Having trouble finding spider gears for 8.8 limited slip for a 28 spline axle

[BobSacamano]

I can’t find them anywhere. Anyone have any ideas? What are my options? Try to find them at the junkyard or get 31 spline axles as the spider gears are plentiful for them?If I have to go that route, are the ring and pinion gears compatible with 31 spline axles? I guess the wheel bearings and seals would have to be changed.

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

New spiders and new clutches are both $100+. ECGS will sell you a loaded carrier for $300, so that seems like the easy-button.

I also start letting my scope creep. A junkyard 31spl is $200 here, so add clutches and for the same money + extra work, you could have 31spl.

EDIT: The lunchbox LS won't fit a trac-lok carrier, and the truetrac is like a billion dollars now.

 

[scotts90ranger]

The gears for a 31 spline are the same but the spider gears are different since the cross pin is smaller and well the side gears have 31 splines and not 28... they should only be used as a set I believe

 

[don4331]

The spider gears for an 8.8" are the same as those for a 7.5", so you might want to look for 7.5" limited slip spider gears. And yes, they should be replaced as a set (especially if used)

If you change to 31 spline gears, then you need special axles as the bearings for Ranger have 1.40" id versus the 1.62" id for Explorers and the ODs are proportionately different, so you can't put Explorer bearings into Ranger axle.* Moser used to sell them, I don't know if they still do.

* The cavaet being FX4 and '09-11 Ranger axles had the larger Explorer bearings.​

 

[BobSacamano]

Thanks everybody. I was so excited when I bought this rear end for $200 but it has been a money pit. I went to the junkyard this afternoon and found a 2003 Mustang GT with limited slip and 28 spline axles. But someone had stripped the cross pin bolt. hopefully it’ll still be there in a few days and I can take a bolt extractor. Now I wish I had not sold my 3.73 open diff. Here’s a picture of one of the spider gears. Any chance it would work ok?

 

[scotts90ranger]

Not ideal but as long as you check in on the clutches every now and then (say every 10k miles) and keep them shimmed good you should be good for a while... I ran my Explorer for years low on oil and eventually it started clicking when a tooth skipped on the spiders then I just welded the thing solid... not ideal but hey, I was laughing when I thought of it and it's not the daily driver so whatever