cletus

Before I bought the 8.8 I did price up a new 9" build, and it was cost reasons for going the way I did. I got a quote for a new housing and axles which was going to be about $2300, I cant remember how much a center was going to be exactly but I recall a new one with a good lsd was another 2-2.5k or thereabouts, and that was without a brake setup. So around 5k? The 8.8 wasn't as cheap as I thought it was going to be but it was less. These are approximate prices but pretty close to what I've spent $500 for the whole diff including brakes from a wrecker $900 for rebuild parts, ring and pinion etc $900 for housing mods and rebuild $200 new discs and brake pads $150 for another short axle and some better spider gears $150 Fancy diff cover $100 spring pads, paint, brake pipes etc So around $3k ready to go This is the first time I've added it up so I guess time will tell if it is an economic win or not

Some 8.8 pics for those who are interested Good points? Pretty cheap due to the rest of an explorer being a turd and prone to failure Internet says they are pretty strong, they were used in many different high performance or heavy duty applications in us models Lots of bits and different ratios available easily from rockauto 5x114.3 pattern, 1/2 wheel studs 2 short axles and narrow one side of the housing and it's the right width for a valiant (57''ish) Explorer ones, which are the only common one found in nz, are usually lsd, 31 spline, 3.7 ratio, disc brake with internal drum handbrake Bad points? C clip axles which can be a safety issue Wheel bearings run directly on the axle surface so once the hardening wears off the axle is bung Spider gears seem prone to damage, I've disassembled a few and found chips and wear on the gears in all of them

If you are jacking the car up via the body or chassis then the wheels should drop down at least 40mm, if they dont drop then the shocks have no 'droop' travel ie they are at full extension at ride height. This can make a car ride nearly as bad as sitting on the bump stops

I've seen it driving down the road, it looks like its sitting on the bumpstops from how it looks haha

Definitions of what is scratch built has changed last year https://lvvta.org.nz/documents/infosheets/LVVTA_Info_02-2018_Modified_Production_&_Scratch-built_Low_Volume_Vehicle_Definitions.pdf

I hit a bit of a brick wall with progress because at some point I want to paint the engine bay and underside, and was trying to do things in a way which meant I could get that done, get the engine sorted and painted and in for good and then do things like make the exhaust afterwards Then I realised that was stupid and I was wasting time mucking around trying to figure out things with the engine on the stand, and whacked the motor and box back in . I need to get everything done then I'll take it apart for paint last Shifter mounted, i wanted it up high so it's not far from the steering wheel to the shifter, @RXFORD/matt from tin tricks helped me out again with that by folding up a shifter mount and putting some fancy holes in it And put the carb and hat on, the bonnet doesnt shut so I'll have to figure out what I'm going to do with that

Could you put the angle bracket on the original anchorage on the floor?

@Kimjon Would this option work for you?

No, you would need to replace any strength removed with something else

I just added the pics for interests sake because it was relevant to the discussion, there was more to it than those pics, I left all the other bits out because that info is the property of someone else

I never tell anyone that a part will be certifiable unless it's obviously ok or I've seen it before, because I've had someone threaten me with legal action over a part I said looked ok in pictures but when in person it had obvious issues. Try asking the guy you are using for cert, he may have seen them before

Do you mean cut it out and leave it out?

Customer supplied those to prove his arms he made himself were stronger than the original ones

I couldn't say from pics 100% they would be ok or not. I'd have to look at it in person The bits that look like they 'may' be an issue are the radius just behind the second front bush to clear the steering is quite sharp, and the bracket at the chassis end isn't supported where the bush is, although the bracket does get clamped by the gbox member from memory? . But it all might be fine. I did have a customer who made his own arms for a landcruiser, and the radius for the steering arm was too big and it failed FEA testing compared to the factory arm He redesigned them and then they were ok after that How much are you lifting the suspension? IMO a patrol starts to get a bit yuck with more than a 3" lift due to panhard bar angles

As mentioned usually the plates are fitted on the floor which is probably the easiest way. I have done a couple where plates have been welded in to the bottom of the pillar, which looks neater, but you would need to talk to your certifier first to make sure hes happy with that, as it's not in the book . And it wrecks the paint There is a recipe in the ccm which allows for welding an upper pillar anch in the pillar

Pg hydraulics in east tamaki is the only place I could recommend with confidence for steering work

Yea that wouldn't pass even with ndt Any welding on a steering component that is critical for steering control cant be welded

V8 valiants have an upside down filter. It doesnt have any clever drain paths so if you dont cut up an old drink bottle to catch the oil it goes all over the engine and floor and exhaust The other downside is you cant prefill the filter so it takes a couple of seconds of the genie lamp being on/lifters rattling before it fills the filter up itself And there's my sharn on that.

Nah you should be fine. I've bought a lot of the bits for my Plymouth from rockauto

Can be certed but you need to strengthen the arm because the weight is then concentrated on two small bolt holes which were only meant for shocks. Also coil bind can be a problem if you have a heavy engine eg a big block in a camaro I looked at had that issue If it was me I'd probably just get a spring that worked in the stock position and run a good adjustable shock

Are you talking about lvv cert or re registration? Re reg I have minimal experience but as ranter said you have to fit pads which have a standard on them

What is the advantages of a full crank vs a counterweighted one?

Dont own one but have driven a few tuned ones , for all the hype they seemed a bit meh to me, didn't really go that well I thought. I'm not super clued up on landcruisers so I dont know what a 70 series suspension is like but the ute type ones with leaf springs rear ride horribly as well