hbpfly Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 PORTALROVER Ltd. is NOT part of any other company and has no association or connection other than the purchase of a web page from a company that stopped trading - SFS. Starting a new business is not easy, and there will always be snags, especially when relying on outside companies for components. As for prices - Steel has gone up by 40%, and what I do to axles requires a lot of fabrication, not just cutting and swapping ends. Half shafts are being made by one of the best companies in UK and are costing a fortune. My price is not a get rich quick scheme, but the cost of the components, the fabrication, and a small percentage for the business. If you have any questions that I can answer without giving derogatory answers to, please get in touch ! I look forward to working with you and hope we may meet at some of the events round the UK. Regards, Hughie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uninformed Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 what material are your half shafts being made from? maybe post some pics of your work for all to see. good luck, dont be affraid to look world wide for ideas and techniques. Serg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Good luck to you Hughie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Welcome Hughie. SFS have gone so Hughie doesn't carry the can for their past. nice to see some more stuff on your web site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 That's good to know, I was wondering if there was a connection. Need to sort your website out though, comic sans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Good luck, Hughie, I hope it all works out for you Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtydiesel Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 im not overly impresed with kam's work. but if your happy with what they are making for you that is all that is important.Serg I echo that, and went to rakeway for my shafts, they're comedy lead times take some getting used to but the product is spot on. What material are your shafts made from Hugie? and have you altered the diameter of the shafts relative to their lengths? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Didn't I see that landrover with the tracks on the back of a recovery lorry a few weeks ago? Possibly on the M40? Good luck to you Hughie. I think you'll need to provide more technical data in your replies in order to satisfy anyone who isn't new to it all / an idiot. Saying it isn' t made of chocolate is not the same as saying what it IS made of, what type of splines you use and how the thing has been treated/finished etc. Cheers, Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watson Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 firstly good luck hughie secondly i emailed portlerover they other week and got a good informing email back, i was very impressed with the service, have you considered ashcroft to make your shafts?? josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 To be honest, ANY good reputable machine shop in the UK can make halfshafts, just spec the material and heat treatment you want / need and of you go! No reason you need to go to axle or gear specialists! Just make sure they make it out of what they say and the heat treatment is perfect. Lara. Geoff Harris 01189 344140 Tell him Julian Messent sent you Ask his advice and trust him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uninformed Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 To be honest, ANY good reputable machine shop in the UK can make halfshafts, just spec the material and heat treatment you want / need and of you go!No reason you need to go to axle or gear specialists! Just make sure they make it out of what they say and the heat treatment is perfect. Lara. Geoff Harris 01189 344140 Tell him Julian Messent sent you Ask his advice and trust him i dont agree, if that were the case alot more would do it. axle design has alot going on even though they look simple enough. and a maker needs a complete understanding of the end result to determine material choice, production methods and heat treating, just saying make sure its heat treated properly doesnt make it so.... Serg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 /Beavis & butthead voice/ Whoaaaa.... that's COOL!!!! B) B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Hughie, It seems to me that LR parts suppliers compete on product, price and customer service. From what I saw, SFS scared me with their product so I didn't ask about price or service. Scorpion and Craddocks both offer decent products but from my previous experience with their service I don't ask their prices any more. My local parts dealer can sometimes be a little more expensive than elsewhere but the product's good and the customer service is good enough to make me feel guilty about his livelihood sometimes, so I don't look elsewhere for off-the-shelf parts. From your posts on here you've realised the point about customer service and aren't scared to promote and defend yourself in public. You don't need to compete on price because I don't know of many other bolt-on portal conversions and bespoke fabrication is only within the grasp of a few. That only leaves the product; if you've got a robust and well-engineered product then I wish you as much good fortune as Si has seen with X-Eng. