I swear half the other videos are guys just looking for clicks and never actually install the axle in a truck. If they did, their U-Joints cried out in terror, then suddenly went silent.
Great video! A tip that might help you with the porta band. Cut yourself a groove all the way around the tube first, without cutting through. Then when you do cut through, the blade is more apt to follow the groove, assuring a straighter cut. Hope that helps!
Dude you've got the best videos for real....your helping me every step of the way on my build...I can't thank you enough man. Doing a 95 Dakota 5.3 4L60E
Bridging it is always a good idea, when I narrowed mine, I took 9 inches overall, but I sleeved with a length of 2.5 inch pipe. Little bit of cleanup and it worked great a few rosettes, and burned the tubes back together. I'm starting with this series, but I'm always a fan of v8 little trucks. Looks great
Another good video, great work on the diff., and showing that it is possible to narrow rear ends at home. You mentioned that you would use your mill to redrill the axles, could you show the setup for that, I have access to a milling machine and some axles to redrill.
I didn't film the drilling since it's kinda boring and I knew most people wouldn't have a mill. But the setup was to use a right angle plate bolted to the edge of the table. Then V-block clamp the axle straight up and down with the spline end hanging below the table. Then indicate off the hub to find center. Then use a bolt circle pattern to crank the dials to each hole.
when I first found ya for some reason only 4 videos came up but now I found it IDK if I missed it but how did you shorten the inner axel I saw the tube axle but you must have also shortened the inner right? thanks for your sweet knowledge of axles I take it you just where very carefully not to mix up shims I take it good work very very help full hope all goes well with you tube as well thanks again Dave
The explorer diff is offset , so one side is 3" shorter. All I did was chop out 3" then use two "short side" axles, so no modification was necessary, just stole a short one from a second Explorer.
I am fixing to try to shorten a 9 inch ford rearend for my s10. Would I have to shorten both sides of the rearend to fit my s10? Man you did a great job and one the best videos I have seen yet.
Over all lenght you are showing is for a 4x4 7.5 . Overall width on my two wheel drum rear is 54.wheel mount surface to wheel mount surface.I was hoping it was 2 inch narrower
I'm no kind of mechanic and just now looking into rear ends for my 1st gen project for my son, so all this is foreign to me. My question is- After cutting the tubes down, the axels remain the same stock length? I know nothing on this stuff, just trying to get a grip on it. Your videos have helped me tremendously, thanks!!
The stock explorer rear has an offset center section with two different length axle shafts. The long side is narrowed to match the short side, then a short axle shaft from a second car is used, so the result is two stock short side axles in a narrowed housing. It's just a cheap way through get the right width performance rear end for an S10.
great video just wondering about the tube, can you just drill out the plug welds and shorten that end if you do not have the tools you used to keep the tube straight ??
If the axle and rotor were drilled for s10 bolt pattern…. Would the 98+ 2wd stock aluminum wheels fit? I plan on running stock alloy wheels and rally’s
It's flexible enough I just bent it a little, most of the slack is in the rubber lines on the end anyways so it's almost not worth mentioning, i just goes right back in the stock location basically with the stock 8.8 weld on tabs then I welded a couple nuts on the leaf spring bracket to bolt the rubber line to, the 8.8 is setup that way.
Great video!! What year and model can I find the rear end?? Also are you located near NC? If so I would pay you to do mine for my son V8 swap? Thank you sir!!
Dose shortening the one side center up you pinion yolk, or is it still offset Im wanting to do one on my 1963 impala. But being that the one impala drive shaft is a 2 piece and mounts inside the frame tunnel I think it would have to be pretty centered so avoid hitting the sides of the frame, any information would help, thanks 🙏
I know you use the explorer rear end for the 31 spline axles but I have a 95 mustang GT with a 8.8 rear end and want to narrow it to install in my 63 falcon. Can I do the same thing and just use the 27 spline axles ? Thanks for the straight forward step by step proceed .
All the steps should be similar on any of the spline count ford axles. I've swapped Mustang diff housings into Explorer axle housings and just swapped the 31 spline gears in, it all worked fine.
Personally I only use the jig since I don't like break downs 1000 miles from home. BUT - I have seen where other people use angle steel clamped to the tubes to line the tube up for welding. It's pretty common for welding round objects together, the issue is the tube is never concentric to the bearing pocket, and the bearing pocket is what matters here. Using the jig most the tubes I've welded are off by about 1/8". Does that matter? I don't know. For a track toy with a trailer to get it home it's probably fine. A daily driver, maybe not so much 50,000 miles later.
