This is confusing. Chrysler doesn't have an 8.0. Are you referring to the 8.25" or the 7.25"? The 7.25" is good only for six cylinders and stock, low power/2BBL 318s, The 8.25" was good enough to be used under M body police cruisers, and pursuit vehicles, as well as 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton pickups and vans.
Nice picture, but essentially meaningless. The outer housing really just keeps the working parts in alignment. The axle diameters, the splien count, the size of the ring gear, pinion gear, the sizes of their teeth, the overall amount of metal and the quality of the metal used in the gears are far more important that the size/shape of the outer housing.
I suspect that the mods that you propose for the Explorer 8.8 would make your inital $150 investment come out to be substantially higher in the end. Along with needing non-Mopar factory wheels. Could be wrong on that, I guess.
Kostas