8.8" Mustang Rear For 69 Camaro

[AU Doc]

I'm in the process or sorting out my driveline and a major weak link is the current 8.2" 10 bolt. I'd rather not spend ~$2500 for a new 9" or 12 bolt, so I'm looking for alternatives. One of the members here pointed me to the Ford 8.8"s, which is a brilliant idea! I've been searching and found bits and pieces of info on this swap here and there, but I'm having a hard time deciding on which diff I should settle on. There are two major options:

Explorer 8.8
Pros -
31 spline axles
Disc brakes
Most have Traction-Lok
59.5" - only 1/2" shorter than stock

Cons -
The pinion is offset by 2" - This sounds serious, but I'm not sure.

Approximate Cost:
Rear = $500 (This is s just a ballpark for now)
Narrowing = $600
Axle - ? Will need one more axle
Gears = $160

Total = +$1,260

Mustang (SN 95) 8.8
Pros -
Centered pinion
Disc brakes - the reason for choosing the SN 95 model
59.25" (after swap to fox-length axles) - 3/4" shorter than the stock 60" width

Cons -
Requires axle and carrier swap to upgrade to 31 spline axles

Approximate Cost
Rear = $500
Axles = $260
Carrier = $260
Gears = $160

Total = $1,180

So my question is, is the 2" offset in the explorer rear a problem? I assume the explorer rear would need to be narrowed, or possibly swap the short tube and axle from a spare rear onto the explorer rear going into my car (I think I'd end up with a 2.5" narrower rear). Is a centered pinion what I need for my camaro?

I'm hesitant to weld axles tubes, and would probably have to find a chassis shop around here to handle that. Spring perches and the like I think I can handle. That's the reason the Mustang rear seems more appealing to me even though the axles and carrier would need to be replaced. These things are cheap to work on, and I think I could still do the Mustang swap for around $1000. I'm not sure what the cost of having the Explorer rear converted would be.



Any thoughts?

EDIT: Updated to include a price for having the Explorer rear narrowed (long end cut-down).