DIff heads that fit a Hillman Hunter?

[tomypg]

Hi there, looking at getting an LSD in my Hillman Hunter. Woohooo. Now I have heard from the previous owner that mark1 escort dif set-ups fit right in and he was planning on doing it before he sold it to me.

Now, I was wondering if a different diff housing would just bolt up? Or should I look for a Hilux diff shortened? I an no good at welding (haha) but these premade diffs look very very expensive...... Around $700 - 800 dollars. So if there is a possibility of another fitting then I would be stoked

[Beaver]

I have herd a complete escort diff fits, but you need to change the mounting points,shock mounts etc.

[tomypg]

I heard that they are a complete un bolt and bolt in affair :s

[Brock-Lee]

if you dont want to fork out 7-800 for a shortend diff then you will find that any LSD head that is actually any good will be well out of your price range

[Beaver]

ask David on here, hes the one i herd it from. he seems to know a shit load about hunters

[Unclejake]

if you dont want to fork out 7-800 for a shortend diff then you will find that any LSD head that is actually any good will be well out of your price range

QFT

[Tiger Tamer]

I found this old topic on Hillman diffs replacement etc.

I am going to need to upgrade the Hillman Minx's diff to cope with the power of the Honda K20a. I am told the Hillman diffs are only good for 120-130hp. I have been looking for an alternative without a lot of luck. 

An Atlas from a 3.0l Capri would be ideal as they are about 40m wider and the wheels would fill in the wheel wells better. But they are as rare as hens teeth. A LJ Torana one would probably be another contender but hard to find now and would need regearing. I would need to check the track width.

I was also looking at a Escort mk2 diff but they are not much stronger than the Hillman unit but you can buy what's needed to strengthen them. I would also have to redo all the spring perch's etc to mount it.

They have been discussing Hillman diffs on facebook and someone said this.

For anybody's info . . . if you are wanting a higher ratio for this diff be aware that you can fit a HR/ HD/etc, even XU1s, (if you want an lsd) Holden complete diff head into the Hillman housing, just need to file a couple of the stud holes. also the Hillman axels are so big in diameter that they can be re-machined with the Holden splines. (A little trick I learned when I was racing my OSCA Viva). . . . .PK.

2

 

This seems like a good option if it is going to be stronger. I don't need the higher ratio just strength. There is a LJ Torana diff head on trade me at the moment which doesn't look like it's been cared for. Also a HQ with 3.55 gears which maybe ok for me as the Toyota R151 Gearbox is from a ute so first maybe quite low  anyway.

 

I Don't know if the diff head for a HQ and LJ are the same. They are both from the same time so I would think quite possibly. Anyone know ?. I would think a Holden diff head could handle a little over 200hp. Any thoughts on this idea ?

 

[Kiwibirdman]

I would assume that they are talking about the banjo diff that came in the 6 cylinder HQ Holdens. This was used from the EH onwards until the HZ in the 6 Cylinder and some 253 V8s

There were 2 versions, fine spline and coarse spline axles. Rations go from 2.78, 3.08, 3.23, 3.55 and 3.9. The 3.23 and 3.55 were standard issue in the sedans and wagons (auto got 3.23 and manual 3.55) Toranas got the 2.78 and some utes got 3.9. Also early cars (EH for sure ) got the 3.9.

To answer your question about how strong, some of these lived for a while behind 350 chevs and some last 5 mins behind a 202. Come down to torque and shock loading. 

As you don't have a lot of weight and not a lot of torque should be OK.

No idea if they fit the Hillman housing, worth a try.

[Nominal]

Why not the good old G-series Hiace/Hilux? Won't be a bolt-in but can be had in LSD, and fairly narrow ones are around

I forget the exact heritage of the one in my Morris project, but it's about 1650 across the outside of the wheel right now, with some random falcon(?) rims on there. 

 

That with a bit of a tweak to the housing, but using stock axles from something 5-stud.

 

[Tiger Tamer]

1 hour ago, Kiwibirdman said:

I would assume that they are talking about the banjo diff that came in the 6 cylinder HQ Holdens. This was used from the EH onwards until the HZ in the 6 Cylinder and some 253 V8s

There were 2 versions, fine spline and coarse spline axles. Rations go from 2.78, 3.08, 3.23, 3.55 and 3.9. The 3.23 and 3.55 were standard issue in the sedans and wagons (auto got 3.23 and manual 3.55) Toranas got the 2.78 and some utes got 3.9. Also early cars (EH for sure ) got the 3.9.

