Читать книгу Ford Differentials - Joseph Palazzolo - Страница 19

The Ford 8.8-inch is very similar to the General Motors (GM) 8⅞-inch, 12-bolt axle. Some differential experts tell you that the Blue Oval engineers copied the 12-bolt design when they came up with the 8.8-inch axle. While the 8.8 is similar to the 12-bolt, it isn’t identical. Interestingly, the Ford axle uses the exact same size of tapered roller bearings as the GM 12-bolt. The Ford version uses larger axle shafts and different lube flow strategy. These axles did have metal axle tags similar to the 9-inch axles but they were slowly phased out as vehicle programs were updated. There are several reasons for this.

Cost and complexity are two. These tags provided information for the service technicians but wasn’t that important for the vehicle assembly plants. The third reason was basic health and safety concerns for the assembly technicians and other employees who handled the axles in the manufacturing and assembly plants. There were many instances of cuts and scratches from the thin steel cuts and scratches from the thin steel tags sticking up on the axles.

The tags were replaced with adhesive labels that are placed around the axle tube near the brake and wheel end. These labels have a specific code that is similar to the axle code on the 9-inch axles.

This is an example of the brakes that fit the small wheel end bearing for a 10 x 2-inch-wide drum brake on the left and a 10 x 1¾-inch on the right.