only want to do it once so i might just get a custom 9" and 4link setup put in...

I can get you a limo rear, i know where theres a few in a u pull it, ill need to get my passport so i can smuggle it over to you

[1980c10]

I would suggest a 9" just simple for ease of gear changes and such. You can completely set up the 3rd member on a bench the pop it in the rear end. And they have threaded adjusters for the lash not a stack of shims like an 8.8. Plus there is tons of aftermarket support for the 9" . Sheet metal housings bigger tubes, stronger 3rd members. You name it they sell it for the 9". Did I mention it's easier to work on lol.

[rellik god]

58",60" Centered Ford 9" Rear Axle Housing w/ Axles Price: $624.99 KT In Stock
View LargerItem #: 91046120
from speedway motors.just weld control arm perches upper and lower from a spare 8.8 panther.now the 9"center section can cost money.i think theres just the center section and you can ad axle tubes

[sick88tbird]

I looked into building a perty much bullet proof 8.8 would run over 2000 dollas easy. Stock 9" in my 69 Shelby Mustang withstood 650 RWH trans am racing suspension and would turn 9.36 with good tires. Realy needed 6 someting rear gears for the quarter. Would dump the clutch at 6K and go.

Your 69 Shelby is considerably lighter than a box...same rear in a 4200lb car doing the same activities and it wouldn't live a long happy life.

A 9" is undeniably stronger than an 8.8" but once you buy a housing and high-end center section, you're already pushing 1800+...then you need a carrier, gears, axles and bearings. Equal money into both rear ends will get you rear ends that'll handle the same power...but the 9" will last a few more seasons....btw, if you're going to 4-link it, kiss your back seat good bye...at least a large portion of it.

The benefit of beefing up an 8.8 is that you don't have to spend a ton of cash on a housing...they're cheap and plentiful.

Is a 1000hp 4-door really what you're wanting to do? Sometimes the cost of making everything else handle the torque can quickly eat away at your motor budget...it may be better to find something else with a bigger aftermarket following and isn't a heavy beast.

Good luck,
Don

[turbo2256b]

I have friends running 800 to 1000 hp engines using 9" rears doubt if they would ever think of a 8.8 for thier trucks. There was also the 69 460 full boat singe turbo 460 Tbird I did for Ford Motor Co in conjunction with Tasca Ford as a possible factory option. It dynoed at 800 lbs of RWT. Stock N case 9" 3.08 gears and turned 10.1 on street tires. Think it weighed in at 5200 lbs. It got the crap hammered out of it by Ford engineers drags , test track etc. Heard a lot of storys about it 20 years later when I worked at Ford engine design.

[sick88tbird]

That story goes to show that anyone can get lucky. I've seen plenty of broken stock 9" rears under similar conditions. You obviously have an unshakable hard-on for the 9" and I'm not trying to change that, but 8.8's can and will handle the kind of power this guy is looking to make for less than the cost of a custom built 9". Hell, I've even seen 7.5's in fox-bodies with 500+ lb/ft slammed through it regularly and abusively with daily powershifts...with nothing more than a good carrier and c-clip eliminators. Contrary to your beliefs, there is more to life than a 9" rear end...if the question was, "what is the strongest factory passenger car rear ford made?", then it would be hands-down 9" all day every day.