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96 F-150 differential rebuild, Eaton or Auburn ?

I put a "Performance series" Auburn unit in my 88 Camaro (all by myself) about 1.5 years ago, and absolutely love it.

My everyday vehicle is a 96 F-150 auto 4x4 short box (and I absolutely love it as well), and recently the rear-end's been howling and getting worse. Too busy to attempt another differential job, took it to a well-known 4x4 shop. Estimate is $1,600 (axle shaft replacement, bearings, seals, and either the Auburn, or Eaton unit). 160K hard miles, so not surprised.

Anyways, having to make a choice between the Auburn or Eaton, I remember doing this research before, and seem to recall everyone favoring the cone-based Auburn over the Eaton's by just a tad. Dudes at the 4x4 place seem to favor the Eaton - say its more traditional design, easier to service, and a little more forgiving in city driving (which I do some).

So for this Ford 8.8, what's the vote? Eaton, or Auburn ? Actually its a little late, I told em to go ahead and order up the Eaton, and just do it. (still like to hear the consensus)

Thanks!

Reply to
Mr Wizzard
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For $1,600 I'd start looking in salvage yards for a stock complete axle with LS already in it. Should be a lot less money and work.

Al

Reply to
Big Al

Price is a little high unless you are also installing after market axles made of 1050 (which are about 30% stronger) and not 1040 like stock axles. On the LSD unit, go with a Eaton as it a sturdy unit and it is easily rebuildable by end user while the ARB is not and requires factory rebuilding.

----------------- The SnoMan

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Reply to
SnoMan

Yeah, thought the price was a little high, but hard to tell from searching around the web to see whats about average. I got the truck back (and it's wonderfull), and they did put new axle shafts in. I asked them what kind they were, and they said mid-range "such and such", and I did't reconize the name (or remember actually). Total was $1,550 with tax and all the little fees (like $8 for cleaner, $15 for oil, and $14 environment fee). Yeah, I could have did it myself, I recently put a Auburn in my 88 Camaro, so know the process well. Its just that I didn't really want to screw with setting up the pinion, and crush washer and all that fun stuff, plus the timing is bad, got too much going on at work to have tackled it. (The Camaro just sits in the garage completly unused, so I can afford to have let that job drag on for a week or two. Anyway, I'm glad I chose the Eaton, just one day on it, and man, I like the way it feels. I played around with it on some loose gravel driveway, and all day in city traffic, and another 20+ miles on the high way. So, $1,600? yeah, that sucks, but I am liking the outcome, thats for sure.

Reply to
Mr Wizzard

The Eaton LSD is a good unit and it is patterned after the classic LSD's of the 60's and 70's with its preload feel that some really like and it performs well too.

----------------- The SnoMan

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Reply to
SnoMan

Thats the perfect description too! - couldn't have explained it better. yeah, so I got a couple of days on it, and I gotta say, I wish I would have put the Eaton in the Camaro too instead of hte Auburn. The Eaton seems to have a smoother, gentle constant reminder that its back there, and working. So the instruction manual on the Auburn that I put in the Camaro says that expected life is about 40K miles in normal driving, and about 20K in street racing, etc. So is the Eaton like this too? - expect only 40K miles on it before having to change the clutch plates ?

Thanks

Reply to
Mr Wizzard

I think you will get a lot more than 40K out of it in normal usage with lube change every 15 or 20k. The problem is what is normal. In racing, it is kinda hard to predict because there is a lot a varibles (axles with deepers gears are easier on posi's than tall geared ones and tire size too) The big plus here with eaton (unlike the auburn) is that you can rebuild it fully on your bench in about 4 hours or less from start to finish including removal and reinstallation in axle.

----------------- The SnoMan

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Reply to
SnoMan

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