A trick my dad showed me decades ago is to use a carpenters square on the end of each axel tube to make sure it is square back and forth and also up and down (hope that makes sense. Keep checking it before and after welding it and also after welding perch pads on it, so say if the perch pads warp it then heat the top of the tubes above the pads to pull the housing straight again, works like a charm. Cheers eh!
I plan to try both since it's a street car, I'll just keep the traction bars slightly loose so they don't bind in turns. The sway bar was cheap ($10) so I figure if it causes issues I'll just unbolt it and toss in in the spare parts pile.
He stated in the video he used 'two short side axle shafts'. The Ford Explorer center section is offset to one side. The axle shafts are different lengths. You can use the short axle shaft from two rear ends to shorten the axle by an inch or two (forget the actual number). He redrilled the axles to bolt his Chevy wheels to the axle.
Nice job. Have you ever looked at removing the tubes from the housing and then shorten off that end and then push them back into the housing and weld? I've seen it done that way and wondered if there is a reason to not do it like that? Thanks
Yes, I did it that way on my first one years ago. It works, but it's a pain to press fit it back into the housing straight. Removal sucks too since it's pressed in. I think I spent at least 15 hours total, it was awful lol. It's much faster and easier to just cut and weld it, and done correctly it's just as strong.
It's actually possible, I did it a long time ago. The problem is the tube is pressed into the housing with about a .010-.020 interference fit to a depth of about 4 inches. I made a tool to press it in (not easy with the amount of force it requires) but it wasn't very straight and it took a couple weeks to do and figure out how to do it and make the tooling, It was basically a waste of time and I don't recommend it at all, but it's technically possible.
I used a couple torches, rigged it up so they were on both sides and heated it up evenly-ish. With good welds there's nothing wrong with a cut and welded tube, I haven't broke one yet and it's 10 times easier and faster.
It depends on your engine angle. To be sure just check the angle of the transmission output shaft and match that angle but pointing up instead of down.
I’d be interested in doing this for disc brake upgrade, diff upgrade, etc…. But don’t want to change off stock width. I’d be running stock 98+ aluminum wheels, can you clue me in on where I need to make adjustments to retain stock axle dimensions?
I've only swapped in narrowed ones, so I can't really say what would need to be changed for a stock width one, probably not much, maybe fender lip clearance.
There's really no reason to make it exactly stock S10 width, but if you wanted to, you'd just need to buy a custom axle for one side and not narrow it as much.
Yep, you just have to be careful when cutting them off so they remain as whole as possible. New ones are only $15 so its easier to just hack them off in chunks and not need to clean them up or anything.
@@matthewlydic534 Then you shorten only one side. Then the yoke is off-center. Of course they usually are, so it might wind up in the center, which is not necessarily desirable, but it could be.
I've seen a lot of guys not even bother with narrowing the 8.8 so is it absolutely even necessary? And I'm guessing you used 2 of the shirt side axles and the long side axle was not used, correct?
@@wilsworkshop yeah I don't have the axle alignment rod and all that or else I'm sure I could do it myself. It doesn't appear to stick out that much from seeing the non-shortened 8.8's
I think the axles themselves (the two halves inside the axle tube) are the same length as the disk brake rears, but i'm not sure about the axle housing dimentions. I always just use disk rears since the price is the same.
Yes, using the existing holes. The rotor centers on the hub, so the lug holes don't need to be concentric. I don't recall the exact drill bit size, but they only need to be enlarged about 1/16"
Everyone says that until I give them a price lol. There should be some shops local to you that can do the same thing. If there isn't a racing type shop, check off-road shops, they modify suspension and drive-line components all the time.
You are the only guy showing the proper pinion angle on the spring perches
I swear half the other videos are guys just looking for clicks and never actually install the axle in a truck. If they did, their U-Joints cried out in terror, then suddenly went silent.
THIS is a VERY good walk through of how to do this task!
Greatly appreciate you!
This is the best 8.8 s10 video that I have seen. Great job man!!
Glad you liked it!
Great video! A tip that might help you with the porta band. Cut yourself a groove all the way around the tube first, without cutting through. Then when you do cut through, the blade is more apt to follow the groove, assuring a straighter cut. Hope that helps!
Cool, thanks!
I know you put this up 2yrs ago , but thanks this is exactly what I was looking for. 💯👍
Sweet walk through I wasnt going to cut mine down. But after watching this I'm fairly confident in trying it.
It's pretty easy, just take your time and measure one step at a time.
