8" rear end capabilities?

hey does anyone know what kind of power a stock 8" rear end can handle? the guy i got the car from said it had an 8.8" but i know it isnt so im assuming its just the 8" and i need to know whether i need to invest some money upgrading it to handle the power im putting through it, i appreciate any information you can give me

I asked that a few times ago.

http://www.fordmuscle.com/forums/all...-rear-end.html

thanks i tried the search function for the forum but there were just to many hits to sort through i appreciate the help

Originally Posted by S3TH

hey does anyone know what kind of power a stock 8" rear end can handle? the guy i got the car from said it had an 8.8" but i know it isnt so im assuming its just the 8" and i need to know whether i need to invest some money upgrading it to handle the power im putting through it, i appreciate any information you can give me

How much power are we talking? A good 8" can handle up to 550HP with the right parts! If you are running a small CID smallblock, it isnt going to make but so much torque, you are probably fine. If it is an automatic, 28 spline axles and a traction lok (Posi) for an 8" inch should do nicely.

the rear end is stock as far as i can tell, and i havent had a chance to dyno its an auto with a shift kit added

I'm running an 8" in my car, with no problems so far. I replaced the ring/pinion with Motive Gear 3.80, richmond lock-rite locker, stock axles. App. 400 hp 347 stroker motor, running in the mid 12's w/Mickey Thompson ET Streets. C4 transmission. Good luck.

Barry

thanks for the info, im glad there are so many helpful people on this forum

The higher the ratio you put in it, the quicker you'll break it. The pinion gets pretty small about 4.11. An auto will hold out better. If you're racing on slicks with an auto, you'll eventually break the pinion. If you're making a lot of power, you can blow out the caps. If you have a stick, fergetaboutit. You can bust an 8 in a mid 13 second car with a nasty shift.