hbpfly

I bought 2 sets and they both broke the first time they went off road. You can not set up the pinion and crown wheel in the middle axle. It howls on the road and strips when under load. I have the solution now, but it is not cheap ! www.portalrover.co.uk

Who ever Foley commissioned, made a good job of it, and it works well. The set I bought off ebay were scrapped. Good money down the drain - to say nothing of the time and abuse ! LRO have asked to do a feature on the vehicle, so that will be out in a few months. I have just had a Swedish 4x4 magazine come over and do an article, so it appears that when it is done properly, there is a lot of interest. I have learned the hard way, but I am more than willing to assist any other who want to know the pit-falls I have come across. www.portalrover.co.uk Torque of the North.

Td5 head gaskets go between 70 and 90k typically. You may well not see signs when you remove it. Early td5 had plastic dowels to locate the head and gasket. Make sure you replace them with steel pegs, and ... MAKE SURE THERE IS NO BITS OF PLASTIC LEFT ON THE HEAD OR BLOCK! The plastic ones sheer, and if there is a bit left in the head/block, the steel one will not allow the head to torque down. The symptoms you have are exactly that of a head gasket. When you remove the gasket look at the it where it sits under the thermostat housing, and count the number of small holes on the tab at the edge of the gasket. There will be 1, 2, or 3 holes. Make sure you use the same type of gasket as they are different thicknesses and this is critical for piston clearance. When you have the head off, replace the copper washers and O rings on the injectors. Not a big job, but you do need to rotate the cam a bit to remove some of the injectors. When rebuilding, replace the injector harness. This should be done every 3 years to stop oil going down to the ECU. If you pull the red plug off the ECU under the seat and there is oil in it, give it a squirt out with brake cleaner before putting it back on. When you fill the coolant system, put the heater to hot so water can circulate here too and not trap air. Fill until the water jets from the bleed screw on the top hose, then top off after a run. It may also be an idea to replace the header tank cap. Portalrover - torque of the north. www.portalrover.co.uk

I bought a set of these axles and did NOT have success with them - off road they stripped the centre diff out soon as the strain came on. I tried to make it work, had the rear diff face pegged, had holes elongated to try and set the crown wheel and pinion to a snug fit - nothing worked. The guy I bought them from just gave me a lot of abuse and dismissed me as an off road freak ! Why would you have a 6x6 if not for off road ? !! In the end I went to Paul Folley who built me a beautiful centre diff transfer box which works a treat. It has selectable 6/4 wheel drive and is fitted with a Kam LSD. A straight through diff sounds nice, but in reality, unless you have a good space between the 2 rear axles, you end up with a very short prop shaft, and this limits the travel on you suspension before the 2 halves come apart. What we have is a long shaft, HD wide yoke, and free wheeling hubs on the rear axle. With this set up we have max articulation off road and a static rear drive line when on the highway - rear axles free wheel and centre diff out of gear. If you would like to ask me about the set up, or anything to do with it, please contact me. Hughie www.portalrover.co.uk We have done it and learned by the mistakes ! Portalrover - torque of the north.

I pull a 16' behind my 90 with no problems. I haul range rovers and discos about and the sit fine. Just remember to lash the wheels down and not the body

PORTALROVER is still going !! We are doing lots with TD5s as we are agents for TD5 Alive, Kam Lockers, and X-Eng, so we are supplying quality. We are also still doing UNIMOG axles and conversions. I will be at Billing on X-Eng stand with my prep'ed 90 if you want to discuss a project, or just want a bleather. Our work on td5 engines is giving us some good results with huge power being developed from ecu maping, manifold ceramics, and hybred turbocharger. The results are promising as we are not having heating issues. Customers who were going to ditch their td5 because of lack of power etc, are delighted with the result, and finding that the extra power has actually made the truck more economical to run - unless you treat it as a rally car ! Our CAT anti-rust system has really proven itself to help prevent our LandRover from rust and electrolisis. Please visit me at www.portalrover.co.uk Cheers, Hughie

I have various 404 axles and parts. I also have half shafts to suit front axle when you do the diff swap. These are made in UK and very strong. For gearing I have Ashcrofts build me special boxes. David knows the score and will be happy to supply. Axles can be supplied converted for Land Rover from www.portalrover.co I also have a running / rolling 404 chassis with a diesel engine fitted, there is also a rear pto with a masive hydraulic pump driven off it. It is for sale as a unit. There are huge tyres fitted on the axles. Portal axles

That's how it started out, but you know how it is - people get side tracked, and some times interesting facts emerge. Portalrover is working on a new axle project with a world renown company to get everyone on portals at a sensible price - without having to haul 3/4 of a ton on drive train around underneath themselves !

Hi Pantelis. Thank you for the comments. The other project is taking a loooooong time to sort out I know, but we are still working on it ! I will keep you posted. Cheers, Hughie

Straight forwad supplies has NOT been taken over. PORTALROVER IS AN INDEPENDANT COMPANY - operating in the North of SCOTLAND - not Wales. Please view my web - www.portalrover.co.uk - Here you will also se some picture of a 110 being bob tailed - drastic I know, but I hope it will get rid of some of my hang-ups ! Cheers, Hughie

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 name='ashtrans' date='Aug 8 2008, 09:24 PM' post='296505'] Hughie, wash your mouth out ! for the record, they do not, Hi Dave - really sorry - could it be that down the line you both use a similar supplier of material or tempering that has generated the link ? I have a set of your shafts and C/V joints in my trials truck - 110 tdi - and since fitting them a coupe of years ago I haven't had an issue. Prior to fitting you gear I could not be sure that I was going to get home in without breaking a shaft. Your gear is good quality, and it is backed by a good service. I will be in touch vis-a-vis shafts. [

When we used KAM shafts over 10 years ago when they had a guarantee but we twisted so many that they gave up on that idea - we had a least 15 or more piled up in the workshop all useless. We went Ashcroft shafts and never had a problem since . Here is a picture of a mog and a landrover side by side.

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 The shafts are being made by Kam, so if they can't get it right, no one can ! The shafts that have been made in the far east were discribed by one analist as "fosalised marshmallow". Many thanks for all the words of encouragement. Hughie

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

If you want a neat unit to stick in the top corner of the windscreen, go to your local yacht sales place and you will find all sorts of different models there. It is amusing to have, but your butt is better. If you feel your cheeks getting stretched apart, it is hopefully because you are on a steep sidecast - this is the time to think about fitting a roll cage and seat covers !

I have just bought out Straight Forward Supplies, and it is now called www.portalrover.co.uk Cheers, Hughie