Dude you've got the best videos for real....your helping me every step of the way on my build...I can't thank you enough man. Doing a 95 Dakota 5.3 4L60E
Glad to help
Bridging it is always a good idea, when I narrowed mine, I took 9 inches overall, but I sleeved with a length of 2.5 inch pipe. Little bit of cleanup and it worked great a few rosettes, and burned the tubes back together. I'm starting with this series, but I'm always a fan of v8 little trucks. Looks great
Great tip!
that's a cool tip with the sandpaper
Glad ya liked it !
Awesome video bro
dang man .. i wish i could buy this lol .. incredible job though !!! thanks for sharing
Man pretty cool video!!!
Thanks!
Great video,very informative thanks for sharing….
Glad it was helpful!
You can use a hose clamp to wrap around tube. It can also be used as a guide for a blade.
Yep, hose clamp is another good way to do it.
Thanks for the cover tip!
You bet!
Great video, cool cat too .
Thank you very much!
Great video it helped me out thank you sir.
Glad to hear it helped!
Wow great video
Thanks!
Another good video, great work on the diff., and showing that it is possible to narrow rear ends at home. You mentioned that you would use your mill to redrill the axles, could you show the setup for that, I have access to a milling machine and some axles to redrill.
I didn't film the drilling since it's kinda boring and I knew most people wouldn't have a mill. But the setup was to use a right angle plate bolted to the edge of the table. Then V-block clamp the axle straight up and down with the spline end hanging below the table. Then indicate off the hub to find center. Then use a bolt circle pattern to crank the dials to each hole.
Finally a video that made sense
when I first found ya for some reason only 4 videos came up but now I found it IDK if I missed it but how did you shorten the inner axel I saw the tube axle but you must have also shortened the inner right? thanks for your sweet knowledge of axles I take it you just where very carefully not to mix up shims I take it good work very very help full hope all goes well with you tube as well thanks again Dave
The explorer diff is offset , so one side is 3" shorter. All I did was chop out 3" then use two "short side" axles, so no modification was necessary, just stole a short one from a second Explorer.
outstanding. thanks
You bet!
I am fixing to try to shorten a 9 inch ford rearend for my s10. Would I have to shorten both sides of the rearend to fit my s10? Man you did a great job and one the best videos I have seen yet.
It depends on your 9", they came in a ton of widths so it may or may not need to be shortened.
Over all lenght you are showing is for a 4x4 7.5 . Overall width on my two wheel drum rear is 54.wheel mount surface to wheel mount surface.I was hoping it was 2 inch narrower
Check out an older F150 for rear sway bar brackets, sway bar may be usable too.
I'm no kind of mechanic and just now looking into rear ends for my 1st gen project for my son, so all this is foreign to me. My question is- After cutting the tubes down, the axels remain the same stock length? I know nothing on this stuff, just trying to get a grip on it. Your videos have helped me tremendously, thanks!!
The stock explorer rear has an offset center section with two different length axle shafts. The long side is narrowed to match the short side, then a short axle shaft from a second car is used, so the result is two stock short side axles in a narrowed housing. It's just a cheap way through get the right width performance rear end for an S10.
where did you get your alignment bar and adapter? im assuming you made them. great tutorial. thank you
I made them, but there's commercial options available that are nearly identical.
great video just wondering about the tube, can you just drill out the plug welds and shorten that end if you do not have the tools you used to keep the tube straight ??
You can, i've done it both ways. Its easier to just cut and weld the tube like in the video.
great video where did you get the alignment jig? i have an 8.8 and cant find them, thanks
The easist way to cut those tubes STRAIT is with a pipe cutter which is for 3 inch pipe and larger...You will get a Perfict cut every time!
Another way to mark for a straight cut is to use a wide hose clamp.
Can you give a link to that centering jig you used to line up the axle tubes? Looks nifty!
It's homemade, so no link possible, but if you google "8.8 shortening jig" there's a couple places that sell basically the same thing.
Where did you get those bushings to align the axles? Videos are well made thank you
They're hoe-made. There's a couple places that sell them, just search for 8.8 alignment tool. Last I checked the kit was around $500.
If the axle and rotor were drilled for s10 bolt pattern…. Would the 98+ 2wd stock aluminum wheels fit? I plan on running stock alloy wheels and rally’s
Great video helps me when I get ready to shorten mine, my question is the brake line how did you reinstall then since it's 2 7/8" shorter axel now?
