Joe,
You might want to consider a 2007 - 2010 Explorer IRS center from Ford. They are decidedly more
robust and also have improved front mounts that you can see in the pics below:
This is closer view of the front mounts:
The rear cover in your pic can be sourced from FRPP or you can go to the aftermarket and buy one of the
many similar covers.
If you have the time, motivation and access to the machinery you can craft a billet one like this one I use:
Back View;
It starts out as a 55 lb round of aluminum and ends up around 8 or 9 lbs if I remember correctly. You
basically throw away a lot of aluminum but you can make it any way you wish for your application.
If you go the billet route you need to use a diff cooler because the aluminum mass retains a lot of the
heat from the gear lube. An alternative might be to build it with fins for cooling. I liked the billet
appearance. More than anything else it comes down to personal preference. This one is drilled for the
oil cooler in and
oil cooler out plumbing.
Here is a view of the inside;
The Explorer 8.8 IRS appears more robust than the equivalent automobile IRS center. The front ears
definitely are and other parts appear beefier also. The unit is about $350 new from Ford if I
remember correctly.
Ed
p.s. Use the Mark Williams, Ford 8.8 Billet Steel caps instead of the wimpy cast aluminum caps Ford
provides. ARP has a set of 1/2 inch studs for the 9" Ford that will work with the 8.8 center. If I
remember correctly, you will have to slightly cut down the OD on the 12 pt nuts to fit in the MW caps.