NISSAN GQ FRONT DIFF WHEEL TO WHEEL INTO 105 CRUISER

[lauxyboy]

gday guys and girls,

New to this forum have been using lcool and cant get the info i need. Has anyone ever transplanted a whole front end from a gq/gu into the front of a cruiser.I keep sheering teeth off the crown wheel in mine and have access to 2 g/q diffs wheel to wheel and are in brilliant working order. I know people stregthen the toyota diffs these days but i still see people having more trouble than my mates with their nissans i Love my cruiser but the upside down hilux diff aint doing me any favours if somebody has a link or a bit of a walk through i would love to help. If i can get it in theres a slab of beer in it

kind regards lauxy

[lauxyboy]

Just to add a bit more i forgot i have searched numerous things but keep getting such varied answers in the wealth of knowledge on here like i said any help would be greatly appreciated

[dogbreath_48]

It has definetly been done in 80 series. I'm not entirely sure what's involved but you'd want to go for the GU assembly with the bigger brakes. I believe late 80 series rear hubs can be fitted to the rear so you have 6-stud all round

[SCANAS]

From the reading I have done on here you need to fit the ARB locker with a solid spacer and get the torque on the bearings right. I would look at that first before you go the nissan gear.

[lauxyboy]

well thats gona cost me thousands when i have 2 perfectly good diffs i can utilise to make it stronger than any toyota running gear thanx for the input though

[flexytj]

get the tubes cut off your housing and welded onto the gq centre section so you still run 100 series
axles , cv,s , hubs , steering and brakes . to do this you will need to use an arb locker and change
the side gears so that the toyota axles fit the nissan locker .

[SCANAS]

What about conversion costs? You'll need new springs, links, mounts, shocks, engineering, increased insurance costs if they will still let it be insured? Not to mention labour if you can't do it yourself. That would be more than fitting a locker, solid spacer and correct torque. Plus you could sell your complete diffs too to fund the locker etc...

[lauxyboy]

front diffs fucked already never gona sell it so wont need engineering unless theres some brainiac cop around and yeah i though about getten the tubes wellded to a gq centre but i reckon it cant be that hard to just use the whole gq diff wheel to wheel some how ill have a measure and see what it takes if i go with it ill put up a thread to show how it goes ive got the means and more or less got the time sept i wont be driven it for a while i just remembered seeing it done to an 80 a white comp truck wagon it was epic somebody will hopefully know more

[SCANAS]

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic ... 8&t=186473" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Check out the above thread and do a search on 1madengineer and Auto-Craft (two members) they know what they are on about on the toyo diff.

[georgey]

well thats gona cost me thousands when i have 2 perfectly good diffs i can utilise to make it stronger than any toyota running gear thanx for the input though

Set your diff bearings and preload up properly!

I ran 38s,twin locked,reducted for over 8 months and NEVER broke a diff centre,broke plenty of CVs until i got chromos.

[Z()LTAN]

Ive run the same hp front diff in my car for 3 years and 1 year on 40" sticky treps. No issues with the diff.

Lots of preload and a deep patern.

Have fun getting a pos patrol axle strong enough for abuse on 40" stickys without spending lotsssss of money

[80's_delirious]

I posted on LCOOL suggesting you ask here.

Do you have any diff locks in the car now?

A built Yota diff will cost a few grand, but you would end up in front because you won't be replacing CVs and diff gears.

ARB locker ~$1100 retail + installation kit (hoses, switches etc)
Longfields FJ80 Super Set <$800US - cromo CVs, cromo axles
Longfields hub flanges ~$170US - includes dowel pins
Diff gears ~$5-600 after market

pay a pro to set it all up with a solid pinion spacer, and you will have a diff that is a lot stronger than a Nissan diff, with out all the hassle of a conversion.

I have difflocks in mine and run 35s with no breakages, the standard 105 diff centre has a two pinion carrier, difflocks have a four pinion carrier which is more rigid, so the crown and pinion stay meshed properly.
Its interesting that 80 series use the same diff, but with a four pinion carrier and have far less breakages than 105 series.



By the way, 80 series rear hubs are not quite a direct replacement to achieve a six stud wheel stud pattern to match a Nissan front, the PCD on axle flange stud is different between 80series and 105series, 105 has larger hub dowels and studs, spaced on a larger diameter circle, 80 series hubs would have to be re-drilled and re-tapped

[hulsty]

A mate of mine had a GQ front end in his 80 series, had to outboard the radius arm mounts at the chassis end, custom panhard and custom shock mounts about the only major items. Then there is the tail shaft flange, brake lines and I think lowering bump stops as a GQ diff is further outbound and hits the chassis.

IMO I think its a poor conversion, worse brakes and geometery, worse flex and a weaker housing and axles, minimal upgrades available. The ONLY plus is a stronger front centre. If I were to do it, I would use a complete 4.8 GU diff or transplant a patrol centre into a cruiser housing for the best outcome.

[80's_delirious]

A little reading on Nissan CVs
http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic ... 5&t=225945

[91Mav]

You could cut the mounts off both diffs then weld the Cruiser radius arm mounts to the Patrol diff and use the Cruiser radius arms. You'd also need the Cruiser panhard rod modded to fit the Patrol bushing. You might need to move and re-weld the spring perches and shock mounts. The prop shaft flange or pinion flange would need to be modded for them to bolt up.

It sounds like more work than it is. If you're handy with the welder, you could do it in half a day.

GQ CV's are weak as piss. They are easier to change than R&P's though...