It's flexible enough I just bent it a little, most of the slack is in the rubber lines on the end anyways so it's almost not worth mentioning, i just goes right back in the stock location basically with the stock 8.8 weld on tabs then I welded a couple nuts on the leaf spring bracket to bolt the rubber line to, the 8.8 is setup that way.
Great video!! What year and model can I find the rear end?? Also are you located near NC? If so I would pay you to do mine for my son V8 swap? Thank you sir!!
Bro, you should be selling these to finance your adventures
Dose shortening the one side center up you pinion yolk, or is it still offset Im wanting to do one on my 1963 impala. But being that the one impala drive shaft is a 2 piece and mounts inside the frame tunnel I think it would have to be pretty centered so avoid hitting the sides of the frame, any information would help, thanks 🙏
Yep, that's the best part. It centers the yoke and makes it shorter all at once.
Maybe it’s already been asked but does the pinion offset match your old rear end?
Would you consider cut my ford 8.8 ? I'm doing s10 ls swap myself. If so, how much and were are you located I'm here in Austin TX .
I know you use the explorer rear end for the 31 spline axles but I have a 95 mustang GT with a 8.8 rear end and want to narrow it to install in my 63 falcon. Can I do the same thing and just use the 27 spline axles ? Thanks for the straight forward step by step proceed .
All the steps should be similar on any of the spline count ford axles. I've swapped Mustang diff housings into Explorer axle housings and just swapped the 31 spline gears in, it all worked fine.
Great info.
I know it's not ideal, but, how can you get a good alignment without a jig?
I'll never do more than one so I'm being cheap.
Personally I only use the jig since I don't like break downs 1000 miles from home. BUT - I have seen where other people use angle steel clamped to the tubes to line the tube up for welding. It's pretty common for welding round objects together, the issue is the tube is never concentric to the bearing pocket, and the bearing pocket is what matters here. Using the jig most the tubes I've welded are off by about 1/8". Does that matter? I don't know. For a track toy with a trailer to get it home it's probably fine. A daily driver, maybe not so much 50,000 miles later.
A trick my dad showed me decades ago is to use a carpenters square on the end of each axel tube to make sure it is square back and forth and also up and down (hope that makes sense. Keep checking it before and after welding it and also after welding perch pads on it, so say if the perch pads warp it then heat the top of the tubes above the pads to pull the housing straight again, works like a charm.
Cheers eh!
See you are going with sway bars , if you use Cal Tracks you can eliminate the sway bar.
I plan to try both since it's a street car, I'll just keep the traction bars slightly loose so they don't bind in turns. The sway bar was cheap ($10) so I figure if it causes issues I'll just unbolt it and toss in in the spare parts pile.
Where can I get the dies and the tube stock to do this?
At the end you talked about modifying the axle. Did you change it to a chev bolt pattern and what brakes did you use?
He stated in the video he used 'two short side axle shafts'. The Ford Explorer center section is offset to one side. The axle shafts are different lengths. You can use the short axle shaft from two rear ends to shorten the axle by an inch or two (forget the actual number). He redrilled the axles to bolt his Chevy wheels to the axle.
Im using an s10 frame but i dont have the s10 rearend. What is the measurement for the perches? From the flange to center of perch on the 8.8?
I think I showed the spring perch width measurement in this video or the previous one. Its been a couple years so I dont recall the exact number.
is the yoke centered after u shortened one side ?
digg ur channel.
Yep, it centers it up perfectly.
Good info...like you to narrow mine as well
Location?
Nice job. Have you ever looked at removing the tubes from the housing and then shorten off that end and then push them back into the housing and weld? I've seen it done that way and wondered if there is a reason to not do it like that? Thanks
Also, where did you get your axle alignment jig?
Yes, I did it that way on my first one years ago. It works, but it's a pain to press fit it back into the housing straight. Removal sucks too since it's pressed in. I think I spent at least 15 hours total, it was awful lol. It's much faster and easier to just cut and weld it, and done correctly it's just as strong.
The jig is homemade, but Summit/Jegs sells them.
@@wilsworkshop I figure there was a reason. I've never done one but I've seen it done both ways. Thanks
@@wilsworkshop I'll check them for a jig. Thanks
what if you drilled out the plugs and shortened it at the end and slide back in and plug weld
It's actually possible, I did it a long time ago. The problem is the tube is pressed into the housing with about a .010-.020 interference fit to a depth of about 4 inches. I made a tool to press it in (not easy with the amount of force it requires) but it wasn't very straight and it took a couple weeks to do and figure out how to do it and make the tooling, It was basically a waste of time and I don't recommend it at all, but it's technically possible.
