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High Quality Fabricators NSW/ACT for Diff Swap?

Tech Talk for Cruiser owners.

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High Quality Fabricators NSW/ACT for Diff Swap?

Post by SimonInAustralia »

I am looking for suggestions for fabricators that could swap my diff/axle housings for another non-standard set.

I'd like to find someone with a lot of experience in axle swaps, so they know exactly what they are doing and can get it right the first time, and someone that does high quality work.

Plan is the use the existing suspension and mounts on my Troopy, and have custom front coil hats/radius arm brackets/rear leaf spring mounts/sway bar mounts/etc. made up for the replacement axles so they bolt up to the truck exactly the same as the standard axles, and can be easily taken off and put back to standard if needed.

Axle tube flanges will have to be re-drilled, to rotate and bring the pinion up to a similar angle as the standard troopy diff. And brake system will have to be interfaced with the Troopy system if possible. Plus other things like possibly new and balanced driveshafts, transmission hand brake, etc.


Thanks.
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Post by WICKED »

What diff's are you wanting to put in it?
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Post by SimonInAustralia »

Volvo portal axles.

Also will need rear anti-wrap bar.
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Post by Z()LTAN »

not possible.

Edit:

not possible for under 50,000 ;)
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Post by 75 cruser »

professor (chad) is the man for the job, as he has done all the fabracation work on my car and im more than happy

thanks rob
come on move over and let the 75 through
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Post by SimonInAustralia »

Z()LTAN wrote:not possible.

Edit:

not possible for under 50,000 ;)
...totally possible, and will be done.
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Post by Z()LTAN »

ive built plenty of custom stuff i know how much it all costs and thats with me doing the labor...

Imagine if you were to pay someone 40-50 an hour to do it... Id dare say if i payed someone to do what ive done to my car it would be well over 100k

silly realy....
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Post by SimonInAustralia »

Already have bought the axles, they are about to be shipped from the UK.

I have a rough estimate from a fabricator already, and am looking at other options/opinions.
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Post by chunks »

M&A Engineering in Mitchell might be able to do it, or Custom Fabrications in Queanbeyan.
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Post by jackson.baker »

spewing you werent up around the gold coast my i know a shop around here called aussie diffs that specialize in custom diff swaps for anything, 4x4's hot rods drag cars etc, they do a good job.
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Post by ROB ZUK »

Try Lochleigh Enterprises out in Hall. Rodney has plenty of experience in mods to vehicals. ;) ;)
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Post by SimonInAustralia »

Had an inital talk a while ago to Custom Metal Fabrications, but he never got back to me, figured he wasn't interested.

Have also spoken to Rodney at Lochleigh previously about some custom bar work, he had a buggy there he was working on, his work seemed pretty good.

Not convinced local/ACT fabricators would do enough diff swaps overall, and would think that fabricators in Sydney might get more of this sort of work, or that I might be able to find someone there who specializes more in diff swaps. That might be completely wrong though.

So I don't have a problem taking it to somewhere like Sydney, if I can get better work done by someone with more experience swapping diffs. But maybe that is an incorrect assumption, and one of the local ACT fabricators could do just as good a job, I am really not sure.

I really want someone that does a lot of diff swaps, and that does great work, doesn't have to be in ACT, Sydney or somewhere of similar distance would be OK.
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Post by professor »

Sounds like like a fun build!
I have been poached and Im now working for a hotrod/sheet metal fabricator doing what I love with huge array of awsome new tools at my disposal but I still do these buildups at my workshop
give me a call even if you don't use me I'm happy to give you advice on the conversion

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Post by DIRTY ROCK STAR »

There you go thats pretty awesome service from chad.

I would be very very wary of the ones you see advertised in the magazines.
you hear some success stories but you hear a whole lot of grief too.

usual rules would apply (in my opinion) do your budget on time and $$ and double them.

How will you go engineering that bad boy? or is it for offroad fun only?
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Post by SimonInAustralia »

Thanks for the offer Chad, will give you a call and discuss it.

Had a meeting with a local engineer to discuss the possibility of getting it engineered, and he thinks it is a good idea compared to a 4-5 inch suspension lift, and is talking to his main contact at the local rego office to see if we can get it through somehow.

Main problem with rego is that they are approx 100mm wider in wheel track compared to standard, and the NCOP that our rego rules are based on here in Canberra/ACT is a max of 50mm wider, other than that they would be no problem.

If he can't get them through, then yes, offroad only, but using the original suspension mounts so that the standard diffs can be 'easily' swapped back on for rego purposes.

Another option might be to move approx. 20kms to Queanbeyan, just over the border in NSW, and possibly get it engineered there, but I'd rather not have to do that.
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Post by RunnerMitch »

Sounds like a good idea makes sure you take plenty of happy snaps.
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Post by Black Bull »

Don't really know of anyone in the Sydney/Canberra area who could do all that in house.

I know a few who could mod the diffs, somebody for shafts etc and somebody else who could do the suspension work, but not all in one shop.
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Post by dazgq1 »

try seldom seen vehicles in picton they do this kind of work on a regular basis :)
4 in king springs, pro comp long travels, gu diffs, 4.6s ,front lokka,35" mtzs, custom made everything ,custom dual cab and a growing list of spare parts
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