Like the others said, your 8" front can be built strong with the use of a good after market R&P like Yukon or Nitro that have been cryo'd. I've used http://www.cryogen.com.au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; before and they treated two R&P's for about $280. Solid collars are a PITA to setup compared to crush sleeves but work well. Like Zoltan said, a slightly deep mesh pattern is stronger and 160 - 200 Nm of torque on the carrier adjuster nuts. I go 160 for the street. If you're in Sydney, I can help you build you next centre.

[lauxyboy]

Thanks for all the info guys, ive got some thinking to do i have access ti a bunch of gq shit and it was just a thiught coz im going for a big trip to the high country this weekend melbourne cup long weekend. Which will be good fun but hard on the car im guessen and theres a fair bit of back lash going on in the front diff already i havent done a locker or anything yet as ive been weighing up what i want to do. Having repaired the front diff 2wice and done 2 right hand cvs im getting a bit annoyed, im pretty lucky i have a gOod workshop at my desposal and good mates to help so ill see what happens.

[matts_gemmy]

Ive put a gq front diff with coils and steering box all in to a toyota 60 series chop'd into a ute. So i went leaf to coils so surely u can change out diffs u mite need to change ur pitman arm around

[80's_delirious]

IMO you really need to start with fitting a locker and decent quality diff gears, solid spacer and learn to drive accordingly.
Also, make sure you are using decent quality CVs and not cheap Chinese junk.

With lockers, you have far less shock loading on both the diff gears, and the CVs, you can crawl a lot more stuff rather than belting your truck up stuff with wheels spinning madly in the air.
must of the time diff locks let you be more gentle on your car, and when you do give it curry, it shares the load between two axles and two CVs.

I've had the same set of diff locks and diff gears in my 80 series and they are now in my 105 series, I've mostly had 35s, I take it through some pretty decent terrain and the only breakage i've had has been a Chinese CV

[80's_delirious]

All this ^^ applies with Nissan stuff just as much as with Yota stuff

[SCANAS]

Agree with you there, are aftermarket diff gears really neccessary though?

My 1000th POST ON OUTERS TONKA!!!!!

[80's_delirious]

I've never checked the price of new genuine diff gears, but suspect that quality after market gears would be cheaper

[SCANAS]

Yeah I understand that but if your diff is set up correctly and your existing gears are ok are new gears necessary for non-comp use.

[80's_delirious]

From what I understand, its the carrier, or pinion spacer that lets down the standard diff, not the gears so much, trouble is busted gears are the first sign somethings not up to the task.

[-Nemesis-]

As a few of us said at lcool, why bother basically?

Build the Yota diff and you WONT break it, it will be stronger than the GQ one, and have better clearance underneath.

Oh, and the slight fact you're thinking about spoiling a Cruiser with Nissan crap lol! Would you put a Ford engine in a Holden?

[rockcrawler31]

lauxy boy there's nothing wrong with innovating but there is no need to go to the hassle of what you're considering.

Nissan has its weak points just as toyotas do.

Both myself and 80's delerious have flogged the living piss out of a HP toyota front diff, him on 35's and myself on 37's. You got to know when to give it and when to show some love. If you go to GQ you'll be going to CV's made out of toothpicks and compacted cornflakes, whereas the 100 has big CV's with aftermarket chromolly support and 10mm drive flange dowels.

Either build the center with a locker and solid spacer, or have an ARB locker modified with GQ side gears and modify the housing to take a GQ center. Don't forget that the link mounts on a GQ are further apart on the housings which make them flex like a besser brick in comparison to the toyota.

[evanstaniland]

As most keep saying, builda toyoya diff properly and you shouldnt break it.
my comp truck runs 80 series diffs so same small front center,
i have ran 42"iroks for 3 years and 40"sticky treps for 1 year, i have now been doing front digs and only break has been from a bearing preload nut not done up on the crown wheel (by PROMAC cardiff bunch of arseholes)
mine has solid pinion spacer, longfields and ARB locker, havent had an issue!
Locktup4x4 can supply gears if needed, pinion spacer aswell as longfields.

if your not locked and blowing diffs you should look at your driving technique.

evan

[lauxyboy]

Thanks heaps for all the info guys, Plenty of food for thought but like i said immnot committed to anything, we have just got acces to plenty of nissan gear as all my nates drive them but i much prefer my 105, just got back from the high country and put my cruiser everywhere they did the only let down was the back lsd not pulling its fat arse up hill enough im definatly looking into lockers ( arb air) and would like any info people can give me on where to get a good solid spacer and if i do this will i have to do chrome cvs straight away, i use all fenuine toyota stuff now not chinese crap but i dont know much on the topics of solid spacers and are the diff gears everyone is talki g about bigger kr just stronger standard size gears. Again thanks for all the info regards lauxy

[80's_delirious]

Where are you located? Are you in Melbourne?

Try autocraft in Geelong, they know Toyota's and would be able to sort you out.

You won't need to change CVs straight away, but if you are going to fit a locker, it would be silly to do a solid spacer before fitting a locker, ALL the work would have to be done twice, it also makes sense to do the CVs at ths same time but it's not as big a deal as changing centres.

Does your cruiser get daily use? Longfields do wear faster than stock axles and CVs will, one downside of there toughness.

[lauxyboy]

Im in drysdale just outside geelong a mate of mine uses pdr in geelong and he said they are awesome they did his gu i wanna do the locker and spacer all in one and whils its my daily driver mught wait for the cvs but it wouldnt bother me i can do axles and cvs myself

[evanstaniland]

Dude my last post said that do the spacers and at a good price, he does Chromo axles and cvs aswell!

There ate HEAPS of people running longs in daily rigs

Evan