Vitara auto and manual bellhousing, interchangeable?

[MattDrinan]

Will a 5 speed manual Vitara bellhousing fit a 3/4 speed auto Vitara gearbox and vice-versa?

Thought it would be worth asking, thanks if anyone has tried this and knows..

[Gwagensteve]

No.

3 speed and 4 speed autos and manuals all have different bellhousings.

Zero interchangeability.

Steve.

[MattDrinan]

Thanks for the reply, i thought that would be the case

[V.W.Dave]

Has anyone made a off the shelf bell housing to mount other transmissions behind the 1.6????

Like to put a hilux box behind it?

[Gwagensteve]

Not as far as I am aware - and in any case, vitara gearboxes (both auto and manual) are strong and reliable. There are adapters to run hilux transfers behind suzuki gearboxes (OTT Kicker) and IMHO the only reason to run a hilux gearbox would be to run a hilux transfer if you needed a centred rear output, which the kicker allows for.

Steve.

[V.W.Dave]

You read my mind Gman. Do you have a few links???? Have you had a play with any of them?

[Barney7779]

From our friends at low range offroad


http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/suzuki/s ... apter.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gwagensteve]

Well there you go. I'm still not sure why it's such a great idea. I don't think vitara gearbox strength is a problem. I'd agree that vitara transfers aren't te best thing in the world, but i'd rather have an AW-4 auto into a hilux transfer case rather than a Hilux manual.

Is this for your car VW? If so, keep an eye on your driveshaft angle. With no drop in the transfer, the equivalent effect on the driveshaft angle is like adding another 5" of lift. It gets our of control quick.

Steve.

[V.W.Dave]

Is this for your car VW? If so, keep an eye on your driveshaft angle. With no drop in the transfer, the equivalent effect on the driveshaft angle is like adding another 5" of lift. It gets our of control quick.

Steve.

Yes and no Steve.
You will often find me asking questions out of the blue like this. I have a memory like a elephant. I just wanted to know for later knowledge. My next buggy will be a lot lower and lighter then the one I am doing now. The centered output is what attracted me to the idea. Making a crawler that sits lower then mine on lux diffs the center output would really help.

[Gwagensteve]

I'd be looking for the most heavily offset output I could for a buggy. There's a couple of WT full float axles being built in my shed ATM and we're cutting the short side down to make the overall width match WT front once the floater hubs are installed. The idea is to get the centre as close to the wheel as possible.

An LT230 would be my choice for a buggy project that was too big/powerful for a sierra case.

There's LT230 to C4/T400 adapters AFAIK, and the T400 or C4 can be adapted to any motor you care to mention, and there are divorce mount kits for the LT230.

IMHO the obsession with hilux transfers is driven out the US where LT230's are hard to come by. the LT230 is way superior as a project transfer.

Centred diffs bring the suck. You get the front diff past the obstacle (easy, because it lines up with your bum) and then clout the rear diff on the thing you just drove over with the front diff.

Steve.

[V.W.Dave]

Hmmm yahh I see your point but that would mean custom $$$$$$$ everything.

You can build a bullet proof high pinion rear diff with off the shelf parts that can run 40s all day. Running that big of rubber diff clearance is not a issue.

But I would love to see some pictures of these diffs

[Gwagensteve]

I'm confused what's more custom about running an LT230 (or a cruiser transfer) than a hilux or vitara transfer when you are talking about a buggy?

Running a LT230 (and bundera, MQ Patrol, landcruiser, or rover diffs would give you offset front/rear diffs, 3.XX:1 low range - plenty of gearing and strength and nothing other than driveshafts are custom, or run a flipped front diff in the rear and have 4 wheel steering with off the shelf diffs - with longfields or something that setup would work - not as feasible with a centred rear output.

The use of centered rear output really comes from manufacturers adapting light truck mechanicals to work with a 4WD drivetrain. Where a design was a clean sheet 4WD, more often than not they choose an offset rear output. (Early Jeep, Rover, 'cruiser, early patrol, suzuki)

I'd be mixing and matching factory components to run an offset rear. It's a capability advantage.

Steve.

[V.W.Dave]

I was mainly talking about your custom rear diff your building. They were what I was talking about non off the shelf parts.
I agree with you on everything else.

[Gwagensteve]

It's $800 in parts (2X EN-26 axles, 2X seal adapters) to build a full floater, not including two front hub/spindle brake assemblies and sundries like brake lines.

Lets say you already have geared and locked sierra axles (as many do) - that's not a lot of money to fix the thing that most likely to let you down in the bush (wheelbearing/axle)

I think if more people where totally honest about how much their hilux diff swaps cost it wouldn't look so bad, especially if you take into account regrearing and locking hilux axles, + driveshafts, brake lines, a legal, engineered drag link, wheels, master cylinder.....

Steve.

[Guy]

It's $800 in parts (2X EN-26 axles, 2X seal adapters) to build a full floater, not including two front hub/spindle brake assemblies and sundries like brake lines.

Lets say you already have geared and locked sierra axles (as many do) - that's not a lot of money to fix the thing that most likely to let you down in the bush (wheelbearing/axle)

I think if more people where totally honest about how much their hilux diff swaps cost it wouldn't look so bad, especially if you take into account regrearing and locking hilux axles, + driveshafts, brake lines, a legal, engineered drag link, wheels, master cylinder.....

Steve.

add weight and extra tyre size, steering (arms etc) plus lost groud clearance ..

The one thing I never worked out .. you put a dudlux driveline, gear box, Tcase, diffs and sometimes motor into a sierra ... why not put a Zuk body on a dudlux chassis ?

[V.W.Dave]

It's $800 in parts (2X EN-26 axles, 2X seal adapters) to build a full floater, not including two front hub/spindle brake assemblies and sundries like brake lines.

Lets say you already have geared and locked sierra axles (as many do) - that's not a lot of money to fix the thing that most likely to let you down in the bush (wheelbearing/axle)

I think if more people where totally honest about how much their hilux diff swaps cost it wouldn't look so bad, especially if you take into account regrearing and locking hilux axles, + driveshafts, brake lines, a legal, engineered drag link, wheels, master cylinder.....

Steve.

add weight and extra tyre size, steering (arms etc) plus lost groud clearance ..

The one thing I never worked out .. you put a dudlux driveline, gear box, Tcase, diffs and sometimes motor into a sierra ... why not put a Zuk body on a dudlux chassis ?

It has been done a few times. they sit way to high on the chassis rails and the sierra body actually weighs more then the lux single cab

[tozook]

here a few links

manual or automatic transmission toyota transfer case
http://www.ottindustries.com/kicker4.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Toyota transfer case directly to vitara low range box
http://www.ottindustries.com/kicker2.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and also a sierra transfer case directly to vitara transfer case
http://www.ottindustries.com/kicker3.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[V.W.Dave]

That is a great wesite but they have no email address??? Only a phone number..

[Gwagensteve]

Sadly, apparently OTT is being wound up/sold/closed or something.

They also used changeover cores so it was very hard to order a unit from overseas from them.

Steve.