[monley]

Gwagensteve wrote:

I think you are making this too complicated.

Find the best auto SWB you can. If it's a 420 great, if not... Meh.... whatever.

A 420 with 5.12 gears in it just ends up with the same gearing as a 416 stock so it's kind a moot point. The added power of the 2.0 is nice, but I bet you can find a 1.6, and lock and gear it for the price of a 420. If you can find a 420 at the right price, that's cool, but really it's just a more expensive option because you are always a diff ratio swap away from the same gearing as the 1.6, on top of the higher purchase price.

You also need to know that 420's can't run 15" rims - the brakes are too big. You will be limited to 16" rims, which adds to the cost of tyres. (and rims)

Don't bother with trying to run 31's on road. It will drive OK, but will drive heaps better with stock tyres on it.

Swap to 31's (or my preference, 7.50 16's on SV420 wheels) for trips and put crawler gears in the transfer. That way you only have to put up with less-than-optimal gearing to and from a trip, the rest of the time gearing will be standard.

With a lock-wrong or similar in the rear, you will have a cheap, capable car that will drive fine on the road. With gears in the transfer and luggy 7.50's, it will be very well suited to victorian conditions. On road other than the occasional clunk from the locker it will drive and look as per stock. You won't be killing you economy with tall tyres around town.

You won't break CV's unless you are super abusive. If you like the way the car is behaving but want a bit more capability then you can add a steel front diff and a locker in the front when it suits you.

Steve.

I think atari4x4 run's 15" rims...

[Gwagensteve]

I'd need to look into that further - The ones I've seen won't clear 15's

Anyways, here's a photo I found just now of a 1.6 running 7.50R16's on SV420 wheels.

This car was running a calmini kit with OME struts and no body lift, so total lift was 3" bumpstops were spaced to clear the 7.50's.

It is a carby car, but a very late one. In these photos it was manual but was later swapped to 3 speed auto.




I reckon the width and stance of this car was spot on.

Steve.

[Gwagensteve]

monkey wrote:

I think atari4x4 run's 15" rims...

Found it:

atari4x4 wrote:

they are 15x7 -15 offset speedy desert rat rims, the calipers need shaving to get them to clear the rim

I don't think everyone would be willing to grind callipers. I'm not making any judgement on the safety or otherwise of Atari's car, just a comment.

Steve.

[atari4x4]

i've seen heaps more taken off callipers on engineered hot rods & street machines when running big breaks & stockish diameter rims... its been 6 years now & i'm not dead yet.