custom-conversions

Most portals are a bit compromised with the Landrover high box, its difficult to get the cruising speed up to a reasonable level for some road use. Volvo axles are probably the best with a 5.99 ration available but are just too expensive & difficult to find. 4.75's are probably a good balance with 35-37's

Thanks for the offer but I've already got 2, ones a 6.5 TD, ones a 6.2. They are really heavy & I don't think I'll use them in the off-roader I'm building, Unimog axles & a heavy v8 diesel would be a little too heavy, it would sink. GMC v8's must be getting on for around 500kg's of cast iron. They are a right pain to fit & move around. I think I'll be using a 3.1 Isuzu TD instead. Much lighter, more compact & not a bad engine.

I just used the 1.222 X-fer box ratio & a ZF4HP22 auto to figure out the speeds. I can see the benefits of the 1.003 X-fer box though, I've got a GMC v8 diesel in one of my cars which doesn't like to rev so that box comes in handy.

Okay, worse than the chocolate ones then. Series ring & pinions must be a waste of time. Shame as they aren't expensive or difficult to find but guess thats why Ashcroft & KAM make them! Ratio wise a 4.7 with 37" tyres seems to work in theory. At 2700 rpm you would be doing 70mph, when a standard Rangie on 29" rubber will be doing 75 mph. Ashcrofts 4.11 ring & pinion would be doing 70mph at 2350rpm.

You might be onto something, its difficult to see without moving it througth its full range of travel though. It might take a while finding the optimum posisions for the links. Maybe angle the lower links towards the centre,. Its still going to need a panhard rod to keep the axle positioned latterally by the looks of it, the radius arm bushes flex & the axle would move side to side. It'll be interesting to see the outcome.

The 4.7 Salisbury rear would be ideal, but what do you put up front? Can you fit a series 4.7 R&P of any description onto a 24spline centre so you can then fit ashcrofts shafts & CV's into a std rover case? If so is the R&P strong enough if the diff was pegged? I know the series diffs are reported as being a little weak but wasn't sure if its just because of the 2-pin centre or the R&P that gives way. If it all works it'll keep the costs down a bit but mean removing a Salisbury diff once or twice. A fun job by all accounts!

Its also got "QT CORRECTION RADIUS ARMS 6 INCH"

Ashcroft sell them for £375 , then you have got to fit it into your diff case as thats only the diff centre. ARB's are about a £100 or so more expensive. I'd guess that crowndiffs are similar in price.Looking at £4-500 once fitted in your axle. None of these bits are cheap, rover axles are expensive to uprate, maybe worth keeping an eye out for some second hand. Or if the series R&P could be fitted to a 24spline diff centre you might save some cash but make a lot of work for yourself. Just need to find out if its stong enough if the diff is pegged first.

I guess scaffold tube doesn't bend nicely then!

"A FULL EXTERNAL ROLL CAGE CUSTOM MADE BY FJT SAFETY DEVICES- £1100" Custom made for sure!

If its going to be £350 for a 4-pin diff your getting close to the cost of buying an ARB locker. If it was my money I'd be paying the little bit extra for a locking diff. Lots of info on the crown diffs site which is good but no prices.

4-Pins aren't going to be as cheap as you'd like. Everyone would be fiting them if they were. Just been thinking, How strong is a Series front 4.7:1 Ring & pinion going to be as that will help with the gearing, maybe a bit too much though but you don't need 100mph top speed on 37's anymore! You can afford to drop the gearing a bit. You can then fit a sailsbury rear from a series in a defender case. Can you then fit a series R&P to a Range Rover diff centre & peg the diff to reduce the flex? Or is the pinion the weak link? Would this survive some abuse? I know the diff cetre is still a weak link as are the front shafts & CV's, but at leat the rear has been taken care of fairly cheaply. Does a R&P from a series even fit in the rover case though? I don't know much about the series diffs but know there are some similarities at least. Maybe you have to use the entire series diff??? It might just save you some cash though, but its loads of work instead. Plus loads of potential issues to resolve if what I'm thinking is even possible. So, Just wondered if its all a waste of time & its better to save up for ARB's & Lockers instead, they are proven to work at least. I still don't really like the idea of upgrading the rear & leaving the front stock, the rear is a lot easier to work on & replace bits. The front is a pain, I hate changing CV's & they are probably the next weak link, 24-32 spline front axle, they are the weakest rover made aren't they?

I am surprised by the dimensions, I though they always looked a fair bit wider & beefier. Whats the wheel base of the cruiser? They look great kitted out & have a good reputation for reliablity. Great for towing too. But they don't flex well as standard from what I've seen. Have you considered that off-road parts & extras are a fair bit more expensive & difficult to source. Not a probem if your a good fabricator though for most bits.

I am surprised by the dimensions, I though they always looked a fair bit wider & beefier. Whats the wheel base of the cruiser? They look great kitted out & have a good reputation for reliablity. Great for towing too. But they don't flex well as standard from what I've seen. Have you considered that off-road parts & extras are a fair bit more expensive & difficult to source. Not a probem if your a good fabricator though for most bits.

This might prove usefull, just found the link. H14W Manual

It is a throttle cable link. (#7)

I have bought a couple in the past for £400 each but though that was rather cheap as I sold a spare PTO for £300 on eBay. Plus the price new must be a good few thousand, they are good value now. I quite like them, not the quickest but they are a strong well built winch that will keep going all day long if required.

Ah, thats what you call it!

If you move the lever you have numbered #4 you should see the control block level move aswell, they are attached with a cable. The other lever on the control block turns the auxillary circuit on & off.

#4 Is the in cab control for winching in/out. The main control unit was fitted on the n/s front wing. You can control the wing from either.

#7 Increases the throttle to up the revs while using the hydraulics, the cable attaches to the throttle #6 Auxillary hydraulic lines that can be used to power other hydraulic tools & attachments (Its not an emergency stop valve) Looks like the standard Superwinch H14 hydraulic kit.

They certainly look well made. In fact the fit & finish of all their products looks very good but like you mentioned you need to win the lottery first. Its interesting to see that they aren't drilled around the axle bushes, QT's obviously tried to save a little more weight on their early arms.

Oh, the price has gone up since I looked ages ago, currently £1244.60 I've had QT arms in the past & they did the job but the welding & plating wasn't great, they were going rusty even before they were fitted & the welding was a bit messy.

The Equipe ones are a little expensive though. I'm sure they are a great product but are they worth the money? Can anyone justify spending that sort of cash on saving a kilo or 2?

A good suggestion, I've seen saley's solution which looks effective, not too complicated to do either. Should be exactly what your looking for Tombraider110 But I liked the idea of the hummer rims as they are slightly bigger & have a better chance of fitting over unimog portal hubs with less offset, they should be fairly strong, stronger than modulars anyway. Plus the offset will allow more room for the brake calipers I'm fitting to replace the huge drum brakes.