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Hi, I dont really have much experience with rear ends, I read alot resently about them adn have a question. I know people love the 9" rear but what about the 8" little brother?
I have an 8" rear in my mustang 73 that will be holding my 400hp 450lbs of torque 400. Im planning on getting 3.50 gears on my 8", is it recomended for me to go search for a 9" or is the 8" good enough for my engne? Will it witstand the torque? whats the down side if theres any ?
Only downsides are aftermarket support, and the fact that you're limited to 28 spline axles. A Ford 8 is basically a small bearing 9 inch with 28 spline axles. Anything you would put a small bearing Ford 9 under, the 8 will work just fine.
If I'm not mistaken, the 8 actually uses the same axles as a 9 inch.
One more potential pitfall: the pinion pilot support is weaker in the 8 inch carrier (especially the pre-'67 versions). They're prone to grenading when put under undue stress. Currie makes a (comparatively) bombproof aluminum carrier for the 8, that I think would allow one to build up a really decent rear axle.
Generally speaking, the more precisely machined (read: expensive), the quieter the gear. OEM tends to be the best, since they won't buy noisy gears, and they can pass the expense along to the buyer.
That being said, any ring and pinion that will print a nice pattern is a good ring and pinion, noisy or not. I've heard some noisy gears that printed the most beautiful contact patterns. They'll last forever.
Yukon is a big player in the axle market. Richmond is one of the oldest players in the ring and pinion market. Both make high quality items. US Gear also makes good quality R&P sets; apparently they supply a lot of the OEM stuff. Have heard thier R&P sets are a little better quality that Yukon, but that's from a guy that sets up, maybe, 6-8 sets a year. So maybe not exactly the world expert on the subject.