MQ 5 Speed Conversion Questions

[adam.s]

To those who have done this, just have a few questions / advice as to what to do.

In short I have two whole cars:

1) 4speed with good engine, LP GAS, good body (little if none rust).

2) 5spped with reasonable engine (could even be better then the 1st, havn't really checked it out yet), petrol, rusty guards, and probably a bit of rust elsewhere.

Both chassis's are good, as far as I can see, there is no rust in the 5 speed chassis, although there is a better possibility of some given the state of the body.

Q1) Now, to put the 5speed box into #1, I need to have access to the top section of the chassis rails, this means lifting the body off somehow - can I get away with just undoing the body mounts and jacking the body up enough to clear so I can get a welder in there ?

Q2) If I just keep the 2nd chassis, and put the body from #1 on chassis #2, how heavy are the bodys? If I get a few mates around is it realistic to think it can be lifted into place, or am I right in thinking I will need some sort of block/tackle etc ?

Thanks for any advice/feedback.

Cheers.

[mickyd555]

i dont reckon you could lift it by hand. in saying that i have no idea of how heavy it is, but the logistics of physically walking while carrying it are unreal. i reckon yuor mates will drop it, and then who are ya gonna blame. i think screwy has done it to his MQ, he'd be the man to ask......

[adam.s]

Yeah I think it's too heavy as well to do by hand, the other thing I was thinking is either remove the engine/gearbox (or if the front grills come off), then you could just jack the body up and roll the chassis out underneath it.

[mickyd555]

ive never done a gearbox swap, but does it really take all that work. Surely you can drop it out without pulling a body off?????

[adam.s]

If I was going from 4sp -> 4sp then yes, but I am going 4sp to 5sp, the 5sp box is 150mm longer and as such, the mounts are 150mm back further on the chassis rails, and hence requires access to the top section of the chassis rails to weld another set in.

No "easy" way to do the 5sp conversion, this is (in my opinion) easier then swapping the chassis's over.

[adam.s]

Actually I've had another idea.

Even easier: fabricate some new mounts that "bolt around the chassis".

Any comments on this?

It's removable (should I want to change back to 4sp later).

[mickyd555]

Actually I've had another idea.

Even easier: fabricate some new mounts that "bolt around the chassis".

Any comments on this?

It's removable (should I want to change back to 4sp later).

i see what ya mean about having to get a new crossmember in now. and i think the clamp on idea would be just as good, if it works for sliders and the like, i cant see why not for a gearbox mount.

[adam.s]

I'll grab some sheet steel this week & some spare mounts to have a play with - will post the results

If it's good enough for a Toyota, it's good enough for me

[Hoppy11]

the body should be about 840kg's give or take a bit, so lifting it manually is not a good idea, this link should help eh.

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modul ... php?t=7890

[adam.s]

the body should be about 840kg's give or take a bit, so lifting it manually is not a good idea, this link should help eh.

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modul ... php?t=7890

Yeah true, I figured it would weigh a bit - thanks for that info though.

Cheers

[V8Patrol]

Weigh a bit ......... ..... they are fawken heavy
try 4 or 5 mates to help with the lift back into the rig

Your best bet is to use an engine crane....poke it through the passengers door and then down through the hole on the gearbox tunnel.


here's a pic of what I mean....

the engine crane is lifting the gearbox while the overhead block n tackle is lifting the motor.

[adam.s]

Oh you misunderstood what I mean.

I was asking for an easy way to swap the whole body, not the gb/engine

All good - I have access to a jack big enough to take the gearbox. I'll just do all this shit before I lift it

[Screwy]

ive lifted a coupla bodys off.....

a complete SWB body would be too heavy to lift off by hand......

i have also used a back hoe but the damage to the roof was extensive......

Personally, the easiest way is either to put 2 long lengths of 50mm sqaure tube through the top corners of the cab on and use 2 block and tackels to lift it up....

or just take the doors and canopy off and use a forklift on the roof supports....

screwy

[Mintoy]

if you strip the body (doors, roof, fenders, chairs..ect.) you and 5 friend cud lift the body.

[adam.s]

True.

The other thing I was thinking of is buying some water pipe and making up two things that look like Swings

Two A's with a pipe inbetween, that would have to be strong enough to use for block & tackle.

Also starting to think it might be a better idea to swap the chassis - it doesnt look like it has any rust anyway - do MQ/K chassis's usually rust?

Is there any way of telling if they have rusted on the inside, short of putting a camera in through one of the holes ?

[mickyd555]

True.

The other thing I was thinking of is buying some water pipe and making up two things that look like Swings

Two A's with a pipe inbetween, that would have to be strong enough to use for block & tackle.

Also starting to think it might be a better idea to swap the chassis - it doesnt look like it has any rust anyway - do MQ/K chassis's usually rust?

Is there any way of telling if they have rusted on the inside, short of putting a camera in through one of the holes ?

if your worried about rust on the inside of your chassis. ive got a bit of an idea on that that i havent yet tested.....


i reckon if your put some garden irrigation pipe up the chassis and put some squirter jet things on it, and pump lanolin through it, it will help prevent it. i havent tried it yet, but i cant see any probs with it.

[adam.s]

oh thats right, the ends arnt capped hey

[mickyd555]

oh thats right, the ends arnt capped hey

well you could do it that way, but my idea is to have the hose on the outside and have those little hose attachments going in through the various holes along the rail...........

[adam.s]

Oh true, I thought you meant just run the pipe down the end of the chassis rail - like you could use one of those sprinklers to do it.

I'm not so much worried about rust, but if I have two chassis's one that could have, and one that definetly doesnt have any - which one do you reckon I'll choose