@@wilsworkshop damn ok well maybe I’ll try it one day, maybe a torch to the housing might make it easier to “slide in”.
I used a couple torches, rigged it up so they were on both sides and heated it up evenly-ish. With good welds there's nothing wrong with a cut and welded tube, I haven't broke one yet and it's 10 times easier and faster.
@@wilsworkshop I believe ya, I have one in my garage right now sourcing parts for it I will follow your method.
Where did you order your alignment bar from?
What exactly did you use for that centering bar? I want to have one when i do this
6ft x 1.5" dia 4140 precision ground rod.
How did you shorten the axles?
Did you cut the axle shafts? Did you have enough spline’s depth?
I used stock shafts, two of the "short side" ones. No shaft cutting necessary.
Do the measurements you give apply to both first and second gen S10’s ?
It should, but double check if you have a 1st gen. Also it's 2WD specific, the 4x4 frames are completely different.
Thanks. I'll be sure to double check.
10 degree is cool for a short bed with no lift or lower kit?
It depends on your engine angle. To be sure just check the angle of the transmission output shaft and match that angle but pointing up instead of down.
I’d be interested in doing this for disc brake upgrade, diff upgrade, etc…. But don’t want to change off stock width. I’d be running stock 98+ aluminum wheels, can you clue me in on where I need to make adjustments to retain stock axle dimensions?
I just bought my 13 yr old our project, 96 s10…. And this is a worth while mod for all the upgrades including the sway bar
I've only swapped in narrowed ones, so I can't really say what would need to be changed for a stock width one, probably not much, maybe fender lip clearance.
@@wilsworkshop I’m referring to your instructions on narrowing…. You narrowed to a width other than stock.
There's really no reason to make it exactly stock S10 width, but if you wanted to, you'd just need to buy a custom axle for one side and not narrow it as much.
Man where are u located. I need this done for my swap and I don’t have to tools to do it lol.
You should be able to find a local performance type shop to do it. It's just basic tools except the alignment jig.
Surprised you didn't put new guts in it.
They're in the mail, this video was getting long so I figured I'd separate the rebuild into another one when the bearings arrive.
OK how much to do it and where are you located😂
Will the sway bar fit with the larger cover on the rear?
Yep, no modification to the sway bar was needed.
Can you re-use the Explorer spring perches or no?
Yep, you just have to be careful when cutting them off so they remain as whole as possible. New ones are only $15 so its easier to just hack them off in chunks and not need to clean them up or anything.
How did you shorten the axle shafts? Did I miss something?
You use 2 passages side axles
@@matthewlydic534 Then you shorten only one side. Then the yoke is off-center. Of course they usually are, so it might wind up in the center, which is not necessarily desirable, but it could be.
I've seen a lot of guys not even bother with narrowing the 8.8 so is it absolutely even necessary? And I'm guessing you used 2 of the shirt side axles and the long side axle was not used, correct?
It can be used full width if you don't mind a wider axle.
@@wilsworkshop yeah I don't have the axle alignment rod and all that or else I'm sure I could do it myself. It doesn't appear to stick out that much from seeing the non-shortened 8.8's
Real meat and potatoes stuff here, thanks a bunch
Toss in carrots, onions, salt, and pepper...and i'm there.
Did u use s10 rear axles or ford 8.8 axles
Ford 8.8 axles re-drilled to a S10 bolt pattern with S10 studs, so S10 wheels bolt right on.
I also used HELLSGATEHOTRODS DRILL GUIDE….for the axles and rotors worked awesome!
Great tip!
? Do you do narrow 8.8 for customers by any chance.
I don't, shipping charges would kill the price. If you have any off road shops around they should be able to do it. It's a common swap for Jeeps.
Sorry 2 bother you are these measurements the same when narrowing a 8.8 with drum brakes from a explorer
I think the axles themselves (the two halves inside the axle tube) are the same length as the disk brake rears, but i'm not sure about the axle housing dimentions. I always just use disk rears since the price is the same.
Did you just redrill the rotors also?
Yes, using the existing holes. The rotor centers on the hub, so the lug holes don't need to be concentric. I don't recall the exact drill bit size, but they only need to be enlarged about 1/16"
@@wilsworkshop thanks! That’s helpful!
How about selling one of these units??
I think the cost would be higher then anyone would want to pay, especially if it needs to be freight shipped.
I need to pay you to do mine
Everyone says that until I give them a price lol. There should be some shops local to you that can do the same thing. If there isn't a racing type shop, check off-road shops, they modify suspension and drive-line components all the time.