Putting a ford 8.8 locked rear in my 54 stud with chevy wheels..

[54baker]

The ford has a 5 on 4.5. My Chevy wheels are 5 on 5. The rear end swap will be about an inch too narrow. Do I buy brand new smoothie Ford rear wheels or do i buy good bolt on (non hubcentric) 1" wheel adapters/spacers. Will they hold up to 400hp and 525ft torque? I've come across mixed reviews. I hope the ford 8.8 swap is a good one from my 10 bolt 8.8 one wheel wonder. I bought one for an offroad jeep project once but never put it in. This one is from a 98 Explorer with 3.73 gears, locked from factory (not sure what they use for a locker) and it has rear disc brakes! $150 from local junk yard. Thoughts?

 

[soltz]

I've run adapters on a lot of stuff, never had a problem including a blown 351 ford small block. they'll hold any thing the 8.8 will.
should be good and the price is great.

 

[smallfoot]

I've just put adapters on my 31 to change rear ends. You can get several different thicknesses and put it close to where you want it. They seem pretty stout and I'm not worried about them. Some things I've been reading about the 8.8 rears have been great! Lots of ways to go with them...

 

[54baker]

Thanks gentlemen. They appear to be very stout. (the adapters). The Ford 8.8 should be plenty strong for what i'm doing. Not to mention cheap...