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Why all the fussing about shafts? The Mog ones are massive, with a reduction hub on the end which reduces the load on the drivetrain. If you break one, you're doing something wrong. Or you're DirtyDiesel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtydiesel Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Why all the fussing about shafts? The Mog ones are massive, with a reduction hub on the end which reduces the load on the drivetrain. If you break one, you're doing something wrong. Or you're DirtyDiesel. The problem was john that SFS were mking they're shafts from Conventional mild steel, they then didn't have them hardened, so both the wear resistance and the strength of the shaft is in question. Mog shafts are a significantly more complex beast than most conventional shafts, they require a differing level of hardness at each end, and shaft diameter is quite critical, As all four shafts are different lengths and different diameters to absorb shock loadings equaly. Before i had mine made i had an original shaft examined to determined it's material type and we were quite suprised, the conclusion we came to was that the design of the shafts and the hardening process contributed hugely to there strength. Or you're DirtyDiesel. I've only broke 1 shaft, 1 diff center and a portal box so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Aaah, I forgot the SFS factor, was he splining them with a grinder? Wouldn't be surprised... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtydiesel Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Aaah, I forgot the SFS factor, was he splining them with a grinder? Wouldn't be surprised... No, he was paying a chinese company to make them as cheaply as possible. Worringly this is the same company that made his weld on beadlock rings, you know the ones that were oval, doesn't bode well for anyone running sfs converted mogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrism Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I have recently taken delivery and fitted a pair of axles from portal rover, and have been impressed with the axles. They are as new out of a crate, ex-military i should imagine with no rust and lots of grease! The offset swap seems tidily done from what i can see. The axle in the pic hughie put on is my axle i believe! As for the shafts i think the Kam ones will be fine as somebody has mentioned you have hub reduction and theyre bigger than landy ones anyway! My other shafts will be standard so im happy with something that is not a great deal stronger that the originals. Only problem i have had is my own fault as i fitted 2 front axles, one of which was off set swapped. I then had a think about it and realised they would drive the opposite way to each other!! Im now running the rear axle casing upside down which has a couple of side effects...my prop shaft now runs at a 20degree side angle and to get my pinion angle right the portal hubs arent vertically down which is going to give me slight steering/tyre scrubbing issues. This is a short term set-up, i will probably end up having a new casing made which has a mirror off set swap (use original shafts) and the ends twisted around to sort the pinion angle. Is there anyone out there running full width portals and 44" boggers on 16" rims as im very interested to see how wide they are! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon red90 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Im now running the rear axle casing upside down which has a couple of side effects... really like the look and idea of properly done mog stuff. not taken a good look at the axles so i could be a way out... why cant you just turn the diff 180degrees. in the case of doing the same with a rover axles you have to cut a groove out and modify the studs and facing of the casing, worts case senareo you would have to cut the whole mating face out and weld it back in upside down, a gergee of work and fairly critical to get right but then everything would line up as it should do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrism Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 That was my first idea, which would solve the problem completly! Unfortunatly this is rather difficult with these axles as you have the locker mechanism etc and the shape of them just wont allow it. I also thought about cutting the casing around the diff out and turning that whole lot upside down, which solves all the fitment problems from just turning the diff over, but because the axle casing is double skinned and the outer skin shape isnt symetrical about the centre of the diff this would be very difficult to get right. Running the prop at an angle will do for now as i havent got time to mess about with that before 3peaks! Wingnut...my opinion is to go to ashcroft, I would feel a lot happier with their stuff in my axles, not sure on the cost difference though Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uninformed Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Why all the fussing about shafts? The Mog ones are massive, with a reduction hub on the end which reduces the load on the drivetrain. If you break one, you're doing something wrong. Or you're DirtyDiesel. because they are getting axles made anyway, you may as well do it right and use good design and materials. or you could just get them made from