JoeNova

I'm working on an affordable bolt-in upgrade for the D36 guys. No more scouring for months to find a D44 on sale only to realize they want $1800 for it. The goal here is a bolt-in option that's stronger and more affordable to repair/upgrade than the D44, for fairly close to the same price as doing a D44 swap. I don't want to drive cost up too much.

Mounting to the car is an easy job. I already have a batwing and C-beam adapter designed that will allow it to go in as easy as the D36 can be removed. There are also provisions to reuse the factory camber struts/brackets. However, its not all that simple.

The tie rods/toe link bracket and leaf spring are making this difficult. It MIGHT be possible to re-use the original toe link bracket, but I have to find a suitable differential cover first that will allow me to place the toe link bracket in its original location. That also means one that fits the leaf spring bracket.

So, if you were going to upgrade your D36 for more power, what would your overall budget be? Would you be willing to convert to different style axles and/or coilovers? I realize the market for these cars is VERY quickly shrinking, which is why I believe price is the MAIN selling point here.

WVZR-1

What would be ideal is an adapter that could be bolted to the whatever, I'll assume 8.8 FOMOCO that the D36 rear cover could bolt to. The combination of that adapter and it's thickness might be very easy to match the short-axle center dimension to the rear housing edge that would duplicate the mounting used now to the rear suspensions.

Whatever you intend to use needs to duplicate the D36 dimension.

If you actually want to do this I have a D36 housing and rear cover that for the cost of shipping I'll send to you. I'm quite sure I still have cover and housing, I need to look but I'm reasonably sure.

JoeNova

I may be interested, depending on shipping costs lol.
Fabricating a batwing/C beam adapter would take me an evening. Its the attachments that aren't so easy. An adapter to bolt to a different differential might be possible, but will move the housing forward which may cause issues with the driveshaft.

WVZR-1

The drive-shaft is the last thing to be concerned about. You need to hang it so that the short-axles are directly in line with the spindles.

Are you indeed thinking 8.8 FOMOCO?

Is there a gasket used for the cover of the 8.8 you have in mind? Part # and maybe I'd just pick one up here and match it to a rear cover.

C409

..... Its just that even at $1800 for a D44 , it is still a bolt in upgrade for the D36 ... have you priced decent coil over shocks ? ... While the cost of an 8.8 chunk or whatever else you are considering might be enticing , it still has to find its way under the car and it needs plenty of peripheral parts to make the car move ... ALL of them cost something .....

JoeNova

So far, with a complete IRS 8.8, materials for batwing, C-beam adapter, driveshaft flange, girdled diff cover, and inner CVs, I'm in it $550. Figuring out the axles and driveshaft will be the hardest part, but definitely not impossible. I plan on having a functioning 8.8 swapped into my corvette for no more than $1000, even after soaking up costs of failed attempts at parts that didn't work out.

I can have the materials for the batwing and C-beam adapter cut by waterjet and welded on a JIG easily and affordably. Assuming the right differential cover falls into my lap soon, using the factory leaf setup won't be an issue. I WILL be converting to coilovers when I do my 8.8 but I'll go through the work of making the leaf spring setup work first.

If the differential must be moved foward enough that it interferes with the driveshaft, it'll certainly cause problems with the alignment of the axles.

CaliC4

C409

..... .....

ex-x-fire

One thing to consider is the diff. output shafts work as upper control arms. So the stubs must be locked in, is the IRS 8.8 a c clip style diff?

cv67

interesting, think a grand for a stronger bolt in deal may go over well; cant even see paying 1000 for a 30 yr old used diff thats nuts.
The 8.8 can take a surprising amount of abuse

Ran one behind a stout 460 w/spray on Mickeys for a long time
It moaned and groaned but never broke.

69427

I'm a bit unclear on how you're mixing and matching components here. A drawing or a straight parts list would help the visuals.

FWIW, and only partially on topic, I put a C4 suspension under my '69. I kept the stock C3 differential (they're strong and inexpensive), but I modified a D36 batwing to bolt to the C3 differential (D36 batwings are light and inexpensive). I did use custom/shortened halfshafts as I wanted to retain the stock C3 trackwidth of the C3, rather than the C4 trackwidth.

Regardless, your project sounds very interesting. Please post a lotta pictures of your progress.

JoeNova

The 8.8 in my Nova is from a fox body. Stock housing, Eaton Truetrac, 31 spline Moser axles, girdle cover, 3.55 gear. Nothing particularly special. I have ~$900 in it if you don't count the brakes, and its taken 2 years of abuse at close to 1000 horsepower. They are basically Ford's 12-bolt, only very widely available and affordable.

whalepirot

Sound like you're past the following; My Shinoda has similar power and after breaking the D36 the 3rd time, the last being a cryo-hardened later design. I finally found a low mile D44 from a ZR1 for about a grand. The 'Z' was the newer suspension, but parts swap from my '84 based Z51 was easy, as you already know.

C409

..... Not so affordable but Currie Enterprises has an independent 9" Ford set up on their website ... I couldn't figure out how to link it .....

cv67

couldnt find it on their site...the ability to swap gears is pretty convenient

C409

..... Try this ... https://www.currieenterprises.com/tu...9-inch-housing ... it was also in the featured products line on the home page .....

64Scout

That 9inch housing is far from affordable, especially when you add stub shafts, gears, etc.

JoeNova

I mounted an 8.8 in the rear of my C4. A bracket to mount it to the C-beam and to the frame isn't terribly difficult. It took a couple of days of spare time and it was in. Getting the driveshaft hooked to it looks like just a pinion yoke away.


I converted to VERY cheap coilovers, but a leaf spring version is very Do-able.


My issue is the axles. They are technically the upper control arms in the C4. 8.8 axles are not from what I can tell. I'd like to stick with a driveshaft type axle shaft with U-joints, but I just cannot find an affordable way to do this with the 8.8.


Getting the differential itself in and mounted cost me $150 in total (including the 8.8). I just can't think of an affordable way to do the axles at all...

blackozvet

any pics ?

WVZR-1

Can the Driveshaft Shop provide you short-axles that have just a flange that you could mate a 'flange to 1350'. There's maybe several choices 'flange to 1350'. I've been needing to contact you anyway, I have a dimensional print of an 8.8 HHB and I was interested in confirming some information regarding the 8.8.

There's an email link under my user ID - drop me an email so I can ask you some questions. I have a HHB 8 7/8 here now but the FOMOCO 8.8 might interest me more.