Timmy511 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Hello all, im new to this forum but after reading a certain landrover magazine i had to come an have a look. it seems theres alot more modifying and building going on here than in other froums which is very nice. im on my second landrover now (technically its my forth but the other two never made it to the road!), its an old 90, its recived alot of welding, a 200 tdi, a disco transfer box, a gwyn lewis kit and a sailsbury rear axle. on that note i know the rear axle is capable of taking alot of abuse and a set of simex ETs but the front concerns me and will be very costly to upgrade (CVs, shafts, diff etc). are the landcruiser axles that so many people are raving about up to the job? the locking diffs are/will be a huge bonus and save alot of money over ARBs. If you've got any experience of these axles please divulge what you will be it good or bad, and more importantly how much should you be paying for a second hand set? many thanks, Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Hello all, im new to this forum but after reading a certain landrover magazine i had to come an have a look. Intrigued. Which magazine? Take a look at the 'Tech archive' forum, you will find many answers within. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy511 Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 Intrigued. Which magazine?Take a look at the 'Tech archive' forum, you will find many answers within. Chris LRO did a short write up on a bloke named Richard's disco which he'd used landcruiser axles in its build, and there was a link to this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 That would likley be 'PlasticBadger' his build thread is here: Disco on Toy axles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Ah, my less than subtle plug of LR4x4 in LRO magazine has done the required! I'm slightly biased, but the Landcruiser axle swap is an excellent idea - you can buy a set for under £300 by shopping around and you end up with the same strength as a well worked set of LR axles (about £3000 worth!). Not only do you get the lockers, much stronger shafts, bearings and so on, but you also get much bigger brakes chucked in as well! I've run mine now a fair amount on 37" superswampers with no breakage. The only weak spot is the front CV joints, I know Nick (roguevogue) has trashed his in competition a couple of times and now upgraded to Longfield CVs from the states. He's running a healthy V8 and Simexes, so you should be fine with the power from the Tdi. Even with the Longfields you should still get a pair of axles with the upgraded parts for the price of 1 ARB diff. The work to fit them is involved from a fabrication point of view, but the diff off set and steering is all OK so it's only a case of the bracketry for the radius arms, shock etc. Have a look at my build thread that Mark has kindly put up a link for and let me know if you need any further information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy511 Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 Ah, my less than subtle plug of LR4x4 in LRO magazine has done the required!I'm slightly biased, but the Landcruiser axle swap is an excellent idea - you can buy a set for under £300 by shopping around and you end up with the same strength as a well worked set of LR axles (about £3000 worth!). Not only do you get the lockers, much stronger shafts, bearings and so on, but you also get much bigger brakes chucked in as well! I've run mine now a fair amount on 37" superswampers with no breakage. The only weak spot is the front CV joints, I know Nick (roguevogue) has trashed his in competition a couple of times and now upgraded to Longfield CVs from the states. He's running a healthy V8 and Simexes, so you should be fine with the power from the Tdi. Even with the Longfields you should still get a pair of axles with the upgraded parts for the price of 1 ARB diff. The work to fit them is involved from a fabrication point of view, but the diff off set and steering is all OK so it's only a case of the bracketry for the radius arms, shock etc. Have a look at my build thread that Mark has kindly put up a link for and let me know if you need any further information. at present my main problem is finding a set at the right price, where should i be looking, ive asked a load on ebay who are breaking them and the lowest ive got so far is 575 for the pair, which by the sounds of it is over priced. is the local breakers a better option? cheers, Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 i have an 80 series cruiser with the relevant axles. have spoken to a few people that run 36" simexes on oem CVs- for accuracy the CVs that nick trashed were cheapy aftermarket jobbies. OEM CVs are really very very strong and cope with hard off roading only really failing after significant wear- say 125,000 miles. Longfield CVs can be had for around 2/3s the price of Ashcroft stuff imported and have a lifetime guarantee against breakages! I don't beleive that any of the off roading found in the UK will be of serious risk to longfield CVs- guys in the states run them with 38" tyres on rock crawler and don't break them. post 92 axles come with the bigger ABS brakes which you will need 16" rims for (stock cruiser rims are 16x8 and really very strong- with a reasonable offset too). DON'T buy import axles unless you are 100% sure that they have lockers (most dont)- the only way to reliably check is to get under the car and look for the actuator- looks like a coke can bolted to the side of the diff- don't just go on the locker switch (a rotatry switch just to the left of the steering column) as they sometimes fitted the switch but no lockers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizla 1 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Hello all, im new im on my second landrover now (technically its my forth but the other two never made it to the road!), its an old 90, its recived alot of welding, a 200 tdi, a disco transfer box, a gwyn lewis kit and a sailsbury rear axle. many thanks, Tim. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just a thought you could buy a front salisbury axle - strong and easy fix and there was one on e-bay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 at present my main problem is finding a set at the right price, where should i be looking, ive asked a load on ebay who are breaking them and the lowest ive got so far is 575 for the pair, which by the sounds of it is over priced. is the local breakers a better option? cheers, Tim. Look out for individuals breaking their own cars on ebay. I found a guy near me that I bought some bits off who wanted £350 for the pair of axles, and they came with a free landcruiser still bolted to them. It was mostly stripped, but would weigh in good! Alternatively try posting on the Toyota Lancruiser owners club forum. Some people seem to have parts cars, spares, etc. Sadly it seems the rise in popularity in Land Rover land is affecting the second hand prices of these lovely bits of kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Longfield CVs can be had for around 2/3s the price of Ashcroft stuff imported and have a lifetime guarantee against breakages! I don't beleive that any of the off roading found in the UK will be of serious risk to longfield CVs- guys in the states run them with 38" tyres on rock crawler and don't break them. Jim what happens when you need to call on that warranty then? do they cover postage back to the US and how long will you be without awaiting fix/replacements? All well and good saying things are far cheaper but not when you tot up all the follow up costs if they ever have to go back for warranty work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Humphreys Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Try to make sure you get them from an auto, as the gearing is lower. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 (a rotatry switch just to the left of the steering column) as they sometimes fitted the switch but no lockers! and sometimes even with the switch being turned the lockers dont come on do they Jim........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy511 Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Just a thought you could buy a front salisbury axle - strong and easy fix and there was one on e-bay good point well made all apart for the fact the front salisbury for a 90/110 (which is usually a military item) is as rare as hens teeth! and then id have to fit ARBs at a later date which would be no doubt joyus! i wish landrover hadnt made their axles out of cheese in the first place and this wouldnt be an issue. ill keep looking on ebay, if by anychance any of you hear of any for sale please send me a pm, itll be much apraciated. cheers for all the ideas / advice, Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizla 1 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 salisbury front - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Land-Rover-Salisbury...id=p3286.c0.m14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 i like the amount of care he has used in taking the axle off the donar vehicle. brake lines just snipped and the bottom of the shock just angle ground.......Still wanting £800 for one axle without a locker. Must be cheaper to get toy axles with lockers front and rear and the brackets fab'd / welded on by an adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Jim what happens when you need to call on that warranty then?do they cover postage back to the US and how long will you be without awaiting fix/replacements? All well and good saying things are far cheaper but not when you tot up all the follow up costs if they ever have to go back for warranty work luckily i haven't had to call on the warranty yet... but i did enquire about this- 2 ways of doing it- either buy a new set and get them shipped straight over (cost me £70 last time) and send them the broken ones and they refund the cost of product plus domestic shipping (a tenner basically)- so you would have new CVs within 3-5 days which is about aws good as you are going to need really (as you can buy cheapo £40 cvs in the UK that would get the vehicle moving as necessary but wouldn't work for competitive use) or you keep the oem CVs which you have swapped out the uprated CVs for- luckily for me Toy Cvs are pretty strong anyway so putting back in OEM CVs wouldn't be a big worry. or you ship the broken ones back, they replace them and send a new set out, probably take 2-3 weeks if you pack them up quick, and you have to pay shipping one way i beleive. so yeah you do have to factor in an extra £70 or so for shippping if you break them- but the price IS good: depending on exchange rates (dodgy i know) but for uprated CVs WITH half shafts you can expect to pay £395 cost plus shiping and tax- last time i paid £70 for express shipping, and didn't get hit for any import or VAT duties as they were sent via USPS which rarely seems to attract import duties ime, so £465 all in. Duty and vat will probably take the total to £550 eqivalent stuff from Ashcrofts would be £660+ £15 shipping- £675 CVs alone fron longfields are just £160 each which is pretty cheap it must be said- and you only really to carry one spare- would make sense to buy CVs in threes if you had the spare cash! Price wise that would be the same money as Ashcroft but you would always have a spare uprated CV which would be a hell of a bonus- its damn rare to blow both cvs at once after all! as Ashcrofts don't supply landcruiser CVs i had to buy longfield stuff, but i would still consider longfield stuff for LRs as the price difference can be substantial. Both companies have excellent reputations for both quality and service so the consideration is whether or not the money saved is worth the hassle in international shipping and dealing with a US company. for some it will be worth the hassle, for some it won't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Amazed to see any freight from the US delivered in 3 days. if you've paid no import duty then it has been avoided it some how as UPS wouldn't deliver my wheels till I had paid import taxes, they aren't known for letting people off. 2 weeks is nearer the time it took for my wheels and that was express air freight. £ to the $ is now around 1.7 so the costs are also rising. I've returned my CV's for de-burring and it cost me nowt, things to be considered when shipping from abroad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Amazed to see any freight from the US delivered in 3 days.(...) 