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Marks 4WD/Gearmaster Portal Axles

Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 12:25 am
by mtb4x4mad
I recently heard about these portal axle assemblies that apparently bolt/join to your current axle and allow increased ground clearance and lower gearing. Does anyone have any details regarding price or effectiveness?

Re: Marks 4WD/Gearmaster Portal Axles

Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:17 am
by bogged
mtb4x4mad wrote:I recently heard about these portal axle assemblies that apparently bolt/join to your current axle and allow increased ground clearance and lower gearing. Does anyone have any details regarding price or effectiveness?
they were at melbourne 4wd show last year.

$10-15,000 CHANGE OVER!
:shock:
http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modul ... ks+portals

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:34 am
by muppet_man67
at the 4wd show they were still in the latter stages of development. pretty cool If your chasing portals as volvos and the like will set you back similar dosh. the questions you have to as are is the money worth it? especially on a product that is largely untested. If your keen then I would ring marks and ask for some more info

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:37 am
by GRIMACE
i am interested but not for atleast another 12 months :D

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 11:12 am
by MARKx4
muppet_man67 wrote:at the 4wd show they were still in the latter stages of development. pretty cool If your chasing portals as volvos and the like will set you back similar dosh. the questions you have to as are is the money worth it? especially on a product that is largely untested. If your keen then I would ring marks and ask for some more info
You can get unimog404s for $4-5000 and they come with lockers, if the marks portals are $10-12 000 i know what i would go and it wouldnt be the marks ones.

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 12:11 pm
by jeep97tj
12000 plus lockers plus some nice axles plus high steer, nothing like chucking $16000 into a set of nissan or toyota diffs :shock: :shock:

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 4:19 pm
by Bartso
MARKx4 wrote:
muppet_man67 wrote:at the 4wd show they were still in the latter stages of development. pretty cool If your chasing portals as volvos and the like will set you back similar dosh. the questions you have to as are is the money worth it? especially on a product that is largely untested. If your keen then I would ring marks and ask for some more info
You can get unimog404s for $4-5000 and they come with lockers, if the marks portals are $10-12 000 i know what i would go and it wouldnt be the marks ones.
i'd be doing the same im sure its not hard to reweld the mounts etc on them might even be a wider track not sure

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 4:29 pm
by A1
IM not hundred percent sure but there may well be a gu with these on at TT .........only a rumour so who knows 4 more days and we'll find out i guess :armsup:

Dan

p

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 6:44 pm
by humphey
MARKx4 wrote:
muppet_man67 wrote:at the 4wd show they were still in the latter stages of development. pretty cool If your chasing portals as volvos and the like will set you back similar dosh. the questions you have to as are is the money worth it? especially on a product that is largely untested. If your keen then I would ring marks and ask for some more info
You can get unimog404s for $4-5000 and they come with lockers, if the marks portals are $10-12 000 i know what i would go and it wouldnt be the marks ones.
man 4o4's arn't that dear have sorced a bloke up the sunshine coast that can get them in for cheaper than $4000 , he mainly deals in rockwells. and i totaly agree 404 's r the go for the money i wish i had 2 steer diffs :cry:

Re: p

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:35 pm
by MARKx4
humphey wrote:
MARKx4 wrote:
muppet_man67 wrote:at the 4wd show they were still in the latter stages of development. pretty cool If your chasing portals as volvos and the like will set you back similar dosh. the questions you have to as are is the money worth it? especially on a product that is largely untested. If your keen then I would ring marks and ask for some more info
You can get unimog404s for $4-5000 and they come with lockers, if the marks portals are $10-12 000 i know what i would go and it wouldnt be the marks ones.
man 4o4's arn't that dear have sorced a bloke up the sunshine coast that can get them in for cheaper than $4000 , he mainly deals in rockwells. and i totaly agree 404 's r the go for the money i wish i had 2 steer diffs :cry:
Thats great to hear that they are getting cheaper, makes them even more apealing(spelling). How much does he sell the rockwells for?(PM if you want)

