I started out going this route. The first issue I ran into was the difference in bolt patterns between my small bearing housing and the explorer backing plates. I’ve slept since then so any other issues have faded. I bought MS brackets and used the late model stuff.

Engine and 4R70W.

Hopefully he got the back straps.😁

$4,500 for that when an identical one not wrecked sells for $1,200?  One with a 5.0 and 4r70w running but with body damage goes for $500 or $1000 if a flipper gets to it first.

300,000 miles and no v8???  Yep, get the tires and melt down the rest. Maybe keep the rear end if you want to mess with an 8.8

Absolutely keep the 8.8 if you have the space.  Off-roaders use them a lot as do many old Ford types.  Should be easy to sell.  I bought one at a bone yard back in '13, paid $250, gotta be going for a bit more now. 

A stock 9"is overrated anyway, unless its one of the rare N case ones.  The 8.8" has almost as large a ring gear with better pinion bearing spacing meaning it doesn't need the pocket bearing.  I've seen a lot of 9" failures where the crush sleeve allowed an oscillation that allowed the bearings to bind and blew the side of the pocket bearing bore out of the case turning it, the bearings, and the gearset into junk.  You can get plenty strong 31 spline axles for the 8.8 too, though truck axles are typically already 31 spline.  I remember seeing Gary Rhoe run high 8's with an 8.8 that was still 4 lug in his '80 Mustang. 

I'm still convinced that one of the rear axle engineers on the Explorer project was a first gen Mustang guy.  "Hmmm...if I offset that pinion about 3"...yeah, 2.875 will do...I can make that work in my early Mustang easily.  Disk brakes, limited slip, 31 spline axles with 5x4.5 lug spacing.  Yup, glad I got this assignment.  Lot cheaper than that 9" I was thinking about."