To answer your question about how strong, some of these lived for a while behind 350 chevs and some last 5 mins behind a 202. Come down to torque and shock loading. 

As you don't have a lot of weight and not a lot of torque should be OK.

No idea if they fit the Hillman housing, worth a try.

Thanks for your reply. I spoke with one of the old school diff guru's and he hadn't heard of the conversion. He did say that 60's 70's Holden diffs were not that strong  anyway. He has heard of similar type conversions to other diffs but the gain is very minimal. In the end he said I should just run the Minx diff and see how it lasts, which is what I had initially planed. It's not a race or skid car, just a fun cruiser.

I may get the Hq diff just to see if it will work. 

The other diff which is a good candidate is a Hillman Avenger diff. I hadn't checked out this one for a fit, but it is good width. There are stronger parts from Quaife etc to make sure they last.  So I will look out for one.

[Tiger Tamer]

1 hour ago, Nominal said:

Why not the good old G-series Hiace/Hilux? Won't be a bolt-in but can be had in LSD, and fairly narrow ones are around

I forget the exact heritage of the one in my Morris project, but it's about 1650 across the outside of the wheel right now, with some random falcon(?) rims on there. 

 

That with a bit of a tweak to the housing, but using stock axles from something 5-stud.

 

I have been looking out for the old Hilux diffs, as they are plenty strong. They seem to be becoming as rare as all the diffs from the 60's 70's.

I have bought new wheels for the car already so I want to keep them if I can. 

[shizzl]

F series diff.

 

I did find a lsd unit to fit these that were designed for the sunbeam/rapier racing series in the UK.

 

I can’t fit 13x7s on the hunter with 215s, might sneak in 205s.

absolutely no chance with a wider diff.

the escort wheels just fit in there with 195s.

 

I’ll be using a mk2 escort English diff with billet axles and lsd.

An atlas diff would be the go

 

 

[GregT]

That tip about Holden diffs - PK is Paul Kirk, Very experienced and clued-up guy. Known him for decades.

I put a used diff head from a 186 Kingswood in my hot 202 LJ Torana when I blew the original. Went down to the 3.55 - and drag raced it. No probs at all.

[Tiger Tamer]

2 hours ago, shizzl said:

F series diff.

 

I did find a lsd unit to fit these that were designed for the sunbeam/rapier racing series in the UK.

 

I can’t fit 13x7s on the hunter with 215s, might sneak in 205s.

absolutely no chance with a wider diff.

the escort wheels just fit in there with 195s.

 

I’ll be using a mk2 escort English diff with billet axles and lsd.

An atlas diff would be the go

 

 

 

It's not the best pic, but I could fit 15mm wheel spacers on as it is now with the 205 15" wheels I have. If I rolled the lip I could go a bit more without flares.

An Atlas would be the go but bloody hard to find now.

[shizzl]

That’s lucky with the guard clearance 

[Tiger Tamer]

2 hours ago, GregT said:

That tip about Holden diffs - PK is Paul Kirk, Very experienced and clued-up guy. Known him for decades.

I put a used diff head from a 186 Kingswood in my hot 202 LJ Torana when I blew the original. Went down to the 3.55 - and drag raced it. No probs at all.

Thanks Greg, that is good to know. He sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He did say that the only point of doing the mod was to increase the gearing. Nice to know the info will be legit. I will see if I can get the HQ diff head. There is someone wrecking an Avenger on trade me as well and has the diff but the auction ended before I got a price. No doubt he will relist it.

[RXFORD]

3 hours ago, Tiger Tamer said:

I have been looking out for the old Hilux diffs, as they are plenty strong. They seem to be becoming as rare as all the diffs from the 60's 70's.

I have bought new wheels for the car already so I want to keep them if I can. 

Earlier hilux stuff is hard to get and alot of the Rn era housings are bent from farm use.  Easier just to get a later one and narrow to suit. I have a jig setup for narrowing G-series housings if you end up going down the hilux route.

 

[locost_bryan]

Another narrow option is the post 67 MGB axle, strong enough to handle the V8, Quaife upgrades available.

[Valiant]

Have you considered a Borg Warner 78?

 

[locost_bryan]

Aussie Hunters had a Borg Warner 68 or 70, same as Aussie Escorts, Datsun 1200s, Corollas and Marinas. So did the Sigma and Magna iirc.