Jump to content

stage 1 front axle


jericho

Recommended Posts

My series 2a now has an lt77 fitted,so is permanent 4wd.

I keep thinking about the front axle ujs,and how long they will last.

I could fit range rover axles to get cv joints,plus discs;but I dont particularly want the extra track width.

I have been offered a stage 1 front axle,which should be nice and easy to fit to gain cvs,but I did wonder about availability of parts for them.Do they have many or any parts in common with series 2 or 3 axles,e.g.brakes,swivels etc.?

Does anyone still make shafts ,cvs,swivells,etc. for stage 1 axles?What are the prices like compared to RR classic parts?

Thanks, Jericho.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

S1 V8 axles are a mix of Series parts and early RR / Defender, so the CV's I believe will be the hallowed AEU2522's and the brakes are 109 6cyl/v8/1Ton drums or sumfink. The only oddities I believe are the "joining" pieces such as the front half shafts which will be unique to join the CV's to a front diff that's a bit closer than normal for a RR. I doubt they'd be mega-money though.

Diffs are RR/Def/Disco 10-spline, axle casings & brakes are Series, not sure about stub axles & swivels but I don't think they're anything strange.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

stage 1 parts are all odd.

swivels, CVs and stub axles are unique to stage 1s they are not interchangeable, but they are one of the strongest axles rover produced out of the box- part of this is that the turning circle isn't very good! the swivels are NOT interchangeable with anything else as far as anyone has found. You can often find secondhand swivels CVs and stuff at old sod and LR still stocks original parts although they are blooming expensive! Parts are much more expensive than the cheapo pattern parts you can get for RaRos, but then you end up with much stronger axles!

brakes are easy to get parts for- both slave cylinders and shoes are pattern parts although the OE slaves are of a much superior production- the slaves also need some really funny bolts which are quite hard to get hold of. however the large brakes bear almost no resemblance on the front to any standard series item-IIRC the rears are the same as usual but the fronts have bigger drums, bigger shoes and 2 slave cylinders. Because of this you would have to change your master cylinder to an uprated on (and i just happen to have an unopened one in my garage if you want it- £50 against £70 new)

you don't have to keep a double cardan front as that was designed especially to connect an LT95 to the front axle- any prop of the right length should do- however you do sometimes come across double cardans for not much money.

If you want to do this i would suggest you get a scrapper astage 1 for parts and steal the best bits- like the V8 and box! :D at least then you'll have some power coupled with the terrible fuel economy.

i'm still renovating my stage so i still have some spares lying around if you want them- if you want any more information then let me know

cheers

Jim

i'm sure you are aware that the azxle ratios are different- if you ahve a front Stage 1 then you need a rear too- technically you can fit 3.54 ratio R&Ps to anysalisbury axle but it's probably more hassle than it's worth IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

brakes are unique to this axle ask pugwash

I thought they were unique to the 6cyl & V8, mine *used* to be 6cyl so has the bigger brakes (wider shoes/drums IIRC) but I never found the parts difficult or expensive to get - in fact I've still got a set of shoes & drums in the garage I think!

Parts book shows the front setup is for Stage 1 V8, 109" 6cyl, and 4/6cyl 109 1-Ton. Rears are the same for all S3 109's.

I also have a S1 V8 rear axle & 6Cyl front axle with 3.54 diff for sale if anyone's interested... all complete with the big brakes :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

fridge you're right on this- 6cyl and stage 1 V8 as well as the 1 ton all had the same brake system- which strangely enough uses exactly the same shoes, cylinders and drums as found on volvo 303 portal axles.

I have found that pattern parts can be difficult to fit- the last set of shoes i bought had to be filed right down to get the drums to fit over them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

stage 1 parts are all odd.

i'm sure you are aware that the azxle ratios are different- if you ahve a front Stage 1 then you need a rear too- technically you can fit 3.54 ratio R&Ps to anysalisbury axle but it's probably more hassle than it's worth IMO.

I'm confused,Ithought stage 1 axle took a standard rover 3.54 diff,so I could keep my series rear axle with 3.54 diff.Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Is the turning circle with a stage 1 axle any different to a series axle?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm confused,Ithought stage 1 axle took a standard rover 3.54 diff,so I could keep my series rear axle with 3.54 diff.Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Is the turning circle with a stage 1 axle any different to a series axle?

Stage 1 turning circle would be the same as a normal series. (same **** different bucket)

Dont know about not running a double cardin front with the Stage 1 - ok with part time 4wd and locking hubs but doubt it would be ok on a full time setup.

Brakes - same as 6 cyl, but if this is too weird just fit what you have now. Same spindle pattern.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jerry,

series axles are 4.11 as standard and NOT 3.54. Only full 4wd rovers (apart from a couple of oddities) have 3.54 diffs, series vehicles have 4.11 (or is it 4.75 i never can remember) diffs.

i have no idea how the turning circle compares to a series- i was just referring to the fact that stage 1 axles, whilst stronger, are stronger partly because they don't have a turning circle comparable to later CV 'd vehicles!

a double cardon prop isn't a strength thing it's a length and vibration thing- otherwise all full time 4wd rovers would hvae front double cardons!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm confused,Ithought stage 1 axle took a standard rover 3.54 diff,so I could keep my series rear axle with 3.54 diff.Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Right...

All Series vehicles had 4.75:1 diffs. Rover axle on the front, and in 109's from Series 2A (?) they had Salisbury (big, ugly, heavy, but strong) axles on the rear. 88's retained the rover axles front & rear all the way through.

Stage 1 V8's were all 109" and because they used the early RR gearbox they also needed 3.54:1 diffs like the range rover. So the front axle is a Rover type with a Range Rover 3.54:1 diff in, the rear (Salisbury) axle is a rare beastie because it's a Series Salisbury with a 3.54:1 diff in it. Later (110) ones are obviously coil sprung and also wider track. Swapping diffs in these is doable (ask Andy M) but a fair bit of kerfuffle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

This might be a little late but.....

IMHO, Dont bother fitting the stage 1 axle, go rangie and live with the extra width, disc brakes and turning circle!

Once upon a time I had a stage 1, but eventually it was broke up because of tin worm, the front axle was duly fitted to my trialer along with a 3.54 diff in the rear.

My experience of a stage 1 axle doing anything in the rough stuff was about 12 mins before a halfshaft broke at the diff end, so yes the cv's may be one of the better ones, but the shafts are still naff :angry: and have a list of about £220 :o

One gain to the stage one thats not been mentioned here is that the LT95 has a better low range crawl ratio than a RR LT95.

Fridge, you really should have no problem getting brake components, they are widely available and reasonably priced.

I gave two 3.54 salisburys to DD, not sure if he still has them.

so the CV's I believe will be the hallowed AEU2522's

They are close to tease but as pugwash says, unique to the Stage1, they were the proto AEU2522 I suppose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our website you agree to our Cookie Policy