2 weeks is nearer the time it took for my wheels and that was express air freight. So Tony what happens if you need to call for spares for you wheels?Made in US IIRC. I am amazed every time it looks like a personal crusade against Bobby or anything which doesn't fly the Union Jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 No Michele like everyone else I have to wait, Sod all to do with Bobby or you being his European distributor(or was) This was and is a direct reply to Jim and his post. I have purchased from Australia/America and accept the extended times to deliver/return goods. have a read again Jim starts by telling all Longfields are far cheaper than Ashcroft, without listing the full facts re shipping/tax etc, so I have added to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I am not and I never was his distributor,I only modified my front axle to fit CVs, but if you dig through my posts I never said a word against alternative sources (as Ashcroft or KAM). Trust me I am an avid reader and the thread I believe is titled "Landcruiser Axles" not "Longfield are not as cheap as you could believe"... Anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Amazed to see any freight from the US delivered in 3 days.if you've paid no import duty then it has been avoided it some how as UPS wouldn't deliver my wheels till I had paid import taxes, they aren't known for letting people off. 2 weeks is nearer the time it took for my wheels and that was express air freight. £ to the $ is now around 1.7 so the costs are also rising. I've returned my CV's for de-burring and it cost me nowt, things to be considered when shipping from abroad. I've had at least 3 orders delivered within 3 days of payment- one from Summit, One from Slee and one this one from Longfields You have to pay import duties if it is asked for- however if HMRC don't ask for the customs payment then whilst you shoudl declare it (which i of course did)- i don't think many member of HMRC would expect you to pay it! Parcel force will deliver your goods and then make you pay duties and taxes later as will DHL. I'm sorry you were put out by UPS Tony- perhaps you should suggest a different carrier in future- or get a little wise and use your own pickup. Larger orders take more time as you have found, an engine or gearbox will easily take 2-3 weeks (mine took 5 ), but a small parcel with CVs takes much less. As mentioned the exchange rate is dropping like a stone which makes using Longfields less appealing, but i tried to list the costs as accurately as i could using $1.8:£ as an exchange rate (which is what is was 2 days ago- eek) I someone uses their nouse they can get Longfiled CVs FAR cheaper than ashcroft stuff- a lot of people holiday in the states and buying a pair of CVs out there and bringing them back in your luggage is perfectly legal and would make Longfields about 2/3 of the price of Ashcrofts if not less, even with the drop in excahnge rates. This whole converstaion seems to have become a rant for or against Ashcrofts (a strange sense of Deja Vu here). Ashcrofts kit is undeniably excellent as is their level of service, and if you want ease of use, guaranteed quick option and a friendly easy to get hold of person on the end of a phone they are the perfect fit. If you are on a very tight budget and can come up with a way of bringing stuff in from the states quickly and cheaply than the Longfield stuff, which is just as high quality and has just as high a reputation for service, may be a good option. Not really sure why you feel you can't agree with this statement Tony? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Just looking for balance Jim. Customs automatically req taxes if the goods are listed over $18 or 36 I can't remember right now. Longfield of course is just as high quality, being made of the same materials. I am not and I never was his distributor,I only modified my front axle to fit CVs, but if you dig through my posts I never said a word against alternative sources (as Ashcroft or KAM).Trust me I am an avid reader and the thread I believe is titled "Landcruiser Axles" not "Longfield are not as cheap as you could believe"... Anyway... And Michele my mistake I misunderstood post number 2 in this thread http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=4597&hl= And do Longfield list Land Rover CVs still? can't find them readily. as off to America next week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Did you notice the date? Mar 28 2006, 12:58 PM Today it's 2008, and I distribute the Rovertracks axles (not Longfield) in Italy (Italy...not UK...Italy.) So feel free to call Bobby and order as many CVs as you want for a Toyota as Pugwash and Nick already did, and have them delivered courtesy of your favourite courier. Easy to misunderstand and maybe my mistake not yours -sorry- as I never clarified things after that but in order to "keep this forum independant" (as we like to say) I never dared to post anything else as time went by. BTW,I strongly hope Nige will not have to jump in as it happened last time in similar circumstances: http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=25546&hl= As you see I know links as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I just remembered you posting that you were the European(Italy in Europe IIRC) supplier. As I said my mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 There does seem to be a slight anti-toyota-axle bias around here - Nick's broken CV's get mentioned every time (would anyone expect 10+ year old LR CV's to do any better in the same setup?) and as far as I can see the cost/speed of replacement is no different than LR stuff, give or take a day or two of international shipping (which could just as easily happen with ParcelFarce over here). The Longfield stuff seems to live up to it's claims so the warranty replacement is surely much less of an issue than the meal that's being made of it? If it never breaks, it doesn't matter that you've got 3 days to wait for a new one. As has been said, the stuff's cheaper than LR equivalents anyway so you could have a spare on the shelf. Salisbury front - good luck with that, I've seen the effort (and money) it takes to source parts for those and as far as I can tell unless you use 101 axles, which are not the same deal, you're not getting anything that much stronger anyway. If I was building my truck again and didn't have access to Volvos, I'd be looking very closely at jap axles and quite frankly not looking at LR stuff at all - they're massive money for very poor return. I don't understand why people seem to encourage the idea that it's better to drop £3k into Rover axles than crack the welder out and spend £300 on TLC or whatever else. It's not helping innovation and it's not helping the sport. I suppose if I'd spent £3k on axle internals and someone achieved the same thing for £300 I might be bitter and slag them off on the internet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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