Re: p

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:25 pm
by humphey
MARKx4 wrote:
humphey wrote:
MARKx4 wrote:
muppet_man67 wrote:at the 4wd show they were still in the latter stages of development. pretty cool If your chasing portals as volvos and the like will set you back similar dosh. the questions you have to as are is the money worth it? especially on a product that is largely untested. If your keen then I would ring marks and ask for some more info
You can get unimog404s for $4-5000 and they come with lockers, if the marks portals are $10-12 000 i know what i would go and it wouldnt be the marks ones.
man 4o4's arn't that dear have sorced a bloke up the sunshine coast that can get them in for cheaper than $4000 , he mainly deals in rockwells. and i totaly agree 404 's r the go for the money i wish i had 2 steer diffs :cry:
Thats great to hear that they are getting cheaper, makes them even more apealing(spelling). How much does he sell the rockwells for?(PM if you want)
last time i spoke too him they were just under $2000 each.they were cv type and he was checkin if he had some uni type one's . he said the uni type were stronger .

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:00 pm
by N*A*M
i dig rockwells. they'd look good under a big black ugly buggy like mine. does he have rims as well?

m

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:05 pm
by humphey
N*A*M wrote:i dig rockwells. they'd look good under a big black ugly buggy like mine. does he have rims as well?
not sure nam i don't think so ,will ask next time i talk to him .

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:24 pm
by Shorty40
N*A*M wrote:i dig rockwells. they'd look good under a big black ugly buggy like mine. does he have rims as well?
Wonder what Mick Badmintonsticks did with his off the old 40 ?

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:19 am
by Tazz
Shorty40 wrote:
N*A*M wrote:i dig rockwells. they'd look good under a big black ugly buggy like mine. does he have rims as well?
Wonder what Mick Badmintonsticks did with his off the old 40 ?
Sold em.....

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:24 am
by RUFF
Bartso wrote:i'd be doing the same im sure its not hard to reweld the mounts etc on them might even be a wider track not sure
If it were that easy then everyone would be running them. For the average guy to fit a set of Mog Diffs to his GQ or Cruiser your not going to get much change from the 14 grand it would cost you to set it up with the Marks kit and a pair of lockers. Even if you could buy a set of Unimog diffs for $4000. Its not just a matter of rewelding mounts.

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:10 am
by N*A*M
TAZZ wrote:
Shorty40 wrote:
N*A*M wrote:i dig rockwells. they'd look good under a big black ugly buggy like mine. does he have rims as well?
Wonder what Mick Badmintonsticks did with his off the old 40 ?
Sold em.....
mickpeniswoodbj42 :lol:

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 4:28 pm
by Bartso
RUFF wrote:
Bartso wrote:i'd be doing the same im sure its not hard to reweld the mounts etc on them might even be a wider track not sure
If it were that easy then everyone would be running them. For the average guy to fit a set of Mog Diffs to his GQ or Cruiser your not going to get much change from the 14 grand it would cost you to set it up with the Marks kit and a pair of lockers. Even if you could buy a set of Unimog diffs for $4000. Its not just a matter of rewelding mounts.
just curious haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the diffs but what would make them so hard

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:49 pm
by antt
the pumpkin is on the passenger side at the front for a start

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:01 pm
by jeep97tj
and the pumpkin is just about in the center of the diff and it is 19" long. So unless u want your 4x4 to sit 10" higher u need to do some major sump mods, and/or move the engine to the right.

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:06 pm
by ISUZUROVER
Bartso wrote:
RUFF wrote:
Bartso wrote:i'd be doing the same im sure its not hard to reweld the mounts etc on them might even be a wider track not sure
If it were that easy then everyone would be running them. For the average guy to fit a set of Mog Diffs to his GQ or Cruiser your not going to get much change from the 14 grand it would cost you to set it up with the Marks kit and a pair of lockers. Even if you could buy a set of Unimog diffs for $4000. Its not just a matter of rewelding mounts.
just curious haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the diffs but what would make them so hard
To fit mogs to most vehicles you would need:

New or clocked T-case to handle LHS drop - or a new axle shaft and a flipped case
pinion conversion
disc conversion or drum mods
custom wheels

So unless you have the welding/machining skills required to do all of that yourself, you will be forking out for each of the above.

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:22 pm
by muppet_man67
jeep97tj wrote:12000 plus lockers plus some nice axles plus high steer, nothing like chucking $16000 into a set of nissan or toyota diffs :shock: :shock:
from my memory at the 4wd show mark said that the 10-12 price was including lockers.

