I built the side exhaust myself after the driveshaft was in, so not sure your fit will be the same.

You could cut up some cardboard into a 4" tube shape or go get some plumbing pipe insulation or pool noodle with a similar size and see how much room you'll have.

 

do you happen to have a picture?

 

The one in my 65 is a 4" tube. It's big but it fits.

 

not a bad idea! this one i'm looking at is $50 but it will need to be cut and it's 4" in diameter so idk if that will work..

 

Be sure to add up all your costs as you can buy a custom length shaft from SoT for $399. You might be surprised how much it would cost to have your misfit shaft shortened and balanced and still be a bit on the big side.

Custom length aluminum driveshaft

Custom length aluminum driveshaft

streetortrack.com

 

Found an aluminum d/s out of a '01 E-350 it'll need to be shortened but my question is will a 4" in diameter d/s be too big in my '67? has anyone had experience with that?

 

i’ll do some digging. in the meantime, what do y’all think of this aluminum driveshaft?

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here’s screenshots if you can’t open the link. it’s a custom aluminum driveshaft out of a ‘66 mustang. it’s for sale locally here in denver. thoughts on this option? or would sourcing an explorer/crown vic shaft be better.

 

The crown vic police cars also had the aluminum driveshaft. I don't recall the year range, but do a search here...that's how I found the info. That's what my alum driveshaft came out of. I did shorten it to work with my t5, but I have a 9" rear, so no help with u-joints to make it work with your 8.8.

 

just curious, why look for that specific model?

do most explorers come with aluminum driveshafts?

 

There are others that will work too, but iirc 4WD explorers had two shafts, neither of which would work for your purpose.

 

If you decide on an Explorer shaft, you want one from a 4.0 (6 cyl.) 2WD AOD. Not sure of the model year range (someone here may know offhand), but mine was from a 2001. As others have stated you'll still have to shorten it.

 

Easy out here is to source out another more intact Explorer & snag the yoke from it.
T5 + 8.8 with original driveshaft will 100% require shortening the shaft or finding a compatible donor shaft.

 

Hmm. I have a flange for an explorer somewhere. But it's in another state. I would give it to you for the postage if I could locate it. It came off my Explorer driveshaft I bought from a yard. I don't need the flange with an 8" rear. I actually got two driveshafts that day, $50 each. It was the right length for my toploader once I swapped the front yoke with a Ford Motorsport one and got the correct rear joint.

So maybe call around junkyards. I use this site to find the yards that may have the part but ALWAYS call to verify they have it as the site is not always super up to date. But it's how I found mine. And you need to check if it's bent. A lot of them get bent because yards move junk cars around with a big forklift. You most likely are going to have to have it shortened. I'm not sure what length will fit yours:

Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

 

Why? Just look into an Explorer aluminum driveshaft.

 

was trying to do it on a budget. but if that’s my only option i’ll have to. and the explorer driveshaft would need to be shortened too i believe

 

my 8.8 is out of a ‘99 explorer. i also have a T5. would love to make the original driveshaft work. do yall have any links on what yoke to look for?

 

do yall have any links on what yoke to look for?

As I recall, it was from a mid- to late-1980s F150.

Note the combo U joint was still needed:

You can see what I did to the shock plates here.

I used my stock driveshaft and a pinion yoke from a F150 8.8. It still uses a 1310x1330 combo U-joint, but is smaller diameter (maybe a bit shorter) than the Explorer pinion flange. As I recall, a Ranger may have a smaller diameter pinion flange. I didn't center the pinion and my car sits low, so clearance was more critical for me.

I have a V6 2-wheel drive 4-door Explorer aluminum driveshaft that I may use if I center the pinion. It is about 3.5" diameter but hits my transmission tunnel due to the offset.

Another thing I did was use the differential cover & mounting bolts from a 2001-2004 Explorer IRS 8.8. It is finned aluminum, provides extra cooling, has a drain plug, and adds a bit of strength. I cut the mounting tabs off plugged a vent and mounted it up. It is what some early 2005 GT500KR Shelbys had.

 

You can use a truck 8.8 yoke. I didn't have to shorten my driveshaft when swapping in an Explorer 8.8 with the truck yoke and T-5 for the 8" and C4.

 

68 here, I had my OE driveshaft shortened. The flange adapter/yoke will depend on what the 8.8 is sourced out of. For example, the flange adapter for a Explorer is a bit larger than the one that would mount on a Mustang 8.8