9" rearends

[mr. anderson]

hey all, Just checking to see, I haven't really seen any posts on here about 9" rearend swaps. I am looking to put a decent 9" rearend in my car soon. I know about the beef ups with the 8.8, while stout, dollar for dollar and strength wise, a 9" is a better option. post up if you have any info on your swap if you've done one.

 

[DTL]

My friends and I are going 1.28 60' and 5.23@136+ in the 1/8th at 3200lbs on a 8.8 and we're nowhere near the fastest out there. Please explain where you got the idea that you need a 9". Are you afraid the car will blow away in a tornado and just want the extra weight?

 

[psfracer]

I weighed my 8.8 vs the Currie 9 inch I installed and it was actually 5 lbs lighter. Granted I did get some lighter parts in the 9 and a spool, vs the 8.8 had a detroit locker, but the 9 also had 35 spline axles vs the 8.8s 31 spline. So I call it a wash.

Whether you need one strength wise or not is certainly debatable, depending on what you plan on doing.

Currie makes one with all of the stock suspension brackets on the rear end so its a pretty simple bolt in. You will need a specific UCA from BMR.

 

[kdanner]

I should be assembling my 9" soon here, I expect it is going to be a whole lot lighter than the 8.8, I'll have the comparison numbers when done.

The 2 big things, ease of working on it, and massive amounts of ratios available.

 

[stkjock]

http://s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=598&highlight=rearend

http://s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46093&highlight=currie

 

[Bud]

My friends and I are going 1.28 60' and 5.23@136+ in the 1/8th at 3200lbs on a 8.8 and we're nowhere near the fastest out there. Please explain where you got the idea that you need a 9". Are you afraid the car will blow away in a tornado and just want the extra weight?

My 9" actually ended up pretty light. How braced up is that 8.8 and any extra weight there? Now that my car is down around 3250 I wish i'd have stayed with the 8.8 but I'm curious how many hits at 3800-4000lb it takes for stuff to start breaking or wearing on an 8.8 in a heavy s197. I would have to think an extra 800lbs of vehicle weight would make it a whole different ball game. (I did just see a 3650lb car hit a 1.28 60' on the 8.8 this weekend though).

To the OP, if you really want a 9" the CJ setup from Strange is what I'm running and it is bolt in, the Currie looks like a nice easy piece as well.

 

[mr. anderson]

thanks for the heads up on the UCA psfracer, I would of missed that and only found it when I went put it up. makes sense since the center diff housing is probably not the same outer dimensions as the 8.8.

 

[DTL]

If we're talking about fabricated housings, aluminum center sections, gun drilled axles and spools and backcut gears, I'm sure you can get a 9" down to 8.8 weight. The 8.8 we run is braced, but it doesn't look like a jungle gym, like some of the ones you see. Additionally, the tradeoff of the raised upper arm location in stock suspension applications is one of my big problems with going to a 9". Granted, there are some very creative and effective products available to correct that, but for my money, it's a solution to a "problem" that didn't need to be fixed in the first place. With the parts and people available today, that can make the 8.8 work exceptionally well, I see no reason to go to the 9". 20 years ago, maybe. Certainly for a street car that will never see half the HP most of us are talking about, or a trans. brake, the 8.8 will be far more than adequate.

 

[psfracer]

^^^For the most part I agree with you, but I elected for a 9 inch as my combo was a BBF on nitrous right out of the hole. Additionally I went with a ladder bar set up--as I really like how easy it is to get a ladder bar to work. I overbuilt the car more for reliability sake (like the trans), and do run a trans brake with a 10.5 tire. I also like the fact you don't need c-clip eliminators with the 9.

 

[DTL]

Shoot, even my street car has 9" housing ends on it, LOL! You going to make it to SCSN this year?

 

[psfracer]

If the engine is done in time. Its going to be close. I am going regardless no matter what happens. If the engine isn't done in time then I will just be taking pics.

 

[DTL]

Right on, I think you broke before we even got unloaded last year!

 

[psfracer]

Yeah my third pass on Friday. Sucked. At least the belly pan kept the oil off the rear tires so I didn't go into the wall at the 1,000 foot mark.