HoSS Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 I don't know if this has been spotted before, but it came up on one of the FB pages i follow. In development - retrofit portal kit for series & defender. (I have no connection or opinion with this outfit, just posting for comment & interest) They also seem to do some other bits that could be of interest. Specialist Parts Engineering | Design & Development Engineering (designdevelopmenteng.co.uk) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 I looked at their site the other month. nice stuff some items seem pricey some reasonable. did not see the Portals though. Easy way to spend lots of cash! Found this on their Facebook page. Dumb question time. I know it will leave more drop box exposed and negate some of the clearance gained but, if you swap the swivel and drop box locations over you wouldn't need the brace bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoSS Posted November 18, 2021 Author Share Posted November 18, 2021 The prices don't seem too bad for custom stuff. e.g disc brake conversions are a fraction of what they are for my C303 He did comment on FB that the track increases by 5" even with custom offset rims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 I seem to remember that a company in Scotland also offered a bolt on conversion to achieve this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 26 minutes ago, HoSS said: The prices don't seem too bad for custom stuff. e.g disc brake conversions are a fraction of what they are for my C303 He did comment on FB that the track increases by 5" even with custom offset rims. Surely 5 " on both sides looking at the drop box width? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 1 minute ago, missingsid said: Surely 5 " on both sides looking at the drop box width? You'll get some back with the "Custom offset rims"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wytze Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 Go with series axle body and it would be good on a defender, i think. But, the bolt on idea is then gone🙃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 I don't understand he starts with a series axle, as that does not get him many sales I reckon. The second reduction is a single gear which looks a bit cumbersome to me: This way, the width of the gear had to go up, giving you the 5 inch width increase. Also, only 18" rims due to the size of the portal: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wytze Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 24 minutes ago, Daan said: I don't understand he starts with a series axle, as that does not get him many sales I reckon. The second reduction is a single gear which looks a bit cumbersome to me: This way, the width of the gear had to go up, giving you the 5 inch width increase. Also, only 18" rims due to the size of the portal: Ha.. i was thinking about that.. would 16" still fit.. That's a no then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 Would have thought most people considering portals would also be using large diameter tyres, so can afford a larger rim? Unless you move the portal inboard of the swivel (and similarly inboard at the back) you'd be pretty limited in what you could fit in a 16" rim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 Scrub radius under control ? They are having a laugh. Loads of bump steer and will be a nightmare to steer anyway. Lord knows how long the steering joints and swivel housings and bearings will last. Complete waste of time and money IMO. Might just as well fit big wheels and tyres, or better still, just buy a Unimog. And who on earth buys this stuff ? £72 for a washer jet 😲 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 They're "reassuringly expensive" ! 😄 Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneandtwo Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 5 hours ago, smallfry said: Scrub radius under control ? They are having a laugh. Loads of bump steer and will be a nightmare to steer anyway. Lord knows how long the steering joints and swivel housings and bearings will last. Complete waste of time and money IMO. Might just as well fit big wheels and tyres, or better still, just buy a Unimog. And who on earth buys this stuff ? £72 for a washer jet 😲 My father did for his Puma, but to be honest the washer jet is no better than the £5 plastic standard one. However the stainless steel wiper gearboxes he also bought from them are superb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted November 19, 2021 Share Posted November 19, 2021 20 hours ago, missingsid said: Dumb question time. I know it will leave more drop box exposed and negate some of the clearance gained but, if you swap the swivel and drop box locations over you wouldn't need the brace bar. Woke up this morning, (cue blues riff) and realised the issue here. The drag links and track rods would be at the bottom of the drop boxes completely negating the lift. It would need tractor type steering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoSS Posted November 19, 2021 Author Share Posted November 19, 2021 2 hours ago, missingsid said: Woke up this morning, (cue blues riff) and realised the issue here. The drag links and track rods would be at the bottom of the drop boxes completely negating the lift. It would need tractor type steering. The drag links should be inside the wheel with a deeper offset (like they are on C303, Unimog) not sure about the track rods. But i dont like the look of the forces the drag link may take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted November 19, 2021 Share Posted November 19, 2021 They've got some great ideas amongst the product lines. I like the idea of telescopic wing mirrors - and the wiper wheel-boxes. The prices look reasonable to me, when you look at the finish & apparent precision, they are not just made to a cost. I wonder if the owner is on here somewhere? Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 21, 2021 Share Posted November 21, 2021 They're very pretty My default response to this is that people keep trying to make bolt-on portals for LR axles and it never really happens, there's a lot of issues created by a thing like this and many of them have no elegant or easy solution - adapting Volvos or Mogs starts to look stronger and more cost-effective very quickly. Issue #1 is that LR axles (as in casings / stubs etc.) are really too weak for the sorts of loads (leverage) these can generate, especially with bigger tyres, so for a lot of folks it's far easier and cheaper to just throw a pile of money at upgrades and run a bigger tyre on a straight axle. Quite a few other bits I'm curious about but not sure I want to start a deep-dive into a design that's not likely be fitted to a truck in anger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 I messaged the DS Trac Axles folk - a search on their website shows some portal boxes that bolt on to Land Rover: https://www.dstracaxles.com/products/portal-box-kit-defender-salisburg-axles?_pos=1&_sid=89007bbf2&_ss=r … but they aren’t listed and in a message they told me they have stopped doing them, citing how weak the front axle is when you go up in tyres sizes over 37”. So they are doing a bolt in solution - that they say they will start offering next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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