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:36 pm
by jeep97tj
Thats a bargin then :D .

Nar its a good thing for someone that wants easy fitting as u dont have to change drives shafts, supension arms, steering, tcase, no welding.

Plus when u take the cost of a supension kit, high steer and gear ratio change off the price and your diff centers and cvs will last longer becouse of the gear reduction in the hubs, i spose its not that bad, just a shame they are trying to make all there money back so quick causing the high $$.

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:20 pm
by Bartso
ok now it seems alot harder to fit them ;)

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 5:42 am
by MARKx4
jeep97tj wrote:and the pumpkin is just about in the center of the diff and it is 19" long. So unless u want your 4x4 to sit 10" higher u need to do some major sump mods, and/or move the engine to the right.
I knew that fitting these diffs is never going to be a easy job, but in the sump problem wouldnt you just run a dry sump like race cars do?

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 5:54 am
by Wooders
MARKx4 wrote:
jeep97tj wrote:and the pumpkin is just about in the center of the diff and it is 19" long. So unless u want your 4x4 to sit 10" higher u need to do some major sump mods, and/or move the engine to the right.
I knew that fitting these diffs is never going to be a easy job, but in the sump problem wouldnt you just run a dry sump like race cars do?
Dry sumping isn't going to do the budget any good either ;)

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:16 am
by Wendle
ISUZUROVER wrote:To fit mogs to most vehicles you would need:

New or clocked T-case to handle LHS drop - or a new axle shaft and a flipped case
pinion conversion
disc conversion or drum mods
custom wheels

So unless you have the welding/machining skills required to do all of that yourself, you will be forking out for each of the above.
allthough all that would be expensive if you can't do it yourself, it is easily achievable.

the hard part is getting the engine mounted low enough to be practical due the the near centred front diff, i mounted my engine 100mm off centre and cut a section of sump about 150mm wide x 100mm high out. i'd still like the engine lower, but then the pinion flange would be hitting the conrods. :lol:

i'd say it would be a mission to find a engine/vehicle combination in a patrol or cruiser that would allow the motor to be offset that much. and in your average 6 cylinder patrol the exhaust occupies the same spot the tailshaft needs to be.

the other option is to narrow the axles to move the front over, using the stock centre or a nissan or for 9" centre, etc.. either way it is a big job. good news here is that cut and shut axleshafts seem to hold up, rather than using custom shafts, but it is still a massive job.

you don't need to do anything with the drum brakes, they are great brakes, they just always need overhauling as they are usually full of water from sitting around un used for too long.

in my opinion you do need to run 17" wheels at a minimum, 17" wheels will get you 135mm backspacing which really is the minimum you would want to have decent scrub radius ant not too wide a track. my car comes in at 2100mm neat with 13.5" wide tyres on 17x9" wheels which is about 60mm wider than a gq patrol axled car with the same width tyres on 15x8" wheels.

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:10 am
by andrew e
Wendle wrote:the other option is to narrow the axles to move the front over, using the stock centre or a nissan or for 9" centre, etc.. either way it is a big job. good news here is that cut and shut axleshafts seem to hold up, rather than using custom shafts, but it is still a massive job.
i was under the poinion that you couldnt shorten the axles because there is a drive dog on the end of one for the activation of the locker?

Andrew

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:02 pm
by jeep97tj
MARKx4 wrote:
jeep97tj wrote:and the pumpkin is just about in the center of the diff and it is 19" long. So unless u want your 4x4 to sit 10" higher u need to do some major sump mods, and/or move the engine to the right.
I knew that fitting these diffs is never going to be a easy job, but in the sump problem wouldnt you just run a dry sump like race cars do?
never done it my self (yet) but it seems the deep part of the sump isnt the problem its the front shallow section, this is where the 3rd member is at its biggest, so dry sump wouldnt help alot... I think :?

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:03 pm
by Wendle
andrew e wrote:i was under the poinion that you couldnt shorten the axles because there is a drive dog on the end of one for the activation of the locker? Andrew
there is, and the major diameter of the splines is a lot bigger than the shank of the axle. what i meant is that a lot of people have just cut a chunk out of the centre of the shafts and welded them back together.