95 F150 Help with installing 10.25 sterling rear axle
 

So I have been reading many post on this topic and I have gotten a lot of conflicting information.

I am planning to change out my 95 F150's 8.8 axle with a 10.25 sterling. I have read this should be a direct swap for the springs perches. I know my current wheels will not fit and I am ok with that too. The area I am getting conflicting information on is the driveshaft and Ujoint. I have read the driveshaft will need to be shortened and I have also read it should be fine as is. The Ujoints are the other area of confusion some say they are fine some say I need to modify different parts.

Can someone who knows this swap help me out?

The u joint on the 8.8 is smaller, so you will either need a conversion joint or change the yoke on the driveshaft or axle, but why go to the smaller joint. Length will sort of depend on which year the donor axle is coming from (If I remember right.).

Great!

Do you recommend any certain year/s for the donor axle?

I don't, but if you do quick search here you will find that some had long pinions and others had short pinions. Can't remember which of the top of my head, but find (and i can't believe I'm saying this) FatDan, he seems to know that crap off hand.

you rang? :D

92-97 axles have the longer, better pinion. the older axles aren't bad, but they have been known to go kaboom with 38's and bigger because the short pinion flops around or some such b/s. make sure you know what year your axle is if you plan on regearing it. you can put long pinion gears in the older housings but you'll then have to buy the newer long style yoke as well and last i knew they were like $80 new.

i'll tell paul to come check this out for a better answer but afaik a 1330/1350 conversion joint and it should bolt right in with no d-shaft mods. he went from a 9'' to a 10.25, but an 8.8 and 9'' swap out for each other so it *should just be a bolt in swap. not sure if paul's 10.25 is long or short pinion though and maybe that's what makes the difference.

honestly, i'd search fullsizebronco.com for the answer. haven't been on there in a while, but last i was damn near everyone there had done a sterling swap.

There's the answer^^

Short pinion vs long pinion is a mater of 1/2 inch at the most.

You can run long pinion gears in a short pinion axle and the other way around as long as you use the correct axle yoke.

It's really a mook point. The issue is that the pinion nut comes loose easier on the short pinion axles. But that can me fixed with eliminating the crush sleeve with a spacer/shims.

The axles themselfs are the same strength really. I never had issues with the gears in a 10.25. Just twisted a axle shaft and f-Ed up the spindle.



If you do a lift same time as you swap in the axle, you prob won't have to change driveshafts. You can buy any ujoint sized yoke for the 10.25, so that won't be a issue. Infact the older 10.25s used a 1330 joint just like the 90s half tons

^^^ 3/8"


Pauls sterling had a 1330 yoke and short pinion before I regeared it so its very possible he wont need a conversion joint at all. - also used a solid pinion shim.

Check out https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ho-v3-5-a.html

Karl.. didn't I have to get my driveshaft shortened when we originally put the 10.25 in?

But I had already done a shackle flip, so that moved the rear axle forward slightly and I didn't have much room to work with.

My suggestion is bolt the beotch up and see where it lands.

Paul, I'm old now and drank most of my memory away so beats the crap out of me if your drive shaft had to be shortened.

Yeah, everything is hazy for me before my stay at LEB Clinic for the Terminally Awesome/StG Rehab.

Great! I have one more areas that I need help with on this project. Will I need to do anything to the braking system (lines, hoses, master cylinder, exc.) if I go to an axle with drum brakes? Also, will the E-brake need modification to work?

No the booster/mc will be fine. I'm 99.2% sure the e-brake cable will hook up without issue.

So I have got the axle in and the drive shaft is to long. When the axle is at full droop the drive shaft barely fits but I would never be able to put weight on it. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Take the shaft to a local machine shop n have it shortened.