mild steel.... big wont solve all your problems Serg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtydiesel Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 I have recently taken delivery and fitted a pair of axles from portal rover, and have been impressed with the axles. They are as new out of a crate, ex-military i should imagine with no rust and lots of grease! The offset swap seems tidily done from what i can see. The axle in the pic hughie put on is my axle i believe!As for the shafts i think the Kam ones will be fine as somebody has mentioned you have hub reduction and theyre bigger than landy ones anyway! My other shafts will be standard so im happy with something that is not a great deal stronger that the originals. Only problem i have had is my own fault as i fitted 2 front axles, one of which was off set swapped. I then had a think about it and realised they would drive the opposite way to each other!! Im now running the rear axle casing upside down which has a couple of side effects...my prop shaft now runs at a 20degree side angle and to get my pinion angle right the portal hubs arent vertically down which is going to give me slight steering/tyre scrubbing issues. This is a short term set-up, i will probably end up having a new casing made which has a mirror off set swap (use original shafts) and the ends twisted around to sort the pinion angle. Is there anyone out there running full width portals and 44" boggers on 16" rims as im very interested to see how wide they are! Chris You've got something wrong there chris, there's no reason why you'd need to turn the front axle upside down in a rear aplication. You only really need to swap the knuckles and portal gears side to side, but thats only really to make them happier on the road. Backspacing on the rims will have a lot to do with width, on 16.5 hummer rims were going to be the wrong side of 90" wide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboV8 Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Could you not flip the axles and run a P38 LT230 trans case would that not give you forward drive again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Goodluck with the venture Hughie.I'm thinking of LandRover enthusiasts that already have invested in difflocks etc, so in addition to your current arrangement have you given any thought to offering a hybrid conversion using Mog knuckles and portals on reinforced LandRover axle housings ? Stock Mog halfshafts could conceivably be annealed, cut, resplined to 24 spline and re heat treated to suit, which should keep costs down.Halfshafts that aren't long enough can be lengthened with an internally splined sleeve and stub shaft ? I'd wager there would be less work in reinforcing a Rover banjo housing and flipping the diff centre than narrowing and swapping offsets, in addition to fabbing Rover type suspension brackets for Mog Banjo housings. If KAMs alternative ratio crown wheel and pinion sets (2.8 :1?) are any good it could potentially broaden your market by allowing a respectable cruising speed on less radically modified deisel vehicles with moderate size tyres without the necessity to seek out expensive supplementary overdrive units. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbpfly Posted August 10, 2008 Author Share Posted August 10, 2008 Goodluck with the venture Hughie.I'm thinking of LandRover enthusiasts that already have invested in difflocks etc, so in addition to your current arrangement have you given any thought to offering a hybrid conversion using Mog knuckles and portals on reinforced LandRover axle housings ? Stock Mog halfshafts could conceivably be annealed, cut, resplined to 24 spline and re heat treated to suit, which should keep costs down.Halfshafts that aren't long enough can be lengthened with an internally splined sleeve and stub shaft ? I'd wager there would be less work in reinforcing a Rover banjo housing and flipping the diff centre than narrowing and swapping offsets, in addition to fabbing Rover type suspension brackets for Mog Banjo housings. If KAMs alternative ratio crown wheel and pinion sets (2.8 :1?) are any good it could potentially broaden your market by allowing a respectable cruising speed on less radically modified deisel vehicles with moderate size tyres without the necessity to seek out expensive supplementary overdrive units. Bill. Cheers Bill. I am working on a couple of options at the moment that will take a few months to develop. I realise that there is a need for an easier solution to the portal question other than fitting mog axles. There is a a conversion for LR axles to strengthen the tubes that is about to be launched - it was done for the military so they can drive them out of the back of aeroplanes from 20,000' and hit the ground running ! No, seriously, there is a strengthenned axle on its way, and that will allow us to develop portal ends to their full potential. As you point out, many folk have spent hard earned money on diffs etc, so we need somthing that can enhance what they have, and not cost a fortune - or weigh 2 tonne ! I will put stuff in the forum and on my own web site as it happens. I don't want to give away too many secrets at the moment in case someone builds a new shed and starts making them out of old muck spreader gearboxes !! Cheers, Hughie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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