[Zook_Fan]

as most of you know i just bought a 1.3L NT LWB sierra that is in need of pretty much a complete rebuild from ground up. As i bought it, the body was sitting separate to the chassis. The body has a bit of rust in it that i will try and fix. If the body becomes unrepairable and a panel beater asks too much to repair it then it will become a dedicated comp vehicle and the cab will be cut into a ute. If this is the route i go i want to know as much as i possibly can about diff conversions.

What i know:
Pre-IFS hilux diffs are a good alternative to standard because of width, strength, gear ratio's available and SPOA.
It sounds like a pain in the to cut all the mounts off these diffs
You can run your original springs on top of these diffs but would also work well if you went for a hilux fronts all round conversion.
A highsteer configuration is needed

What i need help with:
What power steer options do i have available to me? I see the americans use the toyota IFS boxes but what cars do these come on?
Is it worth buying a kit to do this or would it be better to fab up the mounts and everything?
Do the hilux diffs knock on anything at full flex that the standard diffs dont?
Is the process between converting these diffs on NT the same as WT?

Any help would be great thanks.[/b]

[Damo]

Zook_Fan wrote:

It sounds like a pain in the to cut all the mounts off these diffs

If cutting off some brackets is a pain then you may want to rethink if this sort of conversion is really for you

Zook_Fan wrote:

You can run your original springs on top of these diffs but would also work well if you went for a hilux fronts all round conversion.

Zook springs are 50mm wide, the Hilux perches are to suit 60mm wide springs. It will work but it's not an ideal setup. If you're happy to play with Hilux fronts to get them to the right spring rate then that would prolly work too

Zook_Fan wrote:

What power steer options do i have available to me? I see the americans use the toyota IFS boxes but what cars do these come on?

IFS Hilux. 80 and 60 series cruiser has been done before too

Zook_Fan wrote:

Is it worth buying a kit to do this or would it be better to fab up the mounts and everything?

Yes probably, if there is a kit available, which I doubt

Zook_Fan wrote:

Is the process between converting these diffs on NT the same as WT?

Pretty much. If you want to go SPOA then I can see how using the Hilux diffs would be a good idea (coz they are SPOA already).

Have you thought about keeping zook diffs in it and just getting the new HD chromo CVs & shafts? Will be a LOT easier and probably end up being cheaper too.

[steve]

issues i have here...

1. How much is too much, to spend on rust repairs?

2. Hilux Diffs, big tyres, crawler gears, diff locks, power steering, is going to cost you thousands.

3. What comps can you take your car in with those mods? Dave Mecalfe wont let you in his winch comps.

[lump_a_charcoal]

Try a bundera rear.

[Zook_Fan]

what sort of comps do you run in Steve? y wont mecalfe let me in his?

and too much rust repairs is when it would cost more to get the body fixed then i would get back for the car.

[Zook_Fan]

sorry damo missed the bottom part. i have thought about just keeping the stock diffs and building them up with chromo parts but it still doesnt help with width and if i went for wide rims with offset then wheel bearings would be a constant hassle. The more i read about this the more complicated it seems though and i dont have the skills at the moment to do these mods safely on a decent budget. Going to try and get as much rust out of the body as i can and see where i go from there.

[Taff]

Zook_Fan wrote:

As i bought it, the body was sitting separate to the chassis. The body has a bit of rust in it that i will try and fix.[/b]

how much is a bit?

you will have to do a WT diff swap anyway if you want to run chromo CV / axles as they are not available NT length.

what size tyres do you want to run?

do you know where you can wheel a 4wd with no rego?

[royce]

any amount of rust will cost more than any NT is worth ;0

if your gunna maked a chopped up thing your better off starting with a SWB chassis so you have more room in the back, lwb will be better if you want to stay with something more legal and normal

to do the diffs you need new mounts on teh chassis, you cant move teh spring mounts in far enough on the diff

if you go spring under you can use steering arms from a 60 series, if SPOA then proper high steer is the go but your gunna run into clearence issues on the chassis rail.

metcalfe will allow it in his normal winch class, but your gunna need deep pockets to keep up there, I am not sure that unregistered cars are allowed though, for that matter you wont get it registered so youll need to build it stock 1st then mod it if you need rego

[Zook_Fan]

when i say a bit i mean:
the passenger side corner where the windscreen mounts to the car
A hole of out the drivers side rear panel about the size of a CD
Small holes through the floor in the back
and the channel above where the soft top mounts is pretty patchy with rust as well

Taff is yours a WT from factory or have you done the WT diff swap?

For tires i would either run 31's if i fixed it all up or 35's if i went to comps but now that i realise i cant get into Dave Metcalfs winch comps because of the mods there is really not many places to take it driving so this is now pretty much out the window.

Does the WT diff swap need to be complianced? is it noticeable?

[royce]

dude the XWC anything goes pretty much, BUT your gunna need lots of money

even the production class your going to have to pony up for transport to Brisbane 3 times a year

[Zook_Fan]

the XWC comes to rocky as well and this year he is hosting the 8 day winch comp here to. also thing to remember you need an open licence to participate in these events which means i would have about 4 years to build this vehicle up

[royce]

goes to manilla too, long drive for you

wheres the rules say you need an open licence?

[PowerHouse]

Y NOT THE P PLATERS. THEY DONT WANNA BE SHOWN UP ON HOW TO 4WD BY THE YOUNG BLOKES.

REP UP P PLATES.

[Zook_Fan]

sorry i was wrong it is the local 4wd team comp that that rule applies. this is from the XWC rules:
The driver must have a current Driver’s License issued by any motor authority that is recognised under the Motor Traffic Act.

it also says they must be over 15 so yeah i guess it would be fine

[steve]

Zook_Fan wrote:

what sort of comps do you run in Steve? y wont mecalfe let me in his?

and too much rust repairs is when it would cost more to get the body fixed then i would get back for the car.

mine is just set up for rockcrawling, it couldn't do winch comps. There is only 1 rockcrawling comp a year for me at the moment and i'm happy with that. I can take it to The Springs 4wd Park and private property occassionly aswell.

I could go in the Superior All Terrain but i don't really like the style of comp, it's all go fast and bash over stuff, and costs heaps.

royce, do you think metcalfe would let a registered sierra with hilux diffs in his comps? i didn't think he'd go for that.

Also, i thought the "8 day winch comp" cost about $2000 to enter and was invite only?

[Taff]

i have WT diffs

wanted chromo CVs / more track and more steering lock



although they are not actually under it yet, its still stuck at the wiring phase