Outer Limits 4x4 Board

While browsing through the members page I found the Air Locker Design Engineer for ARB and quizzed him about lockers for the Feroza , the following is his reply
( are you reading this Murray ??? )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Andy,

Given that my best info says that Feroza's are built on Toyota's assembly line in Japan (correct me if that is wrong) I would think there would be a good chance that they might have snuck some variation of a Toyota diff into them (Toyota did not vary their diffs much at all).

As far as us not offering a Feroza locker...well...we've never taken one apart before. There just isn't enough call for lockers for them.

So...if you have a spare set of diffs around and are willing to take some measurements for me I
would be more than happy run the numbers on my end and see if we come up with either a direct match
or a minor modification to suit your purpose.

Best regards,

Daniel Bongard
Senior Design Engineer
ARB Air Locker

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While still in shock , I haven't replied to him . So if anyone in Melbourne that has some spare diffs and a heap of spare cash , Let it known it can be done ........

Andy, This is like some beautiful dream!! Please make it happen!

I live in Perth so it will cost me big bucks to find some diff's and get them sent over to Melbourne and then the cost to make it happen , I was hoping someone with more $$$ than me could get the ball rolling , any takers

Sorry Andy.

I changed my diffs to Toyota ones to be able to get lockers readily and cheaply.

And for the better gearing and possibility to get rockhopper gears for it !!

No help with parts here either

But what I can say is that the bloke who pulls this off will become a god to Daihatsu owners world wide

When I get back I'll be shopping around for a transfer case...will keep an eye out for a diff, could probably use a spare anyway...see what I can do...but no promises

this may be a bit too late for this but.. i got TWO spare diffs... one front AND rear... for a 1990-92 usa rocky... not sure if thats any help there.. i'm willing to donate the diffs as long s i get em back an someone's willin to donate the $$ to ship em....

I have just been talking to ARB head office by email then over the phone..and no they dont have an air locker for feroza's and when i asked them about future plans they said there wasnt any plans to develop them (not a big enough market - globally)..Wish it was easy to slot a rear hilux diff in .

hmm.. i can deal with no lockers as long as i can weld my front end... an find an lsd for my rear.. if possible.. grr.. i'm easy to please.. heh

I'd luv to weld up my front diff but im a bit worried about some of the tight turns in the hilly, muddy, forrestry trails where i am. I havent been in one with a lincoln locker but imagime it would make it real hard to make tight turns, even with power steering.

bah.. them rockys r small! an even if i dont like the weld (which i'm sure i will).. i can replace it with my spare.. muhahahah.... AN i have NO power steering.. jus more arm work for me. its all good.. its about the muscles baby!

What about when you have 31' Mickey Thompson Claws at 5psi on hard rocks...thats a real work out

lol... thats true.... i guess u jus gotta be smart.... theres always a way...an u'll get used to it.

I reckon if we all pickett ARB head office we might have a chance of them at least looking into making a locker at least the hand winch is building up my arm mucles.

dubb wrote:I'd luv to weld up my front diff but im a bit worried about some of the tight turns in the hilly, muddy, forrestry trails where i am. I havent been in one with a lincoln locker but imagime it would make it real hard to make tight turns, even with power steering.

Yeah, most of those here who have lincoln locked swear by it - besty, MikeH etc. I'm keen and hope to gte it done soon - I just havnt found a 4wd shop here who is keen on mods with dubious legal implications...

Hey Brett,

Take a holiday to Sydney for a week, I've found 4 places that will weld up the front diff no problem. Seems it might be legal here in NSW or no one gives a s%#@!

There should be no legal problems welding up a FRONT Diff if you have Manual Locking Hubs as the Front Diff has no effect on steering on road with hubs unlocked.
Welding up a rear diff is a legal no-no, but then there is always a hoon or 2 around with their worked Gemini's chirping tyres around corners
Don't go to a 4wd place to get it done ( unless it as a more mechanical based place ) - just get your local Diff Specialist to do it. Also make sure they do it the proper way - take the side gears out, grind them down & weld a large section of steel plate in there to really lock them solid
Just splattering a bit of weld in between the teeth is NOT good enough & the weld chunks will break of & usually take out other bits of gear etc.
I have attached a pic of how the Diff Specialist I use does it - no way you are breaking that sucker
( BTW I use Diff Trans Spares in Casula Sydney if anyone is after a reputable Diff Specialist - done plenty of work for me in the past & always been good )
Also - their is more chance of your Feroza growing its own Live Axle Front than ARB ( or anyone else ) ever making a Locker for a Feroza - if it never happened when they were new it will never happen now - we were really close with Lokka in SA making a Lokka for the Front, had 10 owners ready to sign even, but they pulled the pin.
If you could get 5 owners to lay down around $1200 up front you could get an Engineering Shop to make up a Lokka type front or rear locker - we also went down this track & found a shop to make it for us ( Glen Dobbin of Dobbin Engineering of Tuff Truck fame no less ) but we could never get 5 people interested all at the same time.
Glad I didn't go this way now - for $400 for a complete 2nd Hand Diff, $100 to weld it up - swap it out with original Diff ( which is now a good spare ) yourself you have a Lincoln Locker which is just as good.
Good Luck - Mike H.

Just read through a thread on the suzuki posts, they rekon its better to weld up the rear diff first, heaps more useful offroad such as up hill and more weight over the back end, and not too much of a problem on road, ask street car guys. On that subject, is there an easy way to tell if the rear diff is a limited slip or just open?

There should be a tag somewhere on the diff indicating it's an lsd.

Not sure if the plaque under the bonnet has an option code to indicate one's fitted?

You should be able to tell when driving off road in 2WD if you've got one too- unless it really worn.

dubb wrote:Just read through a thread on the suzuki posts, they rekon its better to weld up the rear diff first, heaps more useful offroad such as up hill and more weight over the back end, and not too much of a problem on road, ask street car guys. On that subject, is there an easy way to tell if the rear diff is a limited slip or just open?

Sorry - gotta completely disagree here. Feroza with limited up front wheel travel will gain double the offroad ability with Front Locker vs rear - plus SWB & lightish weight make the "more weight over rear wheels" arguement a lot less convincing. The Feroza would climb anything I could get a front wheel on with Front Locker - even with other wheel 3 feet in the air
Plus - Rear Lincoln Locker is totally illegal on Road - plus I wouldn't want to drive it on road with a welded rear diff - would handle horribly
Even with the Surf with rear Air Locker now, I have tried some of the same lines I took with the Feroza & have sat there with one front wheel in the air while other wheel on rock did nothing, with both rear wheels spinning with no traction - with front locker it would have just walked up -

Rear LSD or not ?? - jack up the back until both rear wheels are off the ground - rotate one wheel by hand with hand brake off, if other rotates in opossite direction = NO LSD, other wheel roatates in same direction = LSD.

Later - Mike H.

Thanks for the info Mike, think you have convinced me on the front locker idea.

So Mike when r u going 2 weld the front diff up

Mike....just buy another Feroza

Besty

Sell him yours

Does anyone know if a Rim off another vehicle will fit the US rocky/Foreza
And what is the gear ratio for the rear diff. I’m thinking about trying to find a rear end that I can get a locker for. I know a Ferozius is running Toyota but I think he said somewhere that it was off a Hilux. We don’t have Hilux in the States so unless its called something else I really don’t know were to begin.

My grandfather Runs a Salvage yard so if I ever find somthing that works and he has it in stock I can get the parts for next to nothing.

Off the topic alittle he has an Eclipse with that Im thinking about Getting the turbo off of Has anybody rigged a turbo off a donner vehicle before

Skyzic wrote:Does anyone know if a Rim off another vehicle will fit the US rocky/Feroza

PM Kent (Toyhatsu) and ask what he used as a donor axle !....my guess is it's something from Toyota...probably the US equivalent

K Is there a Rear Axel I can be looking for that has the same gear ratio so I wouldnt have to Swap Front and Back
Im ultimatly trying to find something that has Lockers for it
With everything Im reading Im figureing it will be somthing toyota but the US seems to have diffrent Models then OZ

hey skyzic.. if u ever find out.. let me know.. it would be of great interest from me.. thx!

Ferozius wrote:Mike....just buy another Feroza

Hey Besty - you don't need to convince me !! Just the missus that I need to persuade & discussing this kind of thing with an 8 months pregnent wife is not good for your health
Could be a good toy for the kid in a year or two ( BIG toy )

Later - Mike H.

For the US boys - any Toyota Pickup or 4runner axle from around 1980 - 1995 will probably do - but is not a straight bolt on. The ones from the original Solid Axles are 3" narrower than the later IFS ones - plus the brakes / wheel stud patterns / leaf spring pad mounts may be different.
Diff ratios of 5.29:1 are not standard but are available to match US Rocky front diff. Choose any Locker you like, Detroit, ARB, Lockrite.

I had a quote from a OZ Diff Specialist to swap in a Toyota rear axle, adapt original Daiahatsu drums ( same wheel stud pattern ) to Toyota axle, install 5.29:1 R&P's with an Air Locker - drive in / drive out for A$2000 ( US$1200 ) - mind you that was around 5 years ago now allow US$1500 for old age !! Isn't a hard job for a Diff / Axle specialist.

Stud Patterns for the Daihatsu are 5 x 5.5" - so should be the same as Suzuki's & Ford F150's from memory - just check the offsets when you buy as there are many variables